Red light camera ticket in Toronto: what it costs, and how to dispute it

How a camera ticket works

The camera captures images of vehicles entering an intersection after the signal has turned red. City staff designated as provincial offences officers review the images, then a penalty order is mailed to the registered owner of the plate.

Under the provincial rules, the penalty order has to be imposed within 23 days of the offence, and a mailed order is treated as served on the seventh day after it was mailed. Your deadlines run from that deemed service date, not from the day you opened the envelope.

Tip: the city publishes a map of camera locations, and signs are posted at intersections that have one.

What it costs

The amount is set by provincial regulation (O. Reg. 355/22), not by the city:

• $260 penalty,
• $60 credited to the victims’ justice fund,
• $8.25 to cover looking up the owner’s name and address.

That’s $328.25 in total. If the intersection is in a community safety zone, it is $400 + $85 + $8.25 = $493.25.

Toronto also charges a 2.35% processing fee on credit card payments made online.

Demerit points and insurance

Because the penalty is issued to the owner, not a driver, there are no demerit points. Toronto states that these penalties do not affect anyone’s driving record.

The owner is liable whether or not they were driving. That surprises people who lend their car out, but it also means the driver’s record stays clean too.

Toronto’s switch to administrative penalties

City Council approved moving red light camera charges to its Administrative Penalty System on February 6, 2024, and the change took effect on January 20, 2025.

• Offence on or after January 20, 2025: you get a penalty order. Use the city’s Administrative Penalty Lookup with the penalty order number and plate.
• Offence on or before January 19, 2025: it is still a court matter. Use Court Case Lookup.

The practical difference: there is no trial and no justice of the peace. Disputes go to a city screening officer, then to a hearing officer — the same structure as disputing a Toronto parking ticket.

How to dispute it

Step 1 — Screening review

Request a screening review online through the Administrative Penalty Lookup within 30 days of the deemed service date. You can also file in person at North York Civic Centre or Metro Hall, but the review itself isn’t done at the counter.

• You get one screening request per penalty order, and you may not be able to add documents afterwards. Upload everything at once.
• The screening officer can affirm, reduce or cancel the penalty, or give you more time or a payment plan.
• Toronto lists a turnaround of up to 60 days, and decisions are sent by email. Check your junk folder.

Toronto lists two grounds: the contravention did not occur, or paying would cause undue hardship. A hardship request needs your most recent Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment.

Tip: look closely at the photos. If the image shows a different vehicle, a misread plate, or a car that was already in the intersection before the light turned red, that is the kind of evidence a “did not occur” argument is built on. “I didn’t see the light” is not.

Step 2 — Hearing review

If you disagree with the screening decision, you have 30 days from the decision date to request a hearing review with Toronto’s Administrative Penalty Tribunal. The hearing officer’s decision is final.

• There is no fee to request a screening or hearing review.
• If you are given a date and time and don’t attend, the regulation adds $60 to the penalty.

Missed the 30 days?

You can ask for an extension of up to 60 days from the deemed service date, submitted together with the screening request, and you have to explain the extenuating circumstances. Only one extension request is allowed, and a refusal at screening is final.

If you don’t pay

After the due date, Toronto adds administrative fees to the amount owing. Under the provincial regulation, the city can then hand the debt to the Ministry of Transportation. At that point a $20 late payment fee is added, and the ministry can refuse to issue or validate your vehicle permit until it’s paid — in practice, you can’t renew your plate.

Tip: if the amount itself is the problem, ask for a payment plan at screening. That’s one of the outcomes a screening officer can grant.

Outside Toronto, and older tickets

The provincial regulation lets municipalities use administrative penalties for camera offences; it doesn’t require them to. In a city that still uses the court system, a red light camera ticket is a charge against the owner, with the same $260 set fine plus the victim fine surcharge and court costs. You choose from the options on the notice — pay, meet a prosecutor where early resolution is available, or request a trial — usually within 15 days.

Either way, an owner convicted on camera evidence gets no demerit points, and the Highway Traffic Act says the owner can’t have their driver’s licence suspended for not paying that fine. Your plate renewal is a different matter.

Tip: read the notice to see which system you’re in. A “penalty order” from the city means the administrative route; an “offence notice” means court.

Common questions

Does a red light camera ticket give demerit points in Ontario?

No. A camera penalty is issued to the vehicle’s owner, not a driver, so no demerit points are added and Toronto says it does not affect your driving record. If a police officer stops you for running a red light, that is a different charge and it carries 3 demerit points.

How much is a red light camera ticket in Toronto?

$328.25 for most intersections: a $260 penalty, $60 for the victims’ justice fund and an $8.25 plate access fee. In a community safety zone it is $493.25.

How long do I have to dispute a Toronto red light camera penalty?

30 days from the deemed service date. A mailed penalty order is deemed served on the seventh day after it was mailed. If you miss the 30 days you can ask for an extension, up to 60 days from the deemed service date, by showing extenuating circumstances.

I wasn’t driving. Do I still have to pay?

Yes. The penalty is imposed on the registered owner whether or not they were driving. Because it is an owner penalty, it does not go on anyone’s driving record.

What happens if I ignore a red light camera penalty?

Toronto adds administrative fees after the due date. The city can then send the debt to the Ministry of Transportation, which adds a $20 late payment fee and can refuse to renew your vehicle permit until the penalty is paid.

Sources

• Red Light Cameras — City of Toronto
• About Red Light Camera Penalties — City of Toronto
• Dispute Your Red Light Camera Penalty — City of Toronto
• Pay Red Light Camera Penalties — City of Toronto
• O. Reg. 355/22, Administrative Penalties for Contraventions Detected Using Camera Systems — e-Laws
• Highway Traffic Act, s. 144 — e-Laws
• Set fines, Schedule 43 (Highway Traffic Act) — Ontario Court of Justice
• O. Reg. 161/00, Victim Fine Surcharges — e-Laws
• Provincial Offences (total payable, costs) — Ontario Court of Justice
• Understanding demerit points — ontario.ca
• O. Reg. 339/94, Demerit Point System — e-Laws
• Check the status of traffic tickets and fines — ontario.ca

Last checked: October 2026.