Respond to a Parking Ticket

What do I do if I Receive a Parking Ticket?

You must pay or arrange to dispute your parking ticket within 14 calendar days from the violation date set forth on your ticket.

• Pay online: You may pay online using a MasterCard/Visa.
• Pay by telephone: You may pay by telephone  at 303-441-1810 using a MasterCard/Visa.
• Pay by mail: You may pay by mail by following the instructions on your ticket. The court accepts payment via personal check, Money Order, Cashier's Check, or MasterCard/Visa. If you are paying by check or money order, make it payable to the City of Boulder and be sure to reference the ticket number located on the top of the ticket. Please Do Not Send Cash Through The Mail.
• Drop-off Payments: Payment may be dropped off in the drop box located across the street from the Boulder County Justice Center, 1777 6th St. (6th Street and Canyon Boulevard), at the entrance to the parking lot. Acceptable forms of payment are personal check, Money Order, Cashier's Check, or MasterCard /Visa. If you are paying by check or money order, make it payable to the City of Boulder and be sure to reference the ticket number located on the top of the ticket. Please do not pay by cash.
• Pay in person: You may pay in person at the Boulder Municipal Court, located on the southeast corner of the first floor in the Boulder County Justice Center, 1777 6th St. (6th Street and Canyon Boulevard), in Boulder. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except that we are closed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the second Friday of every month). Major credit cards, Visa or MasterCard are welcome, as are personal checks, cashier's checks or money orders. Cash is also accepted for walk-in payments only.

How Can I Dispute a Ticket?

Before you contest your ticket, click here to read an explanation of why you received it. If you still think that you did not commit a violation, you may contest the ticket by setting your case for trial or filing a written or on-line appeal. Click here to file an appeal.

To set your case for trial, you must appear at the Boulder Municipal Court with a copy of your driver's license or state identification card. A trial will be scheduled for another date where a judge will hear evidence from the parking officer and any witnesses you call, including yourself. The city must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your vehicle was parked in violation of the applicable ordinance. It is not a defense to the ticket that you did not know that you were parked illegally or that you did not intend to park illegally.

I received a notice from the city about a ticket that I never received. How can I be held responsible for a ticket that I did not receive?

The Boulder Revised Code places responsibility for parking infractions on the registered owner of the vehicle. It is possible that the ticket described in the notice was blown off of the windshield, removed by another person or received by another driver of your vehicle. You are still obligated to pay or contest the ticket. The court may waive the late fee for the ticket, if it is convinced that you did not receive the ticket. To request a waiver of the late fee, fill out a written or online appeal.

I was not the owner of this vehicle on the dates when certain tickets were issued. What can I do?

If you were not the registered owner of the vehicle at the time that the tickets were issued, you should file a written appeal and provide copies of any documents showing the transfer of ownership (such as a bill of sale or other formal title transfer documentation). The court will review the documentation provided and, when appropriate, amend its files to identify the correct vehicle owner. You should also contact the Clerk and Recorder's Office to make sure that the plates issued in your name and previously attached to the vehicle have been cancelled. This will prevent you from being sent further parking notices for the vehicle and will also prevent you from being issued photo radar tickets received by the current owner of the vehicle.

What happens if I don't pay a ticket?

If you do not pay or otherwise respond to your ticket within 14 calendar days from the date of the violation, the fine will increase by $15. Unpaid tickets may be referred to a collection agency with assessment of additional charges of up to 25 percent of the amount owed. Additionally, Boulder Revised Code Section 2-6-7 authorizes the court to place vehicles with one or more overdue parking tickets on the scofflaw list (also known as the "pick-up" list). Notice that the ticketed vehicle has been placed on the scofflaw list may be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle at the address listed on the registration. If you do not respond to this Notice by the date indicated in the Notice, you give up your right to contest the overdue ticket(s). Once a vehicle is on the scofflaw or "pick-up" list, the vehicle may be towed and impounded. Additional fees and penalties, including scofflaw, impound, towing and storage fees, will be assessed if a vehicle is impounded for unpaid tickets.

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Last Updated on Monday, 25 February 2013 14:49