After months of public outcry, Denver's online process to fight parking tickets is now back.
As of 8am on Monday, you can once again dispute your parking ticket online, including uploading photos and documentation.
See the full story in the video below
The online system went away last year after Denver County Court laid off its parking magistrates during citywide budget cuts.
That left people having to dispute tickets through a lengthy court process, meaning you had to go in-person to the City and County building to request a hearing then go back later for the hearing itself.
“It was determined afterwards that the online dispute process should move to DOTI. Staff for our program is funded by a Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund and not city’s the General Fund,” Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure communications director Nancy Kuhn said.
For people like Adriana Dorman, she learned firsthand just how time consuming that could be.
“When I went to go dispute it online, it told me that I had to go in-person to the courthouse,” said Adriana Dorman in a TikTok video she posted earlier this year.
Denver7 reached out to Adriana Dorman, who lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, after she spoke out on social media about how disputing her parking ticket earlier this year turned into a month’s long process, and a trip to court.
“The actual court process took not only me, but the judge, and the ticketer. The ticketer had to testify, taking time out of their day. It was just a waste of everyone's time and money. In hindsight, I wish I would have just paid the ticket. I'm just happy that it's back, and it should have never left in the first place,” Dorman said.
Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) said the number of disputed tickets dropped dramatically after the online system went away. In 2025, 12% of citations were disputed. So far this year, that number is just 1%.
Data provided to Denver7 Investigates shows the online system had been heavily used before it was shut down:
- 53,342 online disputes in 2022
- 68,941 in 2023
- 69,039 in 2024
- 46,001 through September 2025 before the portal closed
At the same time, the city continued collecting tens of millions of dollars annually in parking citation revenue:
- $23.8 million in 2022
- $24.7 million in 2023
- $27.1 million in 2024
- $26.2 million in 2025
DOTI told Denver7 its agents have been spending more hours in court representing the city in parking disputes since the online option ended.
“We could see greater stabilization of parking citation revenue as agents spend more time in the field instead of in court. It really depends on overall staffing levels and if/how we maintain those over the course of a year,” DOTI said.
Dorman said she believes there were probably many people who chose to pay their ticket rather than having to go in-person to dispute it in court.
“People who visit Denver but didn't live here, they're not going to drive all the way down here just to dispute a ticket. It's not worth the gas price or the time. I'm sure a lot of people paid the ticket,” Dorman said.
Dorman added that in order to dispute your ticket in court, you would most likely need to take time off from work.
“People taking PTO, they're hard-earned PTO, that a lot of people have to work to get for. Imagine you're a single mother and you have to take the kids with you, or if you even have the accessibility to leave what you're doing to like go wait in line and dispute your ticket. It's crazy,” she added.
Four DOTI employees will now handle the online disputes.
What you should know:
· Individuals will hear from DOTI when they submit a dispute. They will send a receipt, letting you know your dispute was received.
· Upon DOTI receiving the dispute, all activity on the citation is paused, including any fee escalations.
· DOTI will contact the you again when the review of their dispute is complete.
Your ticket must be within 20 days to dispute it online.
“If someone does not wish to dispute their parking ticket online when the online option resumes on Monday, they still have the option to request an in-person final hearing in Denver County Court and may also choose to set a final hearing in Denver County Court if they don’t agree with the decision they receive through the online review,” DOTI told Denver7.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.