DC Camera Tickets: Which Speed Cameras Issue the Most Tickets and What the Data Says About Fighting One

Last reviewed: July 25, 2026. This is practical public-data guidance, not legal advice. Camera locations, ticket counts, enforcement rules, and adjudication outcomes can change. Always check the official DC DMV and DDOT pages before deciding what to do with a ticket.

Short answer: DC camera-ticket data is useful, but not because it tells you a magic “win percentage” for your exact ticket. It tells you which camera locations generate huge volumes of tickets, what kinds of violations DC is enforcing, and what evidence matters if you decide to contest. For most people, the best use of the data is this: figure out whether your ticket came from a high-volume fixed camera, then focus your dispute on the actual photo/video evidence, plate match, location, date, signage, vehicle identity, stolen-vehicle issue, rental-car issue, or procedural defect.

Start here if you already have a ticket:

What DC Publishes About Camera Tickets

DC has a public Automated Safety Camera system. The useful sources are:

DC Automated Safety Camera locations and violations tracker: current camera locations and violation history by camera, including speed, stop sign, red-light, and truck-restriction cameras. DC says the dashboard is updated daily, but violation counts can lag by up to about one month.
DC Automated Safety Cameras violation count by month: monthly warnings/violations by enforcement-space code and enforcement type.
DCGIS camera inventory table: camera code, location description, enforcement type, speed limit, camera status, ward, ANC, and coordinates.
DC DMV contest page: how to contest photo-enforcement tickets and what evidence to submit.
DC Code Section 50-2209.01: DC law authorizing automated traffic enforcement and treating recorded images as evidence.

The High-Volume Camera Locations People Should Know About

The exact top list changes by month and fiscal year, but the same pattern shows up again and again: freeway-style roads, tunnel approaches, commuter routes, and confusing transition areas produce a lot of tickets. Here are the publicly reported high-volume examples worth knowing:

Camera / area	Reported count	Why it matters	Source
Route 295	95,418 speed-camera tickets in FY2025	This was reported as DC's top speed-camera location for FY2025. If your ticket is from 295, you are not dealing with a sleepy low-volume camera.	WTOP, April 2026
Northbound Potomac Freeway at 25th St NW	33,682 tickets from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2023	A very high-volume freeway/tunnel approach camera. A large ticket count does not prove your ticket is wrong, but it does make the location worth studying before you respond.	Washingtonian, May 2024
DC-295 SW, south of Exit 1	20,641 tickets from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2023	Another high-volume highway camera. For disputes, focus on plate/vehicle match, exact location, speed evidence, and whether there is any real factual defense.	Washingtonian, May 2024
New York Ave at North Capitol St NE	19,041 tickets from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2023	Major commuter approach toward downtown. Expect strict enforcement and a lot of similar tickets.	Washingtonian, May 2024
2200 block of K St NW	13,572 tickets from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2023	K Street tunnel / Washington Circle area. Drivers often describe this area as easy to misread because the road feels like a faster through-route.	Washingtonian, May 2024
600 block of Kenilworth Ave NE	13,281 tickets from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2023	Known high-volume enforcement corridor near a speed/roadway transition. Useful reminder to check the exact posted speed and the photo record.	Washingtonian, May 2024

What the Numbers Say About Your Odds

The cleanest public “odds” number I found is not by camera. It is a system-wide contested-ticket stat: Washingtonian reported that 109,420 traffic-camera tickets were contested in hearings from January through November 2023, and 18.7% of those contested tickets were dismissed.

Do not overread that number. It does not mean your individual ticket has an 18.7% chance of being dismissed. Your odds depend on your facts and your evidence. A strong stolen-plate case, wrong-vehicle case, unreadable-plate case, or rental-car timing problem is different from “I was only a little over.”

WTOP also reported several useful context numbers for FY2025: the top speed camera was on Route 295 with 95,418 tickets; almost 60% of violations were for drivers going 11-15 mph over; about 70% of drivers who received a speed-camera ticket received only one; and by plate origin, roughly 18% of tickets went to DC plates, 27% to Virginia plates, and 41% to Maryland plates.

High-Volume Camera Does Not Mean Easy Dismissal

This is the trap: people see that a camera issued tens of thousands of tickets and assume that proves the camera is unfair. It may show the location is confusing, heavily traveled, or aggressively enforced. But for the hearing examiner, the useful question is narrower: does the evidence prove the violation and owner liability for this ticket?

DC law specifically allows automated traffic enforcement and says recorded camera images can be used as evidence. So the better dispute is usually not “this camera writes too many tickets.” The better dispute is something like:

The plate is not readable or does not match your vehicle.
The vehicle make/model/color does not match yours.
The vehicle or plate had been stolen, and you have a police report or DMV documentation.
You were not the rental-car customer during the violation window, and your rental agreement proves it.
The ticket location, date, time, or direction does not match the images.
The notice has a factual or procedural defect that matters.
You have evidence that the vehicle was legally exempt or that the ticket was issued to the wrong party.

What to Check Before You Contest a DC Camera Ticket

Do not pay first if you plan to contest. DC DMV says a paid ticket generally cannot be contested or refunded.
Open the ticket images/video. Use the ticket number and PIN from the notice when available.
Write down the enforcement type. Speed, red light, stop sign, truck restriction, bus lane, or school-bus camera defenses are not identical.
Check the location on the DC camera tracker. Look for the enforcement-space code, location description, camera status, speed limit, and enforcement type.
Compare your evidence to DC's evidence. The hearing examiner will not go collect your proof for you. Submit the documents, screenshots, photos, police report, rental agreement, or registration records you want considered.
Keep the timeline in mind. For mail contests, DC DMV says it must receive the request within 30 calendar days to avoid added penalties.

Practical Takeaways

If the ticket came from Route 295, Potomac Freeway, New York Ave, K Street, or Kenilworth Ave: assume it is a known high-volume enforcement area. That helps explain why many people get tickets there, but it is not by itself a defense.
If you have a real factual problem: contest with evidence. The strongest cases are identity, stolen vehicle/plate, wrong owner, rental timing, unreadable evidence, or an actual mismatch in the ticket record.
If your only argument is “the camera is unfair”: the public data may be interesting, but it is probably not enough by itself.
If you are visiting DC: the boring answer is also the expensive one: slow down early on freeway approaches, tunnel roads, New York Ave, DC-295/I-295/Kenilworth, and downtown transition streets. DC camera enforcement is not theoretical.

Washington DC Parking Guide