Denver Photo Speed Vans: Locations, Fines, and How to Contest

Denver’s photo speed vans are white mobile units with radar and cameras that enforce speed limits on residential streets, streets along parks, and 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 the violation is not reported to your insurer or to the DMV. Five vans rotate through qualifying locations seven days a week between 6:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.¹ If you’ve received a notice in the mail, the 45-day clock on the citation is the deadline that matters most.²

Where the Vans Are Allowed to Operate

Colorado law and Denver’s municipal code limit photo radar to specific street types:

Residential streets with a posted limit of 35 mph or less
Streets bordering a park, at any posted speed limit
Active school zones
Work zones on city streets

A van parked on a commercial arterial with a 45 mph limit isn’t operating within the rules. Locations are selected using traffic volume, crash history, and speed data rather than at random.¹

Colorado law also requires a “Photo Radar In Use” sign posted at least 300 feet before the van.² A photo enforcement agent sits inside the van during active enforcement, so the units are not entirely unmanned.³

What a Ticket Costs and Whether It Hits Your Record

The fine amounts in Denver are fixed:

$40 on a residential street or a street bordering a park
$80 in a school zone or work zone

Those are totals, including any surcharge. The state statute caps the standard fine at $40 and allows it to double in school zones, and Denver charges the maximum.²¹

Photo radar violations in Colorado are civil, not criminal. No points go on your driver’s license, and the city cannot report the violation to the Division of Motor Vehicles or to insurance companies.⁴ Paying the fine does not raise your premiums or create a mark on your driving record.

The 10 mph First-Offense Warning

If you were caught going less than 10 mph over the posted limit and this is your first photo radar offense, Colorado law requires a warning instead of a fine.⁴ A second offense at that same margin triggers an actual fine, and a reading of 10 mph or more over the limit can produce a citation on the first detection.

The Deadlines on Your Notice

Timing on these citations is tighter than most people expect.

Denver must mail the notice within 30 days of the violation for a Colorado-registered vehicle, or within 60 days for an out-of-state plate.² A notice mailed later than that can be challenged on timing alone.

Once you have the notice, you have at least 45 days from the issuance date to pay the fine or request a hearing in writing.² Miss that window and the situation gets significantly more expensive, as described below.

How to Pay

The notice arrives by mail and includes a notice number and city code you’ll need either way. Denver’s online payment portal is at photonotice.com; enter the details from your notice and pay electronically. You can also mail a check or money order to the processing center address printed on the notice.¹ Keep a screenshot of the confirmation page or a copy of the check for your records.

If Someone Else Was Driving Your Car

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

You are not required to identify the actual driver. Colorado law prevents Denver from forcing you to name anyone else.⁴ You can voluntarily nominate the driver, and if Denver accepts the nomination, the notice is cancelled and reissued to that person. That step is optional. Filing a false affidavit, however, can lead to criminal prosecution under Denver Municipal Code 38-40.¹

How to Contest a Citation

You have two paths, and they work differently.

Informal Review by the Photo Enforcement Unit

Call the Photo Enforcement Unit at 720-337-1114 to schedule a review. Denver’s own guidance is candid that this is a courtesy, not a right, and the review may not result in dismissal. The department won’t share enforcement documents during the review, and it isn’t the forum to argue the merits of the program. Before you call, pull up your images on the online portal so you know what the camera captured.¹

Pleading Not Guilty in Court

For a formal challenge, bring your Self-Filing Coupon or Penalty Assessment Notice to Denver County Court, Traffic Division, Room 135, at 1437 Bannock Street. Hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You enter a not-guilty plea and receive a final hearing date. A photo enforcement agent appears at the hearing to present the city’s evidence.¹

Grounds people commonly raise include missing or improperly placed signage, a calibration failure in the radar unit, a blurry photo that doesn’t clearly show the vehicle, and a notice mailed past the 30-day or 60-day statutory deadline. On calibration specifically, the radar equipment is calibrated annually by certified technicians and tested before and after every enforcement shift, so a gap in those records can matter in court.³

What Happens If You Ignore the Notice

Letting the 45-day window pass is where a $40 problem turns into something larger. The Denver Police Department then authorizes a Penalty Assessment Notice, personally served by a process server or sent via certified mail. Service adds 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. Continued inaction can lead to a default judgment and referral to collections.¹ The state statute provides one 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.² Betting on avoiding service is risky, since Denver actively uses process servers to close that gap.

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