No, the red light cameras in Creve Coeur and Ellisville are not issuing tickets, because both cities ended their programs in 2013 and 2014 after court rulings. Appeals courts upheld Creve Coeur’s ordinance in 2011, and the same court reversed course in November 2013. Florissant’s ordinance faced the same legal problem. Here is how the rulings unfolded, what happened in each city, and what a driver with an old county red light camera ticket should know.
Did an Appeals Court Rule Creve Coeur Red Light Cameras Are Legal?
The Missouri Court of Appeals did rule that Creve Coeur’s red light camera ordinance was legal, in a case decided in October 2011. The court upheld an ordinance that imposed a $100 fine when cameras caught a vehicle running a red light, according to St. Louis Public Radio. The court found that the ordinance did not violate vehicle owners’ due process rights.
That 2011 ruling was the basis for this post when it was first published in 2013. The Appeals Court had once again upheld Creve Coeur’s ordinance, and cities across the area treated the cameras as settled law. The law changed quickly after that.
Why Did the Appeals Court Change Its Mind About Red Light Cameras?
The Appeals Court changed its mind on November 5, 2013, when it ruled in an Ellisville case that a red light camera ordinance conflicted with state law. Ellisville treated camera tickets as non-moving violations. The judges said running a red light is clearly a moving violation under Missouri law, and Missouri law requires points for moving violations, according to the Missouri Lawyers Media and KBIA reports at the time.
The ruling overruled the court’s own 2011 Creve Coeur decision. Under Missouri law, a city ordinance that conflicts with state law is void, so most camera ordinances in the area were no longer enforceable. A lawyer for the camera company said at the time that the Missouri Supreme Court would have the final word.
The same problem showed up in other cities. The Missouri Supreme Court’s 2015 opinion in the St. Peters case cited an appeals court decision in the Florissant case, Unverferth v. City of Florissant, which declared a similar ordinance void.
What Happened to the Creve Coeur Red Light Cameras?
Creve Coeur stopped issuing red light camera tickets in December 2013, and its city council repealed the ordinance on May 27, 2014. The council voted 6-0 to repeal, according to KRCG, citing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Creve Coeur was one of several cities that stopped issuing citations that December.
On February 25, 2014, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the appeals in the Creve Coeur, Kansas City, and Florissant cases, according to the Associated Press report in the News Tribune. In each case, the Court of Appeals had found conflicts between the city ordinances and state law on points.
What Happened in the Florissant Red Light Camera Case?
The Florissant red light camera case began in 2011, when 3 drivers who received camera tickets filed a class action lawsuit. The drivers said the ordinance violated their due process rights because the ticket did not give them notice of a court date. In May 2012, the trial court dismissed the lawsuit, and the drivers appealed.
The Court of Appeals ruling reported in September 2013 upheld most of the dismissal but sent some issues back to the trial court. Those issues included whether drivers had notice of a court date and a chance to challenge the ticket. The Missouri Supreme Court then declined to hear the Florissant appeal in February 2014. The city’s current enforcement status is not something Andrea has been able to confirm, so a driver with a Florissant ticket should check with the court.
Why Did Ellisville Turn Off Its Red Light Cameras?
Ellisville turned off its red light cameras on March 5, 2014, when the city council voted to quit issuing tickets. The mayor said the city made the decision because of bad publicity and negative reactions from residents.
The cameras had been installed in 2009 and produced an average of about $200,000 per year in revenue for the city. The company that installed them said the cameras reduced accidents by 44% at the 3 intersections where they were used. Those are the company’s numbers, and the council turned the cameras off anyway.
What Did the Missouri Supreme Court Decide in 2015?
The Missouri Supreme Court decided on August 18, 2015, that red light camera ordinances in several cities were invalid. The court held that the St. Louis City ordinance was unconstitutional because it shifted the burden to the driver to prove who was driving. It also held that the St. Peters ordinance conflicted with state law because it treated a moving violation as a no-points offense, according to Prison Legal News and St. Louis Public Radio.
The City of St. Louis story is different from the county cities, and Andrea covers it in her post on the St. Louis City cameras. The county cities in this post had already stopped their programs before the 2015 opinions came out.
Here Is the Timeline in One Place
The table below lists each ruling and city action in order.
| Date | What Happened |
|---|---|
| October 2011 | Court of Appeals upholds Creve Coeur’s ordinance |
| 2011 | 3 drivers file a class action against Florissant’s ordinance |
| May 2012 | Florissant trial court dismisses the lawsuit |
| November 5, 2013 | Court of Appeals rules Ellisville’s ordinance conflicts with state law |
| December 2013 | Creve Coeur stops issuing camera citations |
| February 25, 2014 | Missouri Supreme Court declines to hear the Creve Coeur and Florissant appeals |
| March 5, 2014 | Ellisville council votes to turn off its cameras |
| May 27, 2014 | Creve Coeur council votes 6-0 to repeal its ordinance |
| August 18, 2015 | Missouri Supreme Court invalidates the St. Louis City and St. Peters ordinances |
Sources: St. Louis Public Radio, KBIA, KRCG, the News Tribune, Prison Legal News, and Andrea’s earlier posts on this blog.
Does St. Louis County Use Red Light Cameras Today?
St. Louis County cities that ran red light cameras, including Creve Coeur and Ellisville, stopped their programs after the 2013 and 2014 rulings. Missouri has no statewide ban on the cameras, but the Missouri Supreme Court struck down specific city ordinances in 2015, and reports since then say most programs ended. A city could restart a program only with an ordinance that fits the court rulings.
Hannibal kept a camera program longer than the county cities, and Andrea explains what changed in her Hannibal post. Because a city can change its program with little notice, a driver who sees a new camera or receives a notice in the mail should check with the court named on the ticket.
What Should a Driver With a Red Light Camera Ticket Know?
A driver with a red light camera ticket should know that the ticket went to the registered owner of the vehicle, whether or not the owner was driving. That feature drew most of the legal challenges. The fine in the county cities was usually around $100.
The tickets in these cities were no-point violations, similar to a parking ticket, so they did not show up on your driving record or increase insurance rates. That is the reason the Appeals Court called them a problem in 2013, because state law assigns points to a moving violation. Where a city runs cameras under a newer ordinance, ask the court whether the ticket carries points before you pay, because paying is a guilty plea. Andrea’s traffic ticket points post lists how many points each ticket adds.
What Happens If You Do Not Pay a Red Light Camera Ticket?
If you do not pay a red light camera ticket, the court may issue a warrant for your arrest. That was true for the county cities when their cameras were running, and it can remain true for an old ticket that was never resolved. A warrant does not go away on its own, as Andrea explains in her post on how warrants never expire.
Here is the information Andrea needs for an old camera ticket:
- The city or court that issued the ticket
- The ticket or case number, if you have it
- The date of the violation
- Whether you received a court date notice by mail
- Whether you know of a warrant
Andrea’s post on a red light camera warrant explains what happens next.
Her post on how to get a warrant lifted covers the steps to clear one, and the lifting a warrant steps apply to an old camera case as well.
How Can Andrea Help With a Camera Ticket?
Andrea can help with a red light camera ticket by working to get it dismissed or reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, which is possible in some courts. Her traffic tickets page explains how she handles tickets so that drivers can avoid points and higher insurance rates. If you hire an attorney, it is very likely that you will not have to appear in court, according to that page.
Before you pay a camera ticket, call Andrea with the city and court on the ticket. She can tell you whether she can handle that court and what the next step looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Red Light Cameras Legal in Missouri?
Red light cameras are legal in Missouri only when a city’s ordinance fits the Missouri Supreme Court’s 2015 rulings. Missouri has no statewide ban. The court struck down specific city ordinances, so a city that rewrites its law to match the rulings could use cameras.
Can You Get a Ticket From a Red Light Camera in Missouri?
You can get a ticket from a red light camera in Missouri only in a city that runs a camera program under a valid ordinance. The ticket is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. Check the court named on the notice before you pay or ignore it.
Did Missouri Ban Red Light Cameras?
Missouri did not ban red light cameras, but court rulings ended most programs. The 2013 appeals court ruling and the 2015 Missouri Supreme Court opinions struck down ordinances that conflicted with state law or due process. Many cities stopped issuing tickets as a result.
Do Red Light Camera Tickets Add Points?
Red light camera tickets added no points under the old county ordinances, because those cities treated them as non-moving violations. The Appeals Court said in 2013 that running a red light is a moving violation under state law. A ticket under a newer ordinance may carry points, so ask the court first.
Can the Registered Owner Be Ticketed If Someone Else Was Driving?
The registered owner can be ticketed if someone else was driving, because camera tickets in these cities went to the vehicle owner. That owner-based system drew lawsuits, and the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the St. Louis City ordinance in 2015 for shifting the burden to the owner. A clear photo of the driver matters for that reason.
What Happens If You Ignore a Red Light Camera Ticket?
If you ignore a red light camera ticket, the court may issue a warrant for your arrest. The fine does not disappear, and an unresolved case can grow into a bigger problem. Call the court or an attorney before the court date passes.
The Bottom Line
The Creve Coeur, Florissant, and Ellisville red light cameras are part of the past, and the rulings explain why. The Appeals Court upheld Creve Coeur’s ordinance in 2011, then ruled the opposite way in November 2013, and the cities stopped their programs in 2013 and 2014. A driver with an old camera ticket should check for a warrant and confirm with the court how the case stands.
Andrea handles every call and every case personally. She offers a free consultation with a flat fee price quote up front. Call or contact The Rogers Law Firm to talk through your ticket.
Andrea’s pricing page lists how her flat fees work.
