Pennsylvania is the only state in the United States that bars local police from using radar to enforce speed limits — a restriction in place since 1961, under which only state troopers may use the technology and local officers must rely on methods such as timing vehicles with a stopwatch between two points, Land Line Media reported.
Source: Land Line Media
That could now change. Sen. Greg Rothman, the bill's sponsor, announced on his official X account on October 20 that the Pennsylvania Senate had passed his legislation, SB 509, with strong bipartisan support, saying the bill aligns Pennsylvania with every other state on the optional use of radar and includes good-government protections, Central PA News reported.
Source: Central PA News
Safeguards written into the bill
Under SB 509, a driver generally could not be convicted on radar evidence at less than 10 mph over the posted limit, with the threshold dropping to 6 mph over on roads posted above 55 mph, and different rules in school zones and active work zones, Land Line Media reported. A town or city would first have to pass an ordinance before its police could use radar, and the Delaware River Port Authority would also be allowed to use the technology.
To keep enforcement focused on safety rather than revenue, the bill would ban ticket quotas, require written warnings instead of tickets during the first 90 days of radar use, allow radar only from clearly marked law-enforcement vehicles, and cap the ticket revenue a department can keep at the previous year's speed-enforcement collections, with any excess going to the state's Motor License Fund, Land Line Media reported.
Rothman has said speeding is costing lives in Pennsylvania communities and that local officers need the right tools to spot dangerous drivers. Pennsylvania State Police officials say radar is the most effective and accurate tool for controlling speed, while the National Motorists Association argues speed limits should reflect how traffic normally flows, Land Line Media reported. SB 509 has passed the Senate; it is not yet law and still requires further legislative approval and the governor's signature. Sources: Land Line Media, October 19, 2026; Central PA News, October 20, 2026, reporting Sen. Greg Rothman's official announcement; WFMJ/EIN News listing, October 22, 2026.