School Zone Speed Enforcement Camera Information
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The Dalton Police Department is launching an automated photo speed enforcement program in the Dalton High School and Roan Street Elementary School school zones. LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) cameras have been installed on Waugh Street adjacent to Dalton High School and on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard adjacent to Roan Street School. The camera systems will be operational beginning March 24th, 2025 with a 30-day warning period. Citations will begin being sent for speeding violations in the school zones on April 29th.
Citations sent for violations recorded by the camera system are civil in nature and carry a monetary fine but do not come with points against your license or insurance penalties.
The cameras will be operational only during the morning and afternoon pick-up/drop-off periods when the school zone speed limits are in effect and school zone speed limit signs are flashing. In the Dalton High School zone, they will operate from 6:31 am-7:30 am and from 2:16 pm-3:15 pm. In the Roan Street School zone, they will operate from 7:31 am-8:30 am and from 3:26 pm-4:25 pm. The school zone speed limit in both zones is 30 miles per hour.
Speed studies conducted in August 2023 in the school zones for Dalton High School and Roan Street Elementary School identified a significant problem with speeding. More than 48,000 vehicles traveled through the school zones in a one week period, with 7,779 speed violations in a 5-day period. That means more than 16% of the cars in the school zone were speeding, including 417 vehicles (5.36%) traveling more than 21 miles per hour over the speed limit. That's a dangerous situation for our school zones.
Beginning Monday, March 24th, 2025, speeding violators in the school zones during the enforcement times will receive a warning in the mail marked in red advising of the violation with the date and time the violation occurred. Warning citations carry no monetary implications.
Live enforcement begins after the 30-day warning period on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025. At this time, motorists who exceed the posted school zone speed limit at 10+ MPH will receive a citation in the mail. These citations are civil in nature, carry a fine of $100 for the first offense ($75 fine plus a $25 processing fee) and $150 for each subsequent offense ($125 fine plus $25 processing fee) but do not come with points against your license or insurance penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you using speed cameras to enforce school zone speed limits?
We are committed to keeping our community and our roadways safe and that goes double where our children are concerned. It's our job to keep our school zones safe, and we recognize that speeding in school zones is a very serious danger for our children. According to Blue Line Solutions, our partner in the school zone speed camera program, similar programs that have been rolled out across the country have seen an average of a 92% reduction in speeding vehicles and we want to have a similar impact on speeding in Dalton.
We believe in Vision ZERO: zero crashes, zero injuries, zero fatalities.
How much of a problem is speeding in our school zones?
Speed studies conducted in August 2023 in the school zones for Dalton High School and Roan Street Elementary School identified a significant problem with speeding, recording 7,779 speed violations in a 5-day period.
In the Dalton High and Roan Street School zones, there were 48,003 drivers per week in the school zones with 7,779 speeding vehicles (16.21%). Of those speeding, 7,272 were speeding between 11-20 MPH greater than the school zone speed limit (93.84% of speeders). Unfortunately, 417 vehicles were clocked speeding 21+ MPH over the speed limit (5.36% of speeders) which dramatically increases the risk for serious injuries in the event of a crash.
We know that speed kills; these speed studies proved that we have a serious and dangerous speeding problem in our school zones that we need to address.
Why is there a warning period? Why not just write the citations from the start?
The goal of this program is not to issue citations, it is to educate the public and slow down drivers in our school zones. Through transparency and public education, we want to create a big change in driving behaviors to protect our local kids. By having a 3-phased approach (public information & education, warning period, and enforcement period), this gives everyone a chance to adapt and adjust to our new community safety expectations.
We want to make sure that everyone learns and understands our school zone safety plan with grace, transparent, and equitable communication with all of our community.
How do you know who the driver is?
The LiDAR used in the cameras is more accurate as it is a single beam radar that measures and captures each individual car in each lane. If someone violates the speed zone, then we will know the exact vehicle violating the posted limits.
Our warning and enforcement letters are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle that violates the school zone speed limit by 10+ MPH when school is in session, flashing lights are on and operating, and children are present at the school.
What is the fine?
The citations are civil in nature and carry a fine of $100 for the first offense ($75 fine plus a $25 processing fee) and $150 for each subsequent offense ($125 fine plus $25 processing fee). The citations do not assess points against your license or insurance penalties.
Are citations sent automatically? Is there a human involved?
Yes, a Dalton Police officer must review each citation. After the automated system records a speeding violation, the violation is first confirmed by a staff member of Blue Line Solutions, our partner in the speed enforcement camera program. After that, the recording of the violation is sent to the Dalton Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) for review. After a TEU officer determines that the citation is correct and the speeding violation occurred, the citation is sent.
How can I contest my citations?
- CONTESTING: O.C.G.A § 40-14-18 You may contest the ticket by filing a written request for an administrative hearing. You must request a hearing within 60 days of the issue date listed on the front of the citation.
- 1. Visit www.violationpayment.net
- 2. Click Contest Your Citation
- 3. Select Dalton, GA 4. Complete the Hearing Request Form, mail, email, or fax it to the location specified on the form. Notification of a hearing date will be provided to you via first class mail.
- NOT DRIVING VEHICLE: O.C.G.A § 40-14-18(4)(A) If you were not driving the vehicle at the time of violation, in open court before a judge, you must submit an affidavit. To request a hearing to appear in court, please visit www.violationpayment.net and follow the instructions above to download a hearing request form.
- STOLEN VEHICLE OR TAG: O.C.G.A. § 40-14-18 Must present to the court a certified copy of a police report showing that the vehicle had been reported to the police as stolen prior to the time of the alleged violation.
How can I pay my citation?
- Online payments: Visit www.violationpayment.net or scan the QR code on the front of your citation. Log in using citation number and citation PIN (found in the red box on the front of this citation). Click Pay
- Pay by Phone: Available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. Call 1-855-252-0086
- Pay by Mail: Check or Money Order Only, made payable to the City of Dalton, GA Mail your check with the payment slip on the front of your citation to:
- Dalton, GA Police Department
- c/o, Photo Speed Payment Processing Center
- PO Box 19207 Chattanooga, TN 37416
- All payments made by using a credit/debit card will incur a $5.90 transaction fee. All returned checks will incur a $25 NSF fee, plus an additional $11.81 bank fee.
Where does the money go?
As with any other traffic citations issued by the Dalton Police Department, any money collected by the City from violations goes into the City of Dalton's general fund.
