Denver proposal would add traffic cameras on city and state roads

Denver’s proposed expansion of automated traffic enforcement would cover 38 listed entries for city streets and 10 roads maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation. The city would begin with transportable cameras, according to a September Department of Public Safety presentation. The proposal has not been adopted as an ordinance.

The proposal would classify Denver’s existing speed vans as mobile units under its Automated Vehicle Identification System. It would also expand camera enforcement beyond speeding to include traffic-signal violations, certain moving violations near schools, bus- and bicycle-lane violations, and passing school buses with active stop-arm signals.

Most new camera deployments would require 30 days of advance public notice, followed by 30 days in which operators could issue warnings but not citations. Those requirements would not apply when a mobile camera is moved within an established corridor, the proposed ordinance says. The bill would generally require notices within 30 days for vehicles registered in Colorado and within 60 days for out-of-state vehicles. Vehicle owners would have at least 45 days to pay or request an administrative hearing, with appeals of final orders going to Denver County Court.

Public Safety previously projected that enforcement in designated corridors could begin in the first quarter of 2027, after planning and contracting, in an earlier presentation. Using cameras on state-maintained roads would require state approval.

The City Council Health and Safety Committee agenda scheduled testimony and discussion or action on the proposal for Oct. 7. Committee consideration would not itself adopt the ordinance.