As of July 12, 2026, Italy has new rules in place for speed cameras and speed enforcement. A decree from the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, signed on June 9 and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale one day before taking effect, for the first time requires municipalities and highway operators to obtain uniform technical homologation for their measuring devices. Around 850 old radar speed traps across the country have since been switched off, while more than 3,100 others remain in operation. For drivers from Germany and Austria, this changes less about the rules on the road than about the legal basis of the fines that may arrive in their mailboxes afterward.
What the new speed camera decree regulates
The key innovation addresses a matter that has been unresolved for 34 years. Italy's Highway Code of 1992 already required mandatory homologation (official technical approval) of speed measuring devices, but failed to define the necessary procedure. The legal gray area this created has, in recent years, led to a wave of appeals and overturned fines, as those affected questioned whether individual devices met compliance standards. The Court of Cassation, in several rulings, confirmed the distinction between a mere "approvazione" and a genuine "omologazione," fueling further litigation.
With the new decree, these requirements are now operational. Every speed camera prototype must be homologated by the Ministry, every device in active use must be calibrated at least once a year, and every municipality must be able to document the model, serial number, certificate of conformity, and calibration date at any time. The technical details, including data protection through encryption and the mandatory blurring of faces for drivers residing abroad, are documented in depth by the legal information portal Laleggepertutti.
Which speed cameras have been switched off
The cameras affected by the shutdown are primarily average speed systems of older design, known in Italy as "Tutor," as well as individual fixed speed cameras approved between 2004 and May 2017 that do not meet the criteria of the new decree. Specifically, at least 83 highway sections have been without active average speed control since mid-July 2026 on motorways A1, A4, A13, A14, and A16. In total, around 850 of approximately 4,000 speed cameras in the country have been deactivated, while 3,150 remain in operation. The remaining devices are considered homologated under the transitional provisions in Annex B of the decree, provided they already met the technical requirements beforehand.
Travelers on Italian motorways should not take this as a reason to let their guard down. For one thing, conventional point-to-point speed cameras continue to operate; for another, a new generation of homologated devices will be gradually introduced over the coming months. Police checks with mobile handheld measuring devices also continue unchanged.
Fines for German drivers
For German drivers , the decree changes nothing about one fundamental rule: anyone caught speeding in Italy will receive the fine in Germany and must pay it. This is based on the European vehicle registration data exchange, which allows Italy to access German registration records. No points are added in Flensburg, because the Italian points system applies only to holders of Italian driving licenses, but the financial penalties remain fully enforceable.
Fine amounts for speeding violations remain unchanged, ranging from around 42 euros to over 3,000 euros depending on the extent of the violation. A 30 percent discount is granted for payment within five days of delivery, which can be particularly relevant for minor infractions. For fines based on cameras that have since been switched off or were insufficiently homologated, an appeal may be worthwhile, though the legal situation is complex in its details and depends on the individual case.
Signage and advance warning
Unlike in Germany, speed cameras in Italy are generally required to be announced in advance. A sign displaying a speed camera pictogram must be posted before every fixed device, at a sufficient distance to allow drivers to reduce their speed. On motorways, this advance warning distance is typically several hundred meters; in built-up areas, it is correspondingly shorter. The advance warning requirement also applies to Tutor average speed systems, which are frequently announced by dynamic display boards as well.
Those traveling in Italy in their own vehicle should take this signage seriously. The classic problem spots are less often the major motorway stretches than the roads passing through rural villages and towns, where the speed limit often changes within short distances and speed cameras are placed accordingly. The ZTL cameras in Italian historic city centers, which monitor restricted traffic zones, and the color-coded parking zones marked with blue, white, and yellow lines operate on the same principle of automated detection and postal delivery of fines.
Reviewing a fine notice
Anyone who receives a fine notice from Italy under the new rules can check a number of details. The verbale should include the model and serial number of the speed camera, the date of the most recent calibration, the certificate of conformity, a reference to the homologation decree, and the exact location with the direction of travel. The signage at the measuring point must also be documented, and, if an immediate stop was not possible, a prefectoral decree authorizing subsequent postal delivery must be on file. These details are not always included with the notice but can be requested.
If the device used for measurement was switched off after July 12, 2026, and the relevant authority cannot demonstrate a valid transitional arrangement, there is a good chance of successfully challenging the fine before the competent justice of the peace or the prefect. Following the first weeks under the new decree, however, it remains to be seen how Italian courts will interpret the regulation in detail. When deciding in practice whether to pay or appeal, the amount of the fine matters: for smaller sums, an appeal is rarely worth the effort, but for several hundred euros or more, the notice deserves careful scrutiny.
What remains important for drivers in Italy in 2026
The technical reform changes nothing about the fundamental principle: anyone driving in Italyshould know and observe the applicable speed limits. On motorways, the general limit is 130 km/h; on expressways, 110 km/h; on rural roads, 90 km/h; and in built-up areas, 50 km/h. In rain or other adverse conditions , reduced limits of 110, 90, and 80 km/h apply on the respective road types. Anyone who has been out of practice for a while or is planning a vacation trip is well advised to review the current rules before departing.
For the period after summer 2026, the second phase of the reform is already on the horizon. The transitional provisions for existing devices will expire on defined deadlines, new homologated cameras will gradually come online, and the courts will fine-tune enforcement practices. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in Rome has published the relevant regulations under the heading "Autovelox" consolidates them and makes them available on its website . Anyone who travels regularly in Italy should keep an eye on this development. The message is clear: Italy is not doing away with its speed cameras, but rather making them more legally compliant in the future.
