How long do police keep ALPR data?

State-by-state retention rules, the federal patchwork, and how to request your own ALPR history.

Published September 25, 2026

ALPR retention rules vary wildly by state and by agency. There is no federal standard, and only a minority of states have passed laws capping how long police can keep plate reads. This guide walks through what is typical, what is required, and how to ask for your own history.

The typical default

When a state or municipality has no statute on the books, the default behavior is a rolling 30-day deletion window. Plate reads older than 30 days are purged automatically unless they match an active hot list or are part of an open investigation. This is the number Flock Group Inc. publicizes in its contracts and the number most journalists cite.

In practice, agencies vary. We've seen retention policies anywhere from 90 seconds (New Hampshire, automatic unless flagged) to 5 years (a handful of California fusion centers).

State-by-state snapshot

State	Retention cap	Source
California	No statutory cap; most agencies use 30-90 days	CPRA requests
Texas	30 days post-SB 1405 (2025)	Tex. SB 1405
Florida	No statutory cap; most agencies 30 days	FL PRR
New York	No statutory cap; NYPD 30 days	NYPD FOIL
Missouri	No statutory cap; varies by agency	Agency policy

Full 50-state matrix is in progress. Last updated September 2026.

How to request your own data

Identify the agency. Start with the city or county police department where you live and work.
File a public records request naming ALPR plate reads and associated logs. Reference your state's law by name.
Ask for: every plate read tied to a specific list of your vehicles (by plate string) for the past 365 days.
If the agency refuses or redacts, ask for the specific exemption and offer to narrow the date range.

We have FOIA templates for California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Missouri in the codebase. Subscribe below and we will email the templates to you.