Lower Speed Limits Are Coming to Select Beverly Hills Streets

Drivers in Beverly Hills should watch for new speed-limit signs. The city says a new ordinance setting lower speed limits on select streets began taking effect on Oct. 1, 2026. The new limits become enforceable once the new signs are posted, which the city expects to happen over several weeks.

Why the limits are changing

California cities have to periodically review speed limits on certain streets through an Engineering and Traffic Survey. In the past, state rules tied limits mostly to how fast most drivers were already going. The city says that kept limits high on streets where speeding was common.

Assembly Bill 43, the state law that took effect in 2022, gives cities more flexibility. They can now consider factors such as crash history and adjacent land use, and they can lower default limits in designated “Business Activity Districts” from 25 mph to 20 mph. The city says a consulting firm it hired analyzed street data under the new rules, and that analysis is the basis for the ordinance.

The safety case

The city’s announcement cites data from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). It says a person struck by a car going 35 mph is five times more likely to die than one struck at 20 mph, and that each 1 mph reduction in operating speed can cut fatal crashes by 17%.

Which streets

The city published a grid of the specific street segments and their new limits with its announcement. Because the changes go street by street and take effect only when signs go up, check the city’s notice for your route. We’ll publish a street-by-street summary once all the signs are in place.