---
title: "Are Dash Cams Required by Law? NV & CA Dash Cam Laws"
date_published: "2026-08-03"
date_modified: "2026-08-03"
permalink: "https://samandashlaw.com/resources/are-dash-cams-required-by-law/"
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  title: "Are Dash Cams Required by Law? NV & CA Dash Cam Laws"
  description: "Are dash cams required by law? Learn federal regulations, Nevada & California placement rules, audio consent laws, and how footage impacts injury claims."
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---

Nobody is going to hand you the evidence that proves your car crash wasn't your fault. Not the government, not your insurer, not the driver who hit you.

Unlike seat belts and back-up cameras, no federal agency requires a dash cam to be included in your new car. There's no rule, no phase-in date, no compliance deadline. A dash cam is a decision you make on an ordinary day, long before the crash, and it's either there when you need it or it isn't.

That decision cuts both ways. Footage has won cases that were otherwise a coin flip. It has also handed insurance defense lawyers exactly what they needed. Below is what the law actually says, and how to make sure your camera works for you instead of against you.

## Does NHTSA Require Dash Cams?

No. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration writes the [Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards](https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-regulations), and those standards bind manufacturers of new vehicles, not owners. None of them requires a dash cam.

That isn't an oversight. NHTSA has said plainly that it doesn't start rulemakings to force the installation of specific products, [denying a 2015 petition](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/21/2023-20393/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards) on exactly that ground. And when the agency does want a camera in your car, it says so: FMVSS 111 has required a rear visibility system (backup camera) in nearly every new passenger vehicle since May 1, 2018.

The clearest proof of this approach is the black box. Federal rules at 49 CFR Part 563 govern what an event data recorder must capture if one is installed. In 2012 NHTSA proposed making EDRs mandatory - then [withdrew that proposal in February 2019](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/02/08/2019-01651/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-event-data-recorders), reasoning automakers had already installed them almost universally. The agency with the power to mandate recording devices looked at the question and passed.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration doesn't mandate dash cams either. It only regulates placement on commercial trucks: under [49 CFR 393.60(e)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-393/subpart-D/section-393.60), safety technology can sit no more than 8.5 inches below the top of the wiper-swept area and must stay out of the driver's sight lines.

Takeaway: No agency is going to create this evidence for you. If you want a neutral witness in your car, you have to put one there.

## Are Dash Cams Legal in Nevada and California?

Yes, dash cams are legal in both states, but each state enforces strict dash cam placement laws on windshields and regulates two separate things: where the camera goes, and whether it can record sound.

Mounting in Nevada. [NRS 484D.435](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-484d.html) bars nontransparent material on the windshield that blocks your clear view of the road, carving out only a 6-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver. [NRS 484B.163](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-484b.html) separately prohibits obstructing your own view. Nevada has never written a dash-cam-specific safe harbor, so the safest mount is high and center, tucked behind the rearview mirror.

Mounting in California. [Vehicle Code 26708(b)(13)](https://california.public.law/codes/vehicle_code_section_26708) is explicit: a video event recorder may go in a 7-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver, a 5-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver outside the airbag zone, or a 5-inch square at the center top of the windshield. The same statute requires a visible notice in the vehicle stating that a passenger's conversation may be recorded.

Audio in Nevada. [NRS 200.650](https://law.justia.com/codes/nevada/chapter-200/statute-200-650/) permits recording an in-person private conversation when one participant consents - and you're a participant in your own car. But [NRS 200.620](https://www.shouselaw.com/nv/defense/nrs/200-620-wiretapping/) requires every party's consent for phone calls, and violations are a category D felony. A cabin mic that captures your Bluetooth calls is a real problem.

Audio in California. [Penal Code 632](https://california.public.law/codes/penal_code_section_632) requires consent from all parties to a confidential communication, and subsection (d) makes evidence obtained in violation inadmissible. An illegal audio track can compromise the video you were counting on.

Takeaway: Mount it high and center. In California, post the notice. If you're unsure about audio, turn the microphone off - the video is what wins cases.

## How Dash Cam Footage Helps Your Claim

Fault in Nevada isn't all-or-nothing. Under [NRS 41.141](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-041.html), your recovery shrinks by your share of the blame and disappears entirely at 51%. California uses pure comparative fault. Either way, every percentage point is money - and adjusters know that assigning you 30% instead of 10% costs you thousands.

Using dash cam footage as car accident evidence attacks that math directly. It captures the traffic signal's color, the lane positions of the vehicles, the turn signal that never came on, and the license plate of a hit-and-run driver who otherwise vanishes into traffic. It's time-stamped and it doesn't get nervous in a deposition.

There's a safety dividend too, though it comes with a catch. An [FMCSA-funded Virginia Tech evaluation](https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/driving/article/id/28094/) of onboard video found two carriers cut safety-related events per mile by 37% and 52.2% - but only during the phase when drivers actually reviewed the footage and got coaching. The camera alone changed nothing. Watching it did.

One myth to kill: people often search whether dash cams lower car insurance rates. [Progressive says outright](https://www.progressive.com/answers/insurance-benefits-of-a-dashcam/) that it doesn't offer a dash cam discount, and virtually no major U.S. insurer does. The payoff isn't a line item on your bill. It's not getting blamed when something happens.

Takeaway: Buy it for the fault fight, not the discount.

## How Dash Cam Footage Can Hurt You

Your camera doesn't work for you. It records what happened.

It records your speed. Your rolling stop. The glance down at your phone. The apology you blurted out at the scene while your adrenaline was still running - the one that means nothing medically and everything to a defense lawyer.

And once you make a claim, that footage is generally discoverable. The other side can ask for it.

Which brings up the mistake that turns a bad video into a catastrophic one: deleting it. Nevada law is unforgiving here. [NRS 47.250(3)](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-047.html) creates a rebuttable presumption that willfully suppressed evidence would have been adverse, and in [Bass-Davis v. Davis, 122 Nev. 442 (2006)](https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nv-supreme-court/1432459.html), the Nevada Supreme Court held that even negligently lost evidence can earn the other side an adverse-inference instruction. Erasing footage doesn't make the problem go away. It replaces a bad ten seconds with a jury being told to assume the worst.

The quieter risk is the loop. Dash cams overwrite themselves continuously. Unless the impact triggered a lock (cheap cameras often fail to do so), your footage may be gone within a day or two of normal driving.

Takeaway: Bad footage is survivable. Deleted footage is not.

## What to Do With Your Footage After a Crash

Lock the file at the scene if you can do it safely. Then power the camera down and remove the memory card so nothing overwrites it.

Copy the original, unedited file to a computer and a cloud backup. Never trim, crop, or export a "clip" - the full original is what authenticates under [NRS 52.015](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-052.html).

Photograph the camera in place and note the time. If the clock is off, write down by how much.

Don't post it to social media. Defense lawyers screenshot posts, and a caption written while you're angry becomes an exhibit.

Don't hand it to the other driver's insurer and don't give a recorded statement. Let your attorney control the timing.

Preserve everything else fast. Your vehicle's black box holds crash data, and [NRS 484D.485](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-484d.html) restricts who can retrieve it without owner consent or a court order.

Call a car accident lawyer within days, so preservation letters reach the other driver, the trucking company, and any nearby business before their footage cycles.

## Frequently Asked Questions

###
Are dash cams required by law in the United States?

No. No federal agency requires one, and no state requires private drivers to install one. Federal rules address only where devices may be mounted on commercial vehicles.

###
Can I get a ticket for my dash cam in Nevada?

You can if it obstructs your view. NRS 484D.435 and NRS 484B.163 both target windshield obstruction, and Nevada has no dash-cam exemption. Mount it behind the rearview mirror.

###
Is dash cam footage admissible in a Nevada court?

Generally yes. NRS 52.015 requires only a showing that the recording is what you claim it is - usually your own testimony about your camera and the file. Edited or partial footage invites a fight you don't need.

###
Can the other driver's insurer use my footage against me?

Yes. Once you make a claim, relevant footage is generally discoverable. That is a reason to talk to a lawyer early, not a reason to hide or delete anything.

###
Does a dash cam lower my car insurance?

Almost never. Major U.S. insurers, Progressive included, don't offer a dash cam discount. The financial benefit shows up as avoiding an at-fault finding.

###
Can I record audio of my passengers?

In Nevada, in-person recording is lawful with one participant's consent, and you're a participant - but recording phone calls requires everyone's consent. In California, Penal Code 632 requires all-party consent and 26708 requires a posted notice.

###
How long do I have to file an injury claim?

Nevada and California both generally allow two years for personal injury claims, and claims against government entities can have far shorter deadlines. The evidence, though, disappears in days.

## Your Camera Is a Witness. Make Sure It's Yours.

Insurance companies have adjusters, engineers, and lawyers working your file within hours of the crash. You have whatever you saved before the loop erased it.

If you were hurt in Nevada or California and you have footage - or you're worried you've already lost it - call us before you talk to the other side. The first conversation is free, and so is the honesty.

Sam & Ash Injury Law
>Las Vegas: 702-820-1234 · Newport Beach: 949-304-2000
>Free case review, 24/7. Se habla español.