Appealing an Italian speed camera fine: prefetto or giudice di pace
Enter the date of the offence and the date the fine was served: the calculator checks whether service was on time and shows the last day to appeal to the prefetto or the giudice di pace.
There are two alternative ways to challenge an Italian speed camera fine, never both. An appeal to the prefetto (the central government’s representative in each province) must be lodged within 60 days of service, costs nothing and is sent to the office of the police body that recorded the offence, or straight to the prefettura, by registered post or certified e-mail (PEC); if it is rejected, the injunction demands at least twice the minimum plus costs, so for 10 to 40 km/h over at least €346 instead of €173. An appeal to the giudice di pace (the local justice of the peace) where the offence happened must be lodged within 30 days, or 60 for people living abroad, requires a court fee (contributo unificato) and, if rejected, ends with an amount the judge sets between the minimum and the maximum. Either way nothing is paid while the appeal is pending, but paying, even with the 30% discount, gives up the right to appeal. Common grounds: service after 90 days (360 for residents abroad), an unsigned camera, a device not approved or homologated, wrong details on the fine. No ground guarantees cancellation.
Appeal to the giudice di pace by
16 November 2026
to the prefetto by 16 December 2026
| Service within 90 days | on time (40 days) |
| €121.10 (−30%) until | 22 October 2026 · passed |
| €173 until | 16 December 2026 · in 53 days |
| Appeal to the prefetto by | 16 December 2026 · in 53 days |
| Appeal to the giudice di pace by | 16 November 2026 · in 23 days |
| After day 60 with no payment or appeal | €347 + costs |
Calendar days counted from the day after service. The tool does not move deadlines that fall on a public holiday: for the giudice di pace the term runs to the next working day (art. 155 of the civil procedure code); for payment, do not wait for the last day.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Two alternative routes
The Highway Code offers two ways to challenge a fine, and the choice is final: article 7 of legislative decree 150 of 2011 makes an appeal to the giudice di pace inadmissible if one has already been lodged with the prefetto. Both are open only to those who have not paid.
| Prefetto | Giudice di pace | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Articles 203 and 204 of the Highway Code | Article 204-bis of the Code, article 7 of decree 150/2011 |
| Deadline from service | 60 days | 30 days, 60 if you live abroad |
| Where to lodge it | Office of the police body or the prefettura, by hand, registered post or PEC | Giudice di pace for the place of the offence, post accepted |
| Cost | Free | Court fee (contributo unificato) |
| Hearing | Only if you ask to be heard in person | Yes, you may represent yourself |
| If rejected | At least twice the minimum, plus costs | Amount set by the judge between minimum and maximum |
Before the prefetto, article 203 lets you attach supporting documents and ask for a personal hearing. Article 204 sets the timetable: 60 days for the police office to send the file, 120 for the prefetto to decide; if no injunction is issued in time, the appeal is deemed upheld. Before the giudice di pace, article 204-bis refers to decree 150: the judge may suspend the effect of the fine, and on rejection cannot waive additional penalties or the loss of points. The decree exempts the proceedings from taxes and duties, except for the court fee under the consolidated law on legal costs, whose amount should be checked when filing.
How many days I have left
30% discount
2 days
| Minimum | 57 days |
| Appeal to the prefetto | 57 days |
| Appeal to the giudice di pace | 27 days |
What losing costs
An appeal pauses payment but exposes you to a higher sum if it fails. The table compares, for each speeding band, the minimum on the fine with the lowest amount of the prefetto’s injunction after a rejection and with the range within which the giudice di pace decides. Investigation and service costs are always added.
| Over the limit | Minimum on the fine | Prefetto rejects: at least | Judge rejects: from–to |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 10 km/h | €42 | €84 | €42–€173 |
| over 10, up to 40 | €173 | €346 | €173–€694 |
| over 40, up to 60 | €543 | €1,086 | €543–€2,170 |
| over 60 km/h | €845 | €1,690 | €845–€3,382 |
Against the 30% discount the gap is wider still: paying within 5 days for 10 to 40 km/h over costs €121.10, losing before the prefetto at least €346. An appeal therefore makes sense when the ground is concrete and documented. The 30% discount page works out the discount deadline.
What I pay within 5 days
Within 5 days
€121.10
| Saving | €51.90 |
| From day 6 to day 60 | €173 |
Plus the service costs printed on the fine, which are not reduced.
The most common grounds
Late service. Article 201 requires service within 90 days of the offence being established, 360 for residents abroad; if the deadline is missed, the obligation to pay lapses for the person not served in time. The calculator above compares the two dates. Unsigned camera. Article 142, paragraph 6-bis requires checkpoints to be “signalled in advance and clearly visible”, with signs or light devices. The device. Check the device and decree named on the fine and compare them with the national MIT register and the speed camera list, bearing in mind that law 177 of 2024 confirmed the duty of periodic functional checks and calibration. Wrong details. A plate, date, place, limit or speed that does not match, or a tolerance reduction that was not applied. For a hire car, also check that the rental dates cover the day of the offence.
Homologation: Cassazione ruling 10505 of 2024
In order 10505 of 18 April 2024 the Corte di cassazione held that approving a model is not the same as homologating it, and that article 142, paragraph 6, speaks of “duly homologated” devices. Many appeals have relied on it since. The question is not settled: it is a ruling on one case, and the outcome depends on the judge and the evidence. The page on homologated speed cameras explains how to read the decree on your fine. This site describes the rules and does not predict the outcome of an appeal: the legal texts cited were read on Normattiva on 24 October 2026, and the register copy is dated 22 February 2026. If you let the deadlines pass without paying or appealing, see the unpaid fine page.