DENVER — Contesting a parking ticket in Denver is about to hit a dead end of sorts. For drivers, that could mean fewer options and more frustration.
The shakeup comes as city leaders struggle with a $200 million budget gap, a shortfall that’s already led to hundreds of layoffs, including the entire parking magistrate’s office.
Up to this point, anyone who’s received a parking citation in Denver has been able to dispute it online.
Denver resident Ryan Evans told Denver7 he recently had to use the online portal to dispute a parking ticket.
“[I] just unfortunately forgot my parking pass to hang above my windshield… I came back and there was a citation on there, so I figured I'd dispute it because I have a parking pass,” he said. “I definitely appreciated the ease of going online and being able to dispute it.”
Until now, parking magistrates have reviewed all disputes submitted online. A Denver County Courts spokesperson told Denver7 that due to recent budget cuts, they are no longer able to staff the online dispute process.
The online portal is shutting down on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the end of the business day. Denver County Courts said any disputes submitted online before the deadline will still be reviewed.
While residents will still be able to dispute parking citations in front of a judge, it’s unclear what the process for setting that up will look like moving forward.
Denver7 kept pushing for those answers about several lingering questions, including whether disputes now have to be made in person. It’s a concern for some Denver residents.
“I think it could definitely make some people less motivated to dispute,” Evans said.
All we were told was that new instructions on disputing parking citations will be posted at www.denvergov.org/parking and www.denvercountycourt.org/parking on Friday.
Denver7 will continue asking questions on your behalf.
