Connecticut PA 26-14 ALPR limits and 21-day retention (2026)

Connecticut — Public Act 26-14 (Substitute SB 397): Automated License Plate Reader Use Limits, 21-Day Retention Cap, Bans on Immigration, Reproductive/Gender-Affirming Care and First Amendment Uses, Vendor Contract Rules (Approved May 4, 2026; ALPR Rules Effective October 1, 2026)
Connecticut · Conn. Public Act 26-14 (2026), Sec. 13-15 (ALPR); Sec. 1 (civil action for deprivation of constitutional rights)

Status
In effect
Took effect
October 1, 2026
Applies to
Connecticut public agencies and law enforcement agencies that operate ALPRs or use ALPR data, and private vendors under contract with them
Enforced by
Connecticut Attorney General (vendor actions); private plaintiffs (injunctive/declaratory relief against agencies); POST Council (model policy)

Connecticut's Public Act 26-14, signed May 4, 2026, puts the state's first detailed limits on automated license plate readers. From October 1, 2026, public agencies and their vendors may run plate readers only for listed purposes (for police: checking plates against hotlists and crime databases, or searching for a plate tied to a specific criminal investigation, warrant, missing person or stolen car, with a logged reason). Plate data must be deleted after 21 days unless held under a warrant or as evidence. Police may not use plate data to enforce immigration law, to investigate people who seek or provide abortion or gender-affirming care that is legal in Connecticut, or to target people for First Amendment activity, and may share data out of state only with New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts agencies that sign a written promise to follow those rules. Vendor contracts must bar selling or freely sharing the data. The Attorney General can sue vendors (up to $2,500 per violation) and residents can sue agencies for injunctive relief. The same act also creates a state-law civil rights claim against federal or state officers who violate constitutional rights.

Who is protected: Drivers and vehicle owners in Connecticut; people seeking or providing lawful reproductive or gender-affirming care; immigrants; people exercising First Amendment rights

Legal detail

Public Act 26-14, 'An Act Concerning Democracy and Government Accountability and the Use and Retention of Data Derived from Automated License Plate Reader Systems' (Substitute SB 397), approved May 4, 2026. ALPR PROVISIONS (Sec. 13, effective from passage; operative rules 'on and after October 1, 2026'): (b)(1) closed list of permitted uses for public agencies (weigh stations, fleet, access control, traffic analytics, parking, state facilities, motor vehicle tax) and for law enforcement (hotlist/COLLECT/NCIC/NCMEC/TSDB comparisons; plate queries tied to a specific active criminal investigation on reasonable suspicion with logged reason and case number, warrants, missing persons, stolen vehicles). (b)(2) 21-DAY RETENTION CAP for data held by public agencies or contracted vendors, with exceptions for warrant/court order, highway-usage fees (30 days after collection), supervisor-approved evidence retention. (d) PROHIBITED USES: First Amendment-protected activity, immigration violations/enforcement, investigating or prosecuting people who sought/received/provided reproductive or gender-affirming care lawful in CT; no fixed ALPR collection at or near notified gender-affirming care facilities or immigrant-serving nonprofits; SHARING limited to CT public agencies and NY/RI/MA law enforcement or multijurisdictional task forces that sign a written declaration (plus further limited categories). (e) ALPR data confidential. (f) non-police agencies adopt usage/privacy policy by Jan 1, 2027. (g)-(h) new or renewed vendor contracts must bar sale, third-party sharing without written authorization, access without warrant/court order (subpoenas excluded), sharing for immigration/reproductive/protected-activity purposes, and commingling; Connecticut choice of law and personal jurisdiction. (i) AG action against vendors, damages and civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation. (j) from Oct 1, 2026, aggrieved individuals may sue agencies for injunctive/declaratory relief. Sec. 14: POST Council model ALPR policy by Dec 1, 2026. Sec. 15: POST standardized ALPR usage-report form by Jan 1, 2027. OTHER: Sec. 1 creates a state civil action (with damages and mandatory attorney's fees) against any person, including federal or state officers, who under color of law deprives a person of federal constitutional rights.

Key facts

JurisdictionConnecticut
LevelState
StrengthStronger
EnactedMay 4, 2026
CitationConn. Public Act 26-14 (2026), Sec. 13-15 (ALPR); Sec. 1 (civil action for deprivation of constitutional rights)
Private right of actionYes, individuals can sue
PenaltiesAG suits against vendors: injunctive/declaratory relief, damages, civil penalties up to $2,500 per violation; injunctive/declaratory relief against agencies
Topicspolice and surveillance AI · consumer data privacy · data retention · government use of AI
StatutePublic Act No. 26-14 (Substitute Senate Bill No. 397) — Connecticut General Assembly

More AI rules in Connecticut

Related police and surveillance AI rules elsewhere

See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction. Every entry must carry a verifiable source.