Yes, you can be arrested in Missouri over an unpaid red light camera ticket, but only if the court that issued the ticket has a warrant out for you, and very few red light camera programs are still running. Most of the St. Louis area programs ended after the 2013 to 2015 court rulings, St. Louis City has not restarted its cameras, and Hannibal stopped issuing tickets in May 2025.
This post explains how a camera ticket turns into a warrant, what changed after the court rulings, whether unpaid tickets go to collections, and what to do if an old camera ticket is still open. If the ticket is still open, Andrea handles red light camera tickets and the warrants that can follow.
Can You Be Arrested for an Unpaid Red Light Camera Ticket in Missouri?
You can be arrested for an unpaid red light camera ticket in Missouri when a municipal court issues a warrant for your arrest, and that only happens after the case moves past the ticket itself. Courts have the power to issue arrest warrants against defendants who fail to appear in court on their court date or who fail to pay their fines. That applies to any defendant accused of any offense, not just red light camera violations.
A camera ticket is not an arrest by itself. A warrant comes from a missed court date or an ignored payment deadline, and the court usually sends letters first. Here is what that means: the ticket is a small problem when it is handled on time, and a bigger problem once a court date has passed.
What Is a Red Light Camera Ticket?
A red light camera ticket is a citation issued against a vehicle that was caught on camera running a red light. A police officer does not hand it to the driver. Instead, the ticket is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
If you loan your car to someone and they run a red light, the ticket arrives in your mailbox, and you are the person the court contacts. Many red light cameras only capture a photo of the vehicle’s license plate, while other cameras photograph both the license plate and the driver’s face.
Do Red Light Cameras Still Issue Tickets in Missouri?
Red light cameras still issue tickets in Missouri only in cities with a valid ordinance and working cameras, and most of the St. Louis area programs have ended. Missouri has no statewide ban on the cameras, so a city can run a program if its ordinance fits the Missouri Supreme Court’s 2015 rulings. The table shows where the programs Andrea has written about stand.
| City | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Creve Coeur | Stopped issuing camera tickets in December 2013 and repealed its ordinance on May 27, 2014 |
| Ellisville | Council voted to turn off the cameras on March 5, 2014 |
| Florissant | Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in February 2014; current status not confirmed |
| St. Peters | Missouri Supreme Court ruled the ordinance conflicted with state law on August 18, 2015 |
| St. Louis City | Missouri Supreme Court struck down the ordinance on August 18, 2015; a new ordinance passed in April 2024, and no cameras had been installed at the latest report |
| Hannibal | Stopped issuing red light camera tickets in May 2025; tickets issued before May 20, 2025 are still valid |
Sources: Andrea’s earlier posts on this blog, St. Louis Public Radio, KRCG, the Associated Press, and Prison Legal News.
For the full history of the rulings, Andrea wrote about the St. Louis red light cameras and what the Supreme Court decided.
Her post on the Creve Coeur cameras explains how the county programs wound down.
A city can change its program with little notice, so a driver who sees a new camera or gets a ticket in the mail should check with the court named on the ticket.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay a Red Light Camera Ticket in Missouri?
If you don’t pay a red light camera ticket in Missouri, the court sends a reminder letter, then a summons, and then it can issue a warrant. The exact steps depend on the court, but this is the pattern Andrea saw when the cameras were running:
- The court sends a letter reminding you to pay the fine.
- If you don’t pay after the first letter, the court sends a second letter, called a summons, telling you to appear in court.
- If you don’t appear in response to the summons, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest.
In addition to the red light charge, you may be charged with Failure to Appear (FTA) if you don’t pay the fine or show up in court. The court assesses additional fees for the FTA charge, and a separate warrant fee if it issues a warrant.
Can a Red Light Camera Ticket Cause a Warrant?
A red light camera ticket can cause a warrant when you miss the court date or the payment deadline printed on it. Courts differ on how quickly they act. Some continue the case after the first missed date and send a reminder, and others issue a warrant after the first one, according to Andrea’s earlier post on arrests for unpaid tickets.
An unpaid ticket is also a reason to look at your payment dates. A payment you mailed that the court never recorded, or a ticket sent to an old address, can still end in a warrant, so keep proof of payment.
Do Red Light Camera Tickets Go to Collections?
Red light camera tickets can go to collections, because many courts that did not issue warrants sent unpaid fines to a debt collection agency or law firm instead. St. Louis City sent unpaid camera tickets to a collection law firm while its cameras were running. If you failed to pay in most courts in the area, you probably received a demand for payment from a collection agency or law firm.
Collections and warrants are different outcomes. A collection letter asks for money, and a warrant orders your arrest. Which one applies depends on the court, the ticket, and whether a court date was missed.
Why Did Some Courts Not Issue Warrants for Camera Tickets?
Some courts did not issue warrants for camera tickets because of due process questions about arresting the registered owner without proof of who was driving. If the camera captures a photo of the license plate but no photo of the actual driver, there is no proof that the owner was behind the wheel when the red light violation occurred.
The Missouri Supreme Court raised this problem on August 18, 2015, when it struck down the St. Louis City ordinance because it shifted the burden to the vehicle owner to prove someone else was driving. Cameras that photograph the driver’s face, like the ones once used in Wentzville and St. Peters, make it easier for an owner who was not driving to fight the ticket.
Back in 2014, Andrea wrote about a related situation in her post on a red light camera warrant: the City was not issuing warrants for unpaid camera tickets, and it was not trying to collect unpaid fines while the Supreme Court case was pending.
Did Courts Really Arrest People for Unpaid Red Light Camera Tickets?
Yes, courts in the St. Louis area did arrest people for unpaid red light camera tickets while their programs were running. The history shows how a small ticket became a warrant.
St. Peters police arrested a St. Charles County councilman for an unpaid red light camera ticket that he received the summer before. St. Peters sent the councilman two notices in the mail and then issued a warrant. The councilman said he mailed his payment before the second notice, but the court had no record of it, so the warrant stayed active and he was arrested.
In 2012, St. Ann Municipal Court announced it would begin issuing warrants against the license plates of vehicles ticketed for red light camera violations when owners failed to pay. Under that plan, the vehicle would be seized and the driver would have to call a friend or a taxi from the police station. That is history, but it shows that a camera ticket attached to a car can reach whoever is driving it.
Can an Unpaid Camera Ticket Affect Your Driver’s License?
An unpaid ticket can affect your driver’s license when the court reports a Failure to Appear charge or a warrant to the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR). The DOR can then suspend your license for failing to appear in court on a traffic violation. Andrea’s earlier post explains that you generally must pay the fine, court costs, FTA fee, and warrant fee, plus a DOR reinstatement fee, and get a release from the court before the license is reinstated.
A warrant also stays active until it is dealt with. A warrant does not go away on its own, as Andrea explains in her post on warrants that never expire.
What Should You Do If You Have a Warrant From a Red Light Camera Ticket?
If you have a warrant from a red light camera ticket, the best step is to find out which court issued it and ask about lifting it before you are stopped by police. Here is what happens next in a typical case:
- Find out which court issued the warrant. Andrea can research warrant records to identify every court with one.
- Ask the court to lift the warrant. If the court agrees, the warrant and bond are cancelled and you receive a new court date.
- Resolve the ticket. Andrea can work with the prosecutor on a plea bargain deal, and you pay the fine, court costs, and fees at the new court date.
- Pay the bond if the court will not cancel the warrant. Some courts require it, and the bond is applied to your fines and court costs.
Andrea handles warrants as part of her warrant lifting work.
Her post on getting a warrant lifted walks through each step.
Some past amnesty events also helped drivers, and the warrant amnesty post lists the verified ones.
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 or a summons by mail
- Whether you know of a warrant
How Do You Fight a Red Light Camera Ticket?
You fight a red light camera ticket by asking the court for a court date and pleading not guilty. Call the phone number on the ticket or call the court clerk, appear for arraignment, and the judge will set a trial date.
At the trial of a red light camera ticket, you should expect a representative of the company that administers the cameras to testify, along with the police officer who reviewed the video showing your vehicle going through the intersection. Red light camera tickets are reviewed by a police officer before they are mailed.
In some courts the judge watches the video and decides whether to dismiss the ticket. A red light camera ticket was a non-moving, no-point violation in many courts and a 2-point moving violation in others, such as Hannibal, so ask the court before you pay. Paying is a guilty plea. Andrea works to get these tickets reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, which is possible in some courts but never promised, and her traffic tickets page explains how she handles other tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Go to Jail for a Red Light Camera Ticket?
You can go to jail for a red light camera ticket only if a court issues a warrant and you are arrested on it. The ticket alone does not send you to jail. A warrant follows a missed court date or an ignored payment deadline.
Do Red Light Camera Tickets Add Points in Missouri?
Red light camera tickets add points in Missouri when the ticket is a moving violation. A Hannibal camera ticket was a 2-point violation if the driver pleaded guilty. The old camera tickets in many other courts were no-point violations, and the court can tell you which kind your ticket is.
Do You Have to Pay a Red Light Camera Ticket If You Were Not Driving?
You may not have to pay a red light camera ticket if you were not driving, but the court may ask who was. The Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling said an owner cannot be presumed to be the driver. Andrea reviews the ticket on the free consultation call.
How Long Does a Warrant Last?
A warrant lasts until it is lifted or you are arrested on it. Warrants do not expire, so an old camera ticket warrant can still be active years later.
Can a Lawyer Lift a Warrant Without You Going to Jail?
A lawyer can possibly lift a warrant without you going to jail, because many courts will cancel a warrant when an attorney asks. Some courts require the bond first, so Andrea checks the court’s practice before you act.
The Bottom Line
Red light camera tickets can lead to a warrant and an arrest when a court date is missed, but most of the old camera programs have ended and a ticket handled on time rarely goes that far. Andrea handles every call and every case personally. She offers a free consultation with a flat fee price quote up front. To talk about a camera ticket or a warrant, contact The Rogers Law Firm.
The pricing page explains how her flat fee quotes work.
