Last updated: October 20, 2026
OpenStreetMap records 16,937 automated licence plate reader locations in Texas, as of a query run on September 13, 2026. Only 455 of those carry a tag naming Flock as the operator, so the map cannot tell you how many are Flock. The contracts can. Five Texas agencies paid between $8,000 and $384,000 for Flock in 2025 and 2026. Five more moved to cancel, not renew or review theirs.
Quick Answer
- ALPR locations mapped in Texas: 16,937. Houston 1,986, Dallas 954, Austin 278.
- Only 455 of those name Flock as operator. Most map entries carry no operator tag at all.
- Texas Flock contracts in the records: five, median $40,560, from $8,000 to $384,000.
- Texas jurisdictions ending or reviewing Flock: five. That is more than any other state in our data.
- Texas buys and cancels at the same rate. Five of each, often in neighbouring towns.
Where the Flock cameras are in Texas
The map everyone links to is DeFlock, a volunteer project founded in October 2024 by Will Freeman. It plots readers on OpenStreetMap. The locations are their work and the work of OpenStreetMap contributors, and this page does not reproduce their map.
What we did instead was query the underlying OpenStreetMap data ourselves, so the counts below carry a date and can be checked.
| Area | ALPR locations mapped |
|---|---|
| Texas, statewide | 16,937 |
| Houston | 1,986 |
| Dallas | 954 |
| Austin | 278 |
Source: OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API, queried by Civic IQ. Data timestamp 13 September 2026. Counts cover all licence plate readers tagged in OSM, from every vendor. Licensed under ODbL; data by OpenStreetMap contributors.
Two things to hold onto before you use any of these numbers.
A blank area means nobody mapped it. Coverage depends on volunteers walking or driving the streets. Rural Texas is thin on the map, which says more about mapping effort than about cameras.
The count rises every week. Any figure, including ours, is a snapshot. That is why the query date sits in the caption.
How many of them are Flock?
The honest answer is that the map cannot tell you. Of the 16,937 licence plate readers tagged in Texas, 455 carry a tag naming Flock as the operator. The rest name no operator at all.
That gap is not a flaw in the data. A volunteer standing on a street corner can see a camera and record where it points. They usually cannot see who holds the contract. Operator is the hardest field to fill in from the pavement and the easiest to find in a council agenda.
It is also why the four public camera counts in circulation disagree so widely. Different projects count different things, on different dates, in different territories. Treat any single national figure with suspicion, including ones quoted confidently.
For the national picture and why those counts differ, see our national Flock camera map guide.
What Texas cities pay for Flock cameras
Five Texas agencies recorded a Flock contract with a stated value in 2025 and 2026. The median is $40,560. Together they come to $733,960.
| Agency | What was recorded | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Richland Hills | Renewal of Flock gunshot detection and camera system | $384,000 | May 2026 |
| Humble | Police department camera system expansion with Flock | $283,400 | Sep 2025 |
| Memorial Hills Utility District | FY2027 Flock camera system expansion and operations | $40,560 | Oct 2025 |
| Winkler County | Flock licence reader renewal | $18,000 | Aug 2026 |
| Morris County | Flock cameras newly funded | $8,000 | Aug 2026 |
Source: Civic IQ contract records, council agendas and budget documents. Five Texas awards where Flock is the named subject, with a stated value and a named agency.
The range is 48 times from top to bottom. City size is only part of that. North Richland Hills is renewing a system that includes gunshot detection, not just cameras. Morris County is funding a first purchase. Those are different products at different stages. Compare the headline figures without that context and you are comparing nothing.
Memorial Hills Utility District is worth a second look for a different reason. It is a utility district, not a police department. Special districts, housing authorities and MUDs run through these records. So the answer to “does my area have Flock” is not always found at city hall.
What you are actually buying
- A subscription, not hardware. The agency does not own the cameras. That matters at cancellation, because there is nothing to keep.
- Often more than plate readers. North Richland Hills bundles gunshot detection into the same renewal.
- A renewal date. Winkler County’s record is a renewal, not a new buy. The renewal is where the decision actually gets made.
To check an agency not listed here, start at the Flock Safety vendor record, which collects Flock awards across agencies.
Are Texas cities removing Flock cameras?
Yes, and Texas does it more than anywhere else in our data. Five Texas jurisdictions appear ending, declining to renew or formally reviewing a Flock agreement. That is the same number of Texas jurisdictions recorded buying.
| Jurisdiction | What the record shows | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Williamson County MUD 12 | Flock licence plate readers agreement under review | Sep 2026 |
| Winnsboro | Flock non-renewal notice | Sep 2026 |
| Wylie | Flock agreement renewal terms reopened | Aug 2026 |
| Lago Vista | Council voted to cancel the Flock contract with immediate effect | Aug 2026 |
| Aransas Pass | Flock LPR system termination | Jul 2026 |
Source: Civic IQ council records, July to September 2026.
The clustering is the finding. All five fall in a ten week window. Four of the five surfaced at a renewal or a review, not mid-contract. Texas is not moving in one direction. It is having the argument in five places at once.
For a resident that means the map and the contract can disagree. A camera plotted in Lago Vista may already be switched off. A cancelled contract does not remove a pin.
What happens to the cameras afterwards
Service stops and the equipment comes down, because the city never owned it. Removal is a small separate cost that councils routinely leave out of the cancellation motion.
Your rights in Texas
Licence plate readers are legal in Texas. What you can obtain about them is narrower than what exists. And the useful request is not the one most people make.
Can you see the footage?
No. Plate reads and camera feeds sit with the agency that runs them. They are normally withheld as investigative material. Asking for them is the request most likely to be refused.
What you can get
The paperwork. A public information request to the city, county or district will usually produce four things. The contract. The council vote. The camera count. And the department use policy. Under the Texas Public Information Act a public body generally must respond promptly. It may ask the Attorney General for a ruling if it intends to withhold.
Start with the contract. It names the vendor, the cost and the expiry date. That answers most of what people want to know, and it is far easier to get than the data.
Open camera and reader bids
Live bids from Civic IQ. One is in Texas. The rest are national. Status changes daily.
- Body Worn and In-car Video, Williamson County, TX
- Fixed Location Plate Readers, Fort Collins
- Security Camera Replacement, City of Anna
- School Zone Speed Cameras, Kissimmee
Frequently asked questions
How many Flock cameras are in Texas?
Nobody can tell you exactly. OpenStreetMap records 16,937 licence plate reader locations in Texas as of 13 September 2026. Only 455 of those name Flock as the operator. Most map entries have no operator recorded at all. The contracts are the reliable source for which agency uses Flock.
Are there Flock cameras near me in Texas?
Check the DeFlock map for your area. Houston has 1,986 mapped readers. Dallas has 954 and Austin 278. Remember that a blank area usually means nobody has mapped it. It does not mean there are no cameras.
What do Texas cities pay for Flock cameras?
Five Texas agencies recorded a Flock contract with a value. The median was $40,560. The range ran from $8,000 in Morris County to $384,000 in North Richland Hills. The largest one bundles gunshot detection with the cameras, so it is not a like for like comparison.
Are Texas cities removing Flock cameras?
Five are. Lago Vista voted to cancel with immediate effect in August 2026. Aransas Pass recorded a termination in July. Winnsboro filed a non-renewal notice in September. Wylie and Williamson County MUD 12 reopened their terms. That is as many Texas jurisdictions ending it as buying it.
Can the public view Flock camera footage in Texas?
No. Plate reads and feeds stay with the agency that runs them. They are normally withheld as investigative records. The contract, the council vote and the use policy are usually obtainable through a Texas Public Information Act request.
Who operates the Flock cameras in my Texas town?
It is not always the police department. Our records include a utility district and a municipal utility district alongside cities and counties. Check the agency record for your area. Do not assume city hall holds the contract.
Related reading: our national Flock camera map guide, our analysis of ALPR alternatives and competitors, Flock government contracts and market position, and what agencies paid for facial recognition software.
Camera location counts were queried by Civic IQ from OpenStreetMap via the Overpass API on 13 September 2026, and are licensed under ODbL with data by OpenStreetMap contributors. The volunteer effort that populates that layer is DeFlock, founded by Will Freeman; this page links their map rather than reproducing it. Contract figures come from individual records surfaced by Civic IQ from council agendas, purchase orders and budget documents. Civic IQ tracks 100,000+ agencies, $14T+ in tracked spend, 1.5M+ documents per month, all 50 states.
