Is It Legal to Use a Car Dash Camera in California?

California drivers love their cars and the gizmos that go into them such as global positioning systems, hands-free phones, multi-disc CD players, DVD monitors and video cameras. The state of California law permits drivers and manufacturers to install dash cameras in private automobiles, but not without certain restrictions.

The use of video recorders in cars, if installed according to the legal restrictions, is permitted in the State of California. Commonly referred to as dash cams, video recording devices are most often attached to a vehicle’s windshield. There are several options when it comes to installing the device. California law requires their placement outside the range of airbag deployment in a 7-inch-square area at the lower right-hand corner of the windshield, in the lower left-hand corner of the windshield in an area no larger than 5 square inches, or in a 5-inch square area on the upper center portion of the windshield.

California’s Vehicle Code refers to dash cams as “video event recorders,” defining these devices as video recorders that continuously record a digital loop that contains audio and video information. They can also record your driving speed, direction, seat belt usage and steering and braking events. A crash or "unusual motion” of the vehicle can automatically trigger the camera’s recording function, but the driver can also manually operate it for the purpose of monitoring his driving performance. The recorder may not store more than 30 seconds of data before and after the event that triggers its recording function.

Dash cameras obviously can make a visual record of the road ahead, but under state law, they must also be capable of recording and saving audio data. Because this requirement raises privacy concerns, you must post a notice in a visible place in your car that notifies passengers that their conversations are being recorded. If the passenger doesn't consent, you must turn off the audio device. The information stored on the recorder belongs to the owner as a matter of law.

California law aims at encouraging drivers to operate their vehicles in a safe manner and, hopefully, to reduce road accidents. Other purposes of installing dash cams in your car can include providing a record of police behavior during traffic stops, documenting incidents of road rage and recording events leading up to accidents for reporting to insurance companies.