HB 206: DPS/Other Changes (Automatic License Plate Readers)

HB 206 included a provision that would have allowed the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to enter into an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) to place automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) within land or rights-of-ways owned by DOT.

ALPRs do not just search for suspects of crime; they also keep records on the whereabouts of everybody. They are increasingly becoming a tool for mass location tracking and surveillance. A core civil liberties principle is that people should not be tracked, cataloged, and analyzed by either government or corporations absent individualized suspicion and oversight. Technologies that monitor entire populations treat everyone as a potential suspect. While ALPRs can be beneficial when used for narrowly tailored law enforcement purposes, existing safeguards are not sufficient to prevent abuse and misuse.

Update: ACLU-NC no longer opposes HB 206 since lawmakers removed the ALPR provision on 6/17/2026.

Update: The ALPR provision from HB 206 was added to the state budget (Senate Bill 257), which became law on 7/7/26. SBI is now authorized to enter into an agreement with the DOT to place ALPRs within land or rights-of-ways owned by DOT.