Shelly Fenton returned from a trip to DIA with a newborn on the way and a $100 citation on her windshield — for expired registration on a car whose registration was fully current. She and her husband had applied the sticker themselves. When she walked to the back of the vehicle, it was gone.

What followed was a preview of what Denver's parking dispute system has become for thousands of drivers. Fenton drove downtown, paid to park, took time off work, and walked into Denver County Court — only to be told she couldn't resolve her case that day. She was sent home to schedule a hearing that would land right around her due date. 'It was not easy finding parking, walking into the courthouse, and then having to do it all over again,' she told Denver7 Investigates.

All of that work just to pay to go downtown, pay to park, the time, and to take off work it was just a lot.Shelly Fenton, Driver

How Denver's Parking Dispute System Collapsed

• 2022 — 11,343 replacement decal transactions in Denver
• 2023 — DIA issues citations — 31,000+ expired-reg cases begin accumulating
• 2024 — 11,867 DIA expired-reg citations issued; city collects $27.1M in parking revenue; formal hearings remain in single digits most months
• Sept. 2025 — City shuts down online parking dispute portal as part of budget cuts
• Oct. 2025 — 108 formal parking hearings — first month after portal closes
• Dec. 2025 — 171 formal hearings; 16,943 replacement decal transactions recorded for full year 2025
• Mar. 2026 — 228 formal hearings; dispute rate has dropped to just 1% of all tickets
• June 2026 — 295 formal hearings in a single month
• July 2026 — 4,691 DIA expired-reg citations already issued in first 7 months of year

The collapse in dispute rates is the starkest signal in Denver7's data. When drivers could fight a ticket online, roughly 12 out of every 100 citations were challenged. After the city moved disputes to an in-person courthouse process, that figure fell to 1 in 100. The court data tells the other side of that story: the drivers who do try to fight their tickets in person are overwhelming the system, with hearings growing by more than 170% in just eight months.

Meanwhile, Denver International Airport's parking enforcement showed no signs of slowing down. Airport enforcement issued more than 6,200 citations for expired registration or license plate violations in the months after the online portal closed — part of a larger pattern of more than 31,000 such citations issued between 2023 and July 2026.

Denver Parking Disputes: Before vs. After the Portal Closed

How Well Do You Know Denver's Parking System?

Five questions. See how the investigation's findings stack up against what you thought you knew.

After Denver eliminated its online dispute portal in September 2025, the share of parking tickets being contested dropped to approximately what percentage?

• About 8% — The drop was far steeper. Before the portal closed, about 12% of citations were disputed. After in-person-only disputes began, that number fell to just 1% — an 11-percentage-point collapse.
• About 5% — Still too high. The dispute rate fell all the way to 1% after the online portal was shut down and drivers had to appear in person at Denver County Court.
• About 1% — Correct. Data from Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure shows the dispute rate plummeted from roughly 12% to 1% once in-person hearings became the only option.
• It didn't change much — It changed dramatically. The combination of a higher barrier (appearing in person) and a court backlog caused the dispute rate to drop from 12% to 1%.

How many formal parking hearings did Denver County Court handle in June 2026 — about nine months after the online dispute portal closed?

• Around 50 — Much higher. Formal hearings had already reached 108 in October 2025 — the very first month after the portal closed.
• Around 150 — Close to the December 2025 figure, but the court caseload kept growing. By June 2026 it had nearly doubled again.
• Around 295 — Correct. Court records obtained through open records requests show 295 formal parking hearings in June 2026 alone — up from single digits in most months of 2024.
• Around 500 — Not quite. The June 2026 figure was 295 — but the trajectory in the data suggests the number has been climbing steadily since September 2025.

How many expired-registration or license-plate citations did Denver International Airport enforcement issue between 2023 and July 2026?

• About 5,000 — DIA issued more than 11,867 citations in 2024 alone. The total across 2023 through July 2026 was more than 31,000.
• About 15,000 — The 2024 figure alone was 11,867. Add 2023, 2025, and the first seven months of 2026, and the total surpasses 31,000.
• More than 31,000 — Correct. Records obtained by Denver7 Investigates show more than 31,000 expired-registration or license-plate citations at DIA over that period — including 9,235 in 2025 and 4,691 in just the first seven months of 2026.
• More than 60,000 — The documented total is more than 31,000. That figure already includes 11,867 citations in 2024 alone.

By how much did replacement registration decal transactions in Denver rise between 2022 and 2025, according to Colorado DMV data?

• About 10% — The increase was far larger. DMV data shows transactions rose from 11,343 in 2022 to 16,943 in 2025 — a nearly 50% jump over four years.
• About 25% — Closer, but the actual increase was steeper. Denver replacement plate and decal transactions climbed nearly 50% — from 11,343 in 2022 to 16,943 in 2025.
• Nearly 50% — Correct. Colorado DMV data provided to Denver7 shows the number of replacement decal transactions in Denver rose from 11,343 in 2022 to 16,943 in 2025 — nearly a 50% increase.
• More than doubled — Not quite doubled, but the trend is real. The figure rose nearly 50% over four years — and the DMV notes it cannot track how many involve theft specifically.

How do Denver police track stolen registration sticker reports?

• Through a dedicated 'stolen tab' offense code — There is no dedicated offense code for stolen registration tabs. That's part of why the true scale of the problem is so difficult to measure.
• They don't — tabs fall under broader theft categories — Correct. Denver police told Denver7 Investigates that stolen registration tabs are typically classified under broader categories such as 'Theft Parts From Vehicle' or 'Theft From Motor Vehicle,' making it hard to determine how widespread the problem is.
• Through DMV cross-referencing at time of citation — Police can electronically verify registration validity during traffic stops — but stolen tabs are not tracked through a specific offense code. The DMV itself says it doesn't track how many replacement requests involve theft.
• Via the state license plate database — Officers can check registration status electronically during stops, but stolen tab incidents are absorbed into broader theft categories — there's no specific tracking mechanism for this crime.

That's precisely the environment Shelly Fenton stepped into — one where the path to disputing a wrongful citation had narrowed to a single courthouse door, requiring time off work, downtown parking costs, and the physical endurance of a seven-months-pregnant woman navigating hallways and rescheduled hearings. Her $100 ticket was eventually dismissed. But the story of how she got there — and how hard the city made that journey — is what Denver7's investigation found playing out for thousands of Denver drivers.

The DMV, for its part, offered tips for protecting registration stickers: remove old stacked stickers before applying new ones, apply only to clean and dry plates, avoid cold weather applications, and score the sticker in an X or grid pattern so it fragments if someone tries to peel it. Those are reasonable precautions. But they don't explain why a driver who did everything right still ended up in line at Denver County Court.

What the City Said — and What the Data Shows

Stickers being lost is a common event.

Verdict: true

Denver Department of Finance Communications Director Laura Swartz confirmed this to Denver7 Investigates. Colorado DMV data backs it up: replacement decal transactions in Denver rose nearly 50% from 2022 to 2025 — from 11,343 to 16,943. But the DMV cannot say how many involve theft.

Moving to in-person disputes made it easier to contest tickets fairly.

Verdict: mixed

Formal hearings did increase — from single digits per month to 295 in June 2026 — showing the court system is processing more contested cases. But the dispute rate collapsed from 12% to 1%, suggesting most drivers are not attempting to fight tickets at all under the new system.

Denver police can verify your registration is valid even if your sticker is missing.

Verdict: true

DPD confirmed to Denver7 Investigates that officers can electronically verify registration status during traffic stops even when stickers appear expired. But that doesn't prevent parking enforcement agents — who typically aren't conducting traffic stops — from issuing citations at DIA and elsewhere.

The Investigation By the Numbers

• 6,200+ — DIA Citations After Portal Closed
• $26.2M — Parking Revenue 2025
• 16,943 — Replacement Decals in Denver (2025)
• 228 — Formal Hearings, March 2026

How to Protect Yourself: What the DMV Recommends

1. Remove old stickers before applying new ones — Stacked stickers create a surface that's easier to peel. Remove previous decals before the new one goes on.
2. Apply only to a clean, dry plate — Dirt and moisture prevent proper adhesion. The DMV says a clean surface helps the sticker bond securely.
3. Avoid cold weather application — Cold temperatures reduce adhesive strength. Apply your decal in a warmer environment when possible.
4. Score the sticker with an X or grid — The DMV recommends what it calls the 'razor blade trick' — score the sticker so it breaks apart rather than peeling off cleanly if someone tries to steal it.
5. Keep your registration paperwork accessible — If cited for expired registration and you believe your tabs were stolen, having your current registration documents can be key evidence at a hearing.

The Evidence: What Denver7 Obtained Through Open Records

Denver7 Investigates used open records requests to obtain the core data behind this story. Court records from Denver County Court provided month-by-month formal parking hearing counts going back through 2024 — which is how reporters documented the jump from single-digit monthly hearings to 295 in June 2026.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure provided the dispute rate data showing the shift from 12% before the portal closed to 1% after. The city's parking revenue figures — $27.1 million in 2024 and $26.2 million in 2025 — came from Denver's own financial records.

DIA citation records, showing more than 31,000 expired-registration or license-plate citations between 2023 and July 2026, were also obtained through open records. The Colorado DMV provided replacement plate and decal transaction data broken down by year, which shows the nearly 50% rise in Denver between 2022 and 2025.

Denver police confirmed that stolen registration tabs are not tracked under a dedicated offense code, making a precise theft count impossible. The DPD says such incidents typically fall under broader 'Theft Parts From Vehicle' or 'Theft From Motor Vehicle' categories.

Fenton's case ended the way it should have from the start — her ticket was dismissed once she could prove her registration was current. But the process cost her multiple courthouse trips, parking fees, time off work, and months of stress while pregnant. For every driver in her situation who finds their way to a hearing, the data suggests there are roughly eleven more who simply pay a fine they may not owe.

Denver's parking enforcement system is not broken in one obvious place — it's fraying at the intersection of aggressive airport enforcement, a disappeared online dispute option, and a court calendar that took months to schedule a single hearing. That's the combination that turned a stolen sticker into a months-long ordeal. And until either the city restores accessible dispute options or enforcement agents are given clearer tools to separate valid registrations from missing stickers, Denver drivers will keep absorbing the cost.

What You Can Do If You Get a Parking Citation in Denver

• Gather Your Registration Documents Immediately: If you believe a citation is wrong, collect your current registration paperwork before your hearing date. Fenton's ticket was ultimately dismissed because she had documentation proving her registration was current.
• Know the In-Person Process: Since September 2025, Denver no longer offers an online dispute option. Contesting a ticket requires appearing in person at Denver County Court. Expect to schedule a hearing date — same-day resolution may not be possible.
• Use the DMV's Razor Blade Trick: Score your registration sticker in an X or grid pattern after applying it. This causes the sticker to break apart rather than peel off cleanly if someone tries to steal it.
• Submit Tips to Denver7 Investigates: Denver7 is continuing to cover this story. If you have experienced issues with Denver's parking citation or dispute system, reach out to Denver7 Investigates.

Sources & References

• Primary source: Denver7 — Jaclyn Allen
• Denver County Court — Month-by-month formal parking hearing counts, 2024–2026, obtained via open records request
• Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure — Parking citation dispute rates before and after portal closure; DIA citation records 2023–2026
• Colorado DMV — Replacement plate and decal transaction data by year for Denver, 2022–2025