Denver Photo Speed Vans: Rules, Deadlines, and Contesting Tickets

Denver’s photo speed vans are white mobile units with radar and cameras that catch speeders on residential streets, streets bordering parks, and inside school and work zones. Fines run $40 on residential and park-adjacent streets and $80 in school and work zones, the citations carry no license points, and they are not reported to insurance companies. Five vans rotate through qualifying locations seven days a week between 6:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.¹

Where the Vans Are Allowed to Set Up

Colorado law and the Denver Revised Municipal Code limit photo radar to four categories of location: residential streets posted at 35 mph or less, streets bordering parks (any speed limit), active school zones, and work zones on city streets. A van parked on a commercial arterial or a highway with a 45 mph limit is not operating legally under these rules. Site selection is data-driven, based on traffic volume, crash history, and speed patterns rather than random rotation.¹

How the Enforcement Actually Works

When a vehicle passes above the posted limit, the radar clocks the speed and the camera captures the vehicle and plate. A photo enforcement agent is inside the van during every active shift, so the operation is not entirely unmanned. The radar equipment is calibrated annually by certified technicians and tested for accuracy before and after each shift.²

The 300-Foot Warning Sign

Colorado law requires a “Photo Radar In Use” sign at least 300 feet before the van.³ If you pass that sign, the van is just ahead. A citation captured without properly posted signage can be challenged on that basis.

The First-Offense Warning at Under 10 mph Over

Colorado law requires a warning rather than a fine for a driver’s first offense when the recorded speed was less than 10 mph over the limit.⁴ A second offense at that same margin does draw a fine. At 10 mph or more over the limit, the system can issue a citation on the first detection.

Fines, Points, and Insurance

The fine structure is set at the state statutory maximum: $40 for a violation on a residential street or a street bordering a park, and $80 in a school or work zone.³¹ Those figures are the total, surcharge included.

These are civil penalties, not criminal traffic offenses. Two consequences follow. No points are added to your Colorado driver’s license, and the city cannot report the violation to the Division of Motor Vehicles or to insurance companies.⁴ Paying the fine will not raise your premiums or mark your driving record.

The Deadlines That Matter

The timeline is tighter than most people expect. After a violation is captured, Denver must mail the notice within 30 days for Colorado-registered vehicles or 60 days for out-of-state plates.³ A notice mailed later than that is challengeable on the deadline alone.

Once you have the notice, you get at least 45 days from the issuance date to either pay or request a hearing in writing.³ That 45-day window is the deadline to watch. Letting it pass makes everything worse and more expensive.

Paying the Ticket

The mailed notice includes a notice number and city code you will need either way. Denver’s online payment portal is at photonotice.com, where you enter those details and pay electronically.¹ A check or money order can be mailed to the processing center address on the notice. Keep a copy of the confirmation or check.

If Someone Else Was Driving Your Car

Because the citation goes to the registered owner, you may receive a notice for a trip you didn’t take. The back of the notice includes a “Not Pictured Driver Affidavit.” Sign it, attach a legible photocopy of your driver’s license, and mail it in. A Denver Police Department employee reviews the affidavit, and if they conclude you weren’t the driver, the case against you is dismissed.¹

You are not required to name the actual driver. Colorado law prevents Denver from forcing you to identify someone else.⁴ You can voluntarily nominate the driver, and if Denver accepts the nomination, the notice against you is cancelled and reissued to the person you named. Submitting a false affidavit claiming you weren’t driving when you were can lead to criminal prosecution under Denver Municipal Code 38-40.¹

Contesting a Photo Radar Citation

There are two ways to push back, and they work very differently.

Informal Review by Phone

You can call the Photo Enforcement Unit at 720-337-1114 to ask for a review of your citation. Denver’s website is upfront that this is a courtesy, not a right, and it may not result in dismissal. The department will not share enforcement documents during the review, and it isn’t the forum to argue against the program itself. Before calling, pull up your images at the payment portal so you know what the camera actually captured.¹

Not-Guilty Plea in County Court

A formal challenge means taking your Self-Filing Coupon or Penalty Assessment Notice to Denver County Court, Traffic Division, Room 135, at 1437 Bannock Street. You’ll enter a not-guilty plea and receive a hearing date. A photo enforcement agent presents the city’s evidence at that hearing.¹

Common grounds worth raising include missing or improperly placed signage, a calibration failure, a blurry or inconclusive photo that doesn’t clearly identify the vehicle, or a notice mailed past the 30-day or 60-day deadline in state law.

What Happens If You Ignore the Notice

This is how a $40 problem becomes something else. If you don’t act within the 45-day window, the Denver Police Department authorizes a Penalty Assessment Notice, which is either personally served by a process server or sent by certified mail. Service tacks on at least $29 to what you owe.¹

The Penalty Assessment Notice is a legal document, and unlike the initial mailed notice, you are compelled by law to respond. Keep ignoring it and Denver can enter a default judgment and send the debt to collections.¹ There is one statutory safeguard: a jurisdiction cannot pursue collection against a registered owner unless that owner was personally served with either the notice of violation or the final order of liability.³ Betting on never being served is risky, since Denver actively uses process servers to close that gap.

Denver’s Program Is Not the Same as CDOT’s

Denver’s municipal photo radar program is separate from the statewide automated speed enforcement program CDOT runs on state highways, work zones, and designated corridors. Both operate under the same state statute and share the 300-foot signage rule, the no-points civil-penalty structure, and the 45-day response deadline. The fines are different: CDOT charges $75 for work and school zone violations and $40 for corridor violations, while Denver charges $40 for standard zones and $80 in school and work zones.⁵¹ The issuing agency printed on your notice tells you which program caught you.

1
City and County of Denver. Photo Radar Enforcement
2
Denver Police Department. Photo Enforcement Program
3
Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes 42-4-110.5
4
Colorado General Assembly. Speed Photo Radar and Red Light Cameras (Automated Vehicle Identification Systems)
5
Colorado Department of Transportation. Frequently Asked Questions