DENVER (KDVR) — Gone are the days of avoiding payment on traffic camera citations. Now, if you are caught speeding or running a red light by camera, you must legally pay the fine.
Senate Bill 23-200 titled “Automated Vehicle Identification Systems” passed in June, but it didn’t get a lot of attention despite its substantial changes.
Originally, drivers could legally avoid paying red light camera citations in Colorado. If you weren’t served notice of violation through a person or certified mail within 90 days, the ticket would be absolved.
But that’s not the case anymore, according to attorney Jude Ramirez from Kurtz and Peckham, PC.
New red light camera citation law
The new law passed in June says that when your citation is mailed first class, it’s been served to you. It doesn’t matter if it was sent to an old address, or you claim that you didn’t get it in the mail.
“As soon as they send it out, you’re affirmed guilty,” said Ramirez. “It doesn’t matter if they have the right address or right anything, it’s on you to make sure that all your information is up to date, make sure all your licensing and information is up to date, at all times. Because if it’s not, that isn’t necessarily going to be an excuse for the fine.”
And it doesn’t matter if you say you weren’t the one driving. The owner of the vehicle would have to prove that they weren’t the person driving.
This law came with many other changes as well, including the amount of time you have to pay for the ticket.
You have less time to pay
Now, Colorado residents have 30 days from when the ticket is mailed to respond to the citation. Those registered outside the state have 60 days.
So, if you’re mail is delayed or you didn’t see it, your citation will increase rather than disappear.
Fines are the same amount, between $40 and $75. However, if you don’t respond on time, those prices will go up.
In the worst case, if you don’t pay your ticket, you will be sent to a debt collector.
While you are required to pay red light tickets and speeding tickets, they won’t add points towards your license.
New speeding camera law
At first, speeding tickets weren’t valid unless they were observed by a person. So, if an officer wasn’t present when the camera tracked your speed, you legally didn’t have to pay it.
Now, speeding tickets don’t need to be observed by a person if they’re caught on camera, according to Ramirez.
These changes are a result of the “Automated Vehicle Identification Systems” bill.
The law mentions more portions will go into effect next June. While it’s not specific on what is going into effect, Ramirez says that paying tickets via cameras is already mandatory.
He believes next year’s changes will be the addition of permanent speed light cameras, which are now allowed to track your speed in multiple different places, including state highways.
