diff --git a/server/src/Http/Controllers/Internal/v1/ProofController.php b/server/src/Http/Controllers/Internal/v1/ProofController.php
index eab7bd779..186d73495 100644
--- a/server/src/Http/Controllers/Internal/v1/ProofController.php
+++ b/server/src/Http/Controllers/Internal/v1/ProofController.php
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ public function captureSignature(string $publicId, Request $request)
         // set the signature storage path
         $path = $this->signatureStoragePath($proof);
 
-        // upload signature
-        $this->storeSignature($path, base64_decode($signature), 'public');
+        // upload signature (private object; File::url serves it through a signed URL)
+        $this->storeSignature($path, base64_decode($signature));
 
         // create file record for upload
         $file = $this->createSignatureFile($path, $signature, $proof);
@@ -121,9 +121,13 @@ protected function createProof(array $attributes): Proof
         return Proof::create($attributes);
     }
 
-    protected function storeSignature(string $path, string|false $contents, string $visibility): void
+    /**
+     * Writes without an ACL: the media bucket enforces bucket-owner object ownership, so a
+     * 'public' visibility (public-read ACL) makes S3 reject the PUT and put() return false.
+     */
+    protected function storeSignature(string $path, string|false $contents): void
     {
-        Storage::disk('s3')->put($path, $contents, $visibility);
+        Storage::disk('s3')->put($path, $contents);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/server/src/Models/Driver.php b/server/src/Models/Driver.php
index 7eef1ac1c..c796257fa 100644
--- a/server/src/Models/Driver.php
+++ b/server/src/Models/Driver.php
@@ -431,7 +431,8 @@ public function getAvatarUrlAttribute($value): ?string
             return static::getAvatar($value);
         }
 
-        return $value;
+        // legacy rows hold an absolute URL; re-sign it if it points into the private media bucket
+        return Utils::signStoredFileUrl($value);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/server/src/Models/Place.php b/server/src/Models/Place.php
index 4b3a94c97..898259e5f 100644
--- a/server/src/Models/Place.php
+++ b/server/src/Models/Place.php
@@ -187,7 +187,8 @@ public function getAvatarUrlAttribute($value)
             return static::getAvatar($value);
         }
 
-        return $value;
+        // legacy rows hold an absolute URL; re-sign it if it points into the private media bucket
+        return Utils::signStoredFileUrl($value);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/server/src/Models/Vehicle.php b/server/src/Models/Vehicle.php
index 0fb69577a..250b440d9 100644
--- a/server/src/Models/Vehicle.php
+++ b/server/src/Models/Vehicle.php
@@ -525,7 +525,8 @@ public function getAvatarUrlAttribute($value)
             return static::getAvatar($value);
         }
 
-        return $value;
+        // legacy rows hold an absolute URL; re-sign it if it points into the private media bucket
+        return Utils::signStoredFileUrl($value);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/server/src/Support/Utils.php b/server/src/Support/Utils.php
index 8671742e1..b7037d3ab 100644
--- a/server/src/Support/Utils.php
+++ b/server/src/Support/Utils.php
@@ -1603,4 +1603,15 @@ public static function fixPhone(?string $phone): ?string
 
         return $phone;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Re-sign a URL stored as a string (e.g. a legacy `avatar_url` value) when it points into the
+     * private S3 media bucket, so it keeps working once the bucket stops allowing public reads.
+     * Other values pass through unchanged. Falls back to the raw value on core-api releases that
+     * predate File::signStoredUrl().
+     */
+    public static function signStoredFileUrl(?string $url): ?string
+    {
+        return method_exists(\Fleetbase\Models\File::class, 'signStoredUrl') ? \Fleetbase\Models\File::signStoredUrl($url) : $url;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/tests/Feature/Http/Internal/ProofControllerContractsTest.php b/server/tests/Feature/Http/Internal/ProofControllerContractsTest.php
index 5cdc1cf5d..dac559930 100644
--- a/server/tests/Feature/Http/Internal/ProofControllerContractsTest.php
+++ b/server/tests/Feature/Http/Internal/ProofControllerContractsTest.php
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ protected function createProof(array $attributes): Proof
         return $proof;
     }
 
-    protected function storeSignature(string $path, string|false $contents, string $visibility): void
+    protected function storeSignature(string $path, string|false $contents): void
     {
-        $this->storedSignatures[] = [$path, $contents, $visibility];
+        $this->storedSignatures[] = [$path, $contents];
     }
 
     protected function createSignatureFile(string $path, string $signature, Proof $proof): Fleetbase\Models\File
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ public function setKey($model, $type = null): Fleetbase\Models\File
             'raw_data'     => $signature,
         ])
         ->and($controller->storedSignatures)->toBe([
-            ['uploads/company-uuid/signatures/proof-public-1.png', 'signature-bytes', 'public'],
+            ['uploads/company-uuid/signatures/proof-public-1.png', 'signature-bytes'],
         ])
         ->and($controller->createdFiles)->toBe([
             ['uploads/company-uuid/signatures/proof-public-1.png', $signature, 'proof-public-1'],
diff --git a/server/tests/Unit/Support/OsrmProofAndIssueFilterTest.php b/server/tests/Unit/Support/OsrmProofAndIssueFilterTest.php
index 3c311fa00..20304b1f8 100644
--- a/server/tests/Unit/Support/OsrmProofAndIssueFilterTest.php
+++ b/server/tests/Unit/Support/OsrmProofAndIssueFilterTest.php
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public function disk($disk = null)
 
         public function put($path, $contents, $options = [])
         {
-            $this->writes[] = [$path];
+            $this->writes[] = [$path, $options];
 
             return true;
         }
@@ -200,8 +200,9 @@ public function put($path, $contents, $options = [])
     expect($proof)->toBeInstanceOf(Proof::class)
         ->and($connection->table('proofs')->count())->toBe(1);
 
-    $probe->callHelper('storeSignature', 'signatures/proof.png', 'binary', 'public');
-    expect($GLOBALS['fleetopsProofStorageFake']->writes)->toHaveCount(1);
+    $probe->callHelper('storeSignature', 'signatures/proof.png', 'binary');
+    // Signatures are written without a visibility/ACL option; the media bucket rejects ACLs.
+    expect($GLOBALS['fleetopsProofStorageFake']->writes)->toBe([['signatures/proof.png', []]]);
 
     expect($probe->callHelper('jsonResponse', ['status' => 'ok'])->getData(true))->toBe(['status' => 'ok'])
         ->and($probe->callHelper('errorResponse', 'nope')->getData(true)['error'])->toBe('nope')
diff --git a/server/tests/Unit/Support/UtilsAdditionalTest.php b/server/tests/Unit/Support/UtilsAdditionalTest.php
index ca8931829..8f5e10f35 100644
--- a/server/tests/Unit/Support/UtilsAdditionalTest.php
+++ b/server/tests/Unit/Support/UtilsAdditionalTest.php
@@ -70,6 +70,15 @@ function fleetopsUtilsAdditionalPolygon(): Polygon
     ]);
 }
 
+test('stored file url signing passes through values that are not absolute urls', function () {
+    // Absolute URLs into the media bucket are re-signed by core-api File::signStoredUrl (covered there);
+    // everything else, including avatar option keys and empty values, must come back untouched.
+    expect(Utils::signStoredFileUrl(null))->toBeNull()
+        ->and(Utils::signStoredFileUrl(''))->toBe('')
+        ->and(Utils::signStoredFileUrl('mini_bus'))->toBe('mini_bus')
+        ->and(Utils::signStoredFileUrl('custom-avatars/vehicles/c/van.png'))->toBe('custom-avatars/vehicles/c/van.png');
+});
+
 test('company transaction currency prefers organization currency and falls back to usd', function () {
     $company = new Company();
     $company->setRawAttributes([