While Dash Cams are legal to have in your car on the road, restrictions affecting legal Dash Cam installation and placement do vary from state to state. Certain jurisdictions in the U.S. have restrictions intended to prevent any obstruction of the driver’s view of the road, which impacts where the Dash Cam can legally be placed on the windshield. In addition, certain states have stipulations around consenting parties with surveillance and privacy if audio is used with Dash Cams.

Ultimately it is undeniable that Dash Cams are a great way to improve the security of motorists on the road, and as the popularity around the use of Dash Cam footage grows with law enforcement and insurers in helping provide irrefutable evidence in the event of an incident, it is highly unlikely drivers would be pulled over unless the Dash Cam is mounted in an area of the windshield that obstructs the view of the road for the driver. A great example of the increasing support from law enforcement can be heard during a recent segment featuring Nextbase with Daily Mail TV, where former NYPD Lieutenant Darrin Porcher commented: “You’ve heard the term a picture is worth a thousand words, well a video is worth a million words.”

There is no law that forbids a driver from installing a Dash Cam in their vehicle, but we recommend that all U.S. motorists research their state’s laws before mounting a Dash Cam to ensure that it meets legal requirements.

Dash cam legality by state


To see if your state applies restrictions to Dash Cams in your vehicle, refer to the chart below that breaks down these laws on a state-by-state basis:

State Are Dash Cams legal ? Restrictions Source
Alabama Yes - There is no law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams but window positioning needs to be adhered Source
Alaska Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Arizona Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Arkansas Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
California Yes Legal with restrictions, surveillance rules Source
Colorado Yes Legal with restrictions Source
Connecticut Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Delaware  No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams but window positioning needs to be adhered Source
Florida No law prohibiting Dash Cams Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Georgia  No law prohibiting Dash Cams Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Hawaii Yes Legal with restrictions Source
Idaho  No law prohibiting Dash Cams Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Illinois Yes Legal with restrictions, surveillance rules Source
Indiana Yes Legal with restrictions Source
Iowa  No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Kansas  No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Kentucky  No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Louisiana Yes Legal with restrictions Source
Maine  No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Maryland Yes Legal with restrictions, surveillance rules Source
Massachusetts Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Michigan Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Minnesota Yes Legal with restrictions Source
Mississippi No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Missouri Yes Legal without restrictions Source
Montana Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Nebraska Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Nevada Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
New Hampshire Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
New Jersey Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
New Mexico No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
New York Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
North Carolina Yes Legal without restrictions Source
North Dakota Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Ohio Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Oklahoma Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Oregon Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Pennsylvania Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Rhode Island Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
South Carolina Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
South Dakota No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Tennessee Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Texas Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Utah Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Vermont Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Virginia Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Washington Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Washington DC Yes Legal with restrictions Source
West Virginia Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source
Wisconsin No law prohibiting Dash Cams No law prohibiting Dash Cams Source
Wyoming Yes Legal if positioned correctly and not obstructing drivers view Source


 

Disclaimer: The legality of mounted devices to motorist’s windshields within each state is subject to change at will. Even if it is legal to use a Dash Cam mounted in the windshield in your state as of today, that could change without notice at any time in the future. Before mounting a Dash Cam to your windshield, you should either consult with a lawyer, or continue checking your state’s current laws or statutes around mounting Dash Cams to your windshield to ensure you are abiding by the law and are not obstructing your view of the road.


 

Are dash cams legal?
By Nextbase
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