Updated automated license plate reader ban heads to Council

Sept. 22, 2026

TEMPE, AZ- An updated version of a proposed ordinance banning City use of automated license plate readers for law enforcement will go before the Tempe City Council for its first reading Thursday, Sept. 24.

Tempe stopped using automated license plate readers in August and canceled its contract with Flock. The proposed ordinance would put that decision into City Code.

This version of the proposed ordinance includes significant changes from the draft that was shared in recent public meetings. The latest draft narrows the circumstances when the City could access or use ALPR data collected by another agency or private system.

The City Council will not vote on the ordinance Sept. 24. The proposal requires a second reading before Council can vote on it.