Copyright Westword
The recently eliminated online portal that allowed Denver drivers to challenge parking citations virtually will be replaced, eventually. Denver County Court shut down the online portal last month after permanently closing its Parking Magistrate’s Office and laying off the five magistrates who worked there. The office was responsible for resolving disputed parking citations. But in the face of looming budget cuts, the court decided it could no longer serve that role in 2026, needing to “focus on core judicial functions” instead, according to court spokesperson Carolyn Tyler. As a result, Denver drivers who wish to fight unjust parking tickets currently have to do so in court. Rather than simply clicking a button, the new, more cumbersome process requires drivers to go to the downtown courthouse during business hours to schedule a hearing. Then, they must return another day, again in person, to attend the hearing. Thankfully, an online option will return in 2026, according to the Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure. The new online system is expected to be implemented within the first or second quarter of 2026, says Nancy Kuhn, spokesperson for DOTI. Details are not yet available regarding how the system will work. It will be operated by DOTI instead of Denver County Court. “We will explore the best way to deliver the new program with a 2026 timeline for implementation, and will have details to share as we get closer to rollout,” Kuhn says. In the meantime, anyone who wants to challenge a parking citation will have to go through the in-person process. The news of a new online system comes after the Denver City Council asked Mayor Mike Johnston to restore the laid-off parking magistrates. A supermajority of council members signed onto a budget recommendation for $575,000 to pay the salaries of the five employees for 2026. “These public-facing roles are essential for managing increased parking enforcement and ensuring the timely resolution of citations,” read the council letter sent on October 10. Denver County Court is an independent branch of government. Neither the City Council nor the mayor can control how the court spends its budget, even if the funds requested for the magistrates are granted. Johnston responded to the council on October 20, denying the recommendation to fund the magistrates. However, he announced that a replacement online system is on the way. “The County Court has the final authority on whether they restore their Parking Magistrate program,” Johnston wrote. “We understand the court’s position that this service does not align with their core functions, and we also recognize how critical this service is to residents. …DOTI will create a new administrative parking ticket appeal program without going to court.” The conflict originates from efforts to address a projected $200 million budget deficit for 2026. In August, the mayor’s office announced it had laid off 169 employees and eliminated over 600 open positions in city departments. Dozens of additional jobs were cut from independent agencies and government branches like Denver County Court. DOTI suffered the largest number of layoffs across all city departments this summer, losing 31 employees and eliminating 108 vacant positions. Kuhn previously told Westword that DOTI “does not have staff or resources to do the work that the County Court magistrates were doing.” In the mayor’s letter, Johnston said DOTI will be able to “absorb” potential expenses from implementing the online system in the city’s transportation and mobility fund, which is funded by parking meter and parking fine revenue.
