Speed cameras are an increasingly common sight across Virginia, and a significant number of motorists who are issued tickets aren’t paying the fine.
Virginia State Police and many local law enforcement agencies are using automated photo enforcement in specific areas to make drivers mindful of their speed. Data compiled by the state police indicates that approximately one-quarter to one-half or more of all violations are contested or ignored, which at $100 apiece, adds up to millions of dollars in unpaid fines. And there’s currently no concerted push to make overdue offenders pay up.
Virginia State Police spokesman Matt Demlein said the aim of the program is to modify motorists’ behavior and make Virginia highways safer, particularly in dangerous areas.
Speed cameras, used widely across Virginia for photo enforcement, are distinct from Flock cameras, a controversial means of criminal investigation used by many law enforcement agencies.
In January, Virginia State Police partnered with Elovate, an Iowa-based traffic enforcement firm, to deploy and manage speed cameras in interstate work zones around the commonwealth.
In July, Elovate installed speed cameras in a work zone on Interstate 81 between mile markers 143 and 150 in Roanoke and Botetourt counties where construction crews are adding one lane of travel in each direction. Two months earlier, speed cameras went up in a work zone on I-81 between mile markers 221 and 225 in Augusta County.
The registered owner of a vehicle that exceeds the posted speed limit by 10 miles per hour or more is issued a notice of violation and required to pay a $100 civil penalty — a fine similar to a parking ticket that is not reported to insurance companies and does not result in Department of Motor Vehicle demerit points. The money collected from the state police’s speed cameras goes to the commonwealth’s literary fund, which is used for school construction, educational technology and teacher retirement.
Since photo enforcement began on I-81 in Roanoke and Botetourt Counties, 10,295 citations were issued to motorists through Oct. 13, according to Demlein. Of those, 6,663, or approximately 65%, have been paid. Farther north on I-81, roughly 71% of cited motorists have paid their fine.
When a driver is cited for going too fast in a work zone, there are two options, according to Demlein. “Individuals who receive a violation notice can pay the civil penalty or contest the violation in the appropriate court,” he said.
Elovate has a straightforward system for paying online or by mail. Those who contest the citation in court, which would be in Roanoke County or Botetourt County for the more southerly I-81 speed cameras, can expect the general district court to adjudicate the matter and handle any financial obligations of the defendant, according to Demlein.
But it’s not exactly clear what happens if an offender does not challenge the ticket or pay the fine. Elovate will mail out a second notice of violation if the first one is unpaid.
Botetourt County Commonwealth’s Attorney John Alexander said that his office will be responsible for handling appeals of speed camera violations but that no such cases have been referred to date. Alexander was unsure whether Virginia State Police would be referring unpaid violations to his office.
Roanoke County Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Holohan likewise indicated that his office was not currently pursuing any speed camera appeals or unpaid violations.
Demlein said that Virginia State Police are not automatically referring pending speed camera violations to courts solely because payment has not been received. He also said that the state police are not using a collection agency to recoup unpaid tickets.
“The Department continues to evaluate the administrative procedures associated with the program, including the handling of outstanding violations, to ensure compliance with Virginia law,” he said.
Non-payment on I-81 speed cameras mirrors a similar trend across Virginia for photo enforcement sponsored by local sheriff’s offices and police departments. More than a dozen county and town law enforcement agencies across Southside and Southwest Virginia — from the modest Hurt Police Department to the sizable Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office — use photo enforcement, primarily in school zones.
Most local law enforcement agencies partner with Blue Line Solutions, based in Tennessee, to manage the installation, deployment and ticketing for the speed cameras. The Altavista Police Department uses Altumint, based in Maryland.
Funds collected by local law enforcement speed camera programs are supposed to return to the jurisdiction, after administrative costs, for traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety initiatives.
Success rates for getting speed zone offenders to pay vary widely across the region. Last year, the Saltville Police Department had among the lowest rates of successful prosecutions, according to an annual report issued by the state police, as 45% of violations recorded in Saltville were paid in 2025. Bluefield, which has two cameras in front of Graham Middle School and Graham High School, saw among the highest rates of payment in 2025, with some 75% of ticketed speeders squaring up.
Wythe County, which has speed cameras both in school zones and in work zones on I-77, had the highest volume of speed camera infractions — and unpaid notices — in Southside and Southwest Virginia last year. Violators paid 28,951 out of 44,905 speed camera tickets, an approximately 64% rate. But at $100 per violation, that’s more than $1.5 million in unpaid fines.
Year-to-date in 2026, local law enforcement agencies are encountering a significant number of violators who aren’t paying up, according to data from Blue Line Solutions: Bristol’s pay rate currently stands at 42%. Montgomery County is at 65%, Smyth County is at 50% and Wythe County is at 54%.
When a first notice of violation is unpaid, Blue Line Solutions does not send out a second notice, company officials confirmed. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, state law will require a second notice to be sent to violators.
Captain Mark Hollandsworth of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said that the department does not send any unpaid violations to collections. “Violators receive summonses and reminders to pay, but nothing further, even though that option is available,” he said.
In Wythe County, the sheriff’s office relies on Blue Line Solutions to handle the matter of unpaid fines. Blue Line Solutions would be the entity sending unpaid violations to court for adjudication, according to Maj. John Thompson. He said that the sheriff’s office does not send unpaid violations to a collection agency but that Blue Line Solutions could do that.
The police departments in Bristol and Martinsville, both of which use speed cameras in school zones, did not indicate specific protocols for pursuing violators who ignore their fines.
The Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, which had an approximately 56% pay rate in 2025, did not return multiple requests to clarify department procedures.
But time may be running out for speed camera delinquents come 2027. Legislation that takes effect on Jan. 1 requires general district courts to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles about unpaid speed camera fines, preventing vehicle owners from renewing registrations or obtaining new license plates — a task that reporting by WHRO in September found would be onerous for already-burdened court clerks.
Demlein, of the state police, said that ultimately the amount collected by the agency — and similar law enforcement organizations around the commonwealth — is secondary to a larger goal.
The purpose of state police speed cameras remains “improving safety for motorists and highway workers by encouraging compliance with posted speed limits in active work zones,” he said. “The program is intended to change driver behavior and reduce speeding, not to generate revenue.”
