Which Iowa communities can still operate speed cameras and where after the state Department of Transportation decided Monday which permits to issue or decline?

The state denied about 44% of the 348 fixed and mobile camera permit requests it received, most often because officials decided less restrictive alternatives were available to address traffic issues at a requested location.

More: Which Des Moines traffic cameras are still operating? What to know after Iowa DOT decision

Search our database to see how the DOT ruled on all permit requests from 28 Iowa municipalities that applied to use mobile and fixed automated traffic-enforcement cameras under a new state law regulating the devices.

How did the DOT rule on Des Moines’ cameras?

Two fixed traffic-enforcement cameras were shut down at 4 p.m. Monday in Des Moines. The state also denied the city’s request to use mobile cameras at 14 locations.

Des Moines, which has three mobile cameras, had permits approved at 25 sites:

• 4700 block Interstate 235, eastbound. (The city’s only approved fixed camera.)
• 4300 block Ingersoll Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 2800 block SW Ninth Street, northbound and southbound.
• 1800 block Fleur Drive, northbound and southbound.
• 300 block E. McKinley Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 2800 block Indianola Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 1700 block Park Avenue, eastbound and westbound.
• 1600 block E. University Ave, eastbound and westbound.
• 2200 block E. 29th Street, northbound and southbound.
• 4800 block Hickman Road, eastbound and westbound.
• 1000 block SE 14th Street, northbound and southbound.
• 2900 block Sixth Avenue, northbound and southbound.
• 3100 block MLK Jr. Parkway, northbound and southbound.

Use of the cameras will pause while the signage required by Iowa law is installed, Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

Once installed, the Des Moines Police Department will make notification 30 days before enforcement resumes at the approved locations.

What did the DOT decide on other municipalities’ permits?

Fort Dodge was the only municipality to see all of its requests granted to use mobile cameras at 19 locations.

Davenport may use cameras at 86% of its 51 requested locations, mostly mobile, while 61% of Des Moines’ 41 requested permits got the green light from the DOT.

Several municipalities had less than half of their permit requests approved:

• Marion: 29 of 59 permits, or 49%.
• Cedar Rapids: 6 of 15 permits, or 40%.
• Waterloo: 15 of 44 permits, or 34%.
• Sioux City: 8 of 18 requests, or 44%.

The DOT declined to issue any permits to 18 Iowa counties or municipalities that applied: Buffalo, Chester, Charles City, Hudson, Hazleton, Fredericksburg, Fayette, Independence, La Porte City, Lee County, Maynard, Oelwein, Postville, Prairie City, Strawberry Point, Tama, Webster City and West Union. Each had requested fixed permits, except for Lee County, which requested permits for two mobile and six fixed locations.

The most common reason for permit denials, involving 62 rejections of fixed cameras and two denials of mobile cameras, was “not least restrictive means.” Iowa law requires “the least restrictive means to address the traffic safety issues at a location.”

The DOT considered the cameras “not necessary” at 39 fixed and 12 mobile locations. Mobile units were deemed “not appropriate” at 18 spots.

The DOT declined permits at 27 fixed and 33 mobile locations because the cameras were not in use before Jan. 1, 2024. Under the new law, communities using traffic cameras for the first time on or after Jan. 1, 2024 cannot be issued a permit by the DOT before July 1, 2026.

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.