Aurora is standing by its decision to give drivers just 30 days to deal with photo-radar tickets, even as a local motorist argues that the shortened clock undercuts Colorado law. Jason Anderson says a mobile speed camera on South Dunkirk Street caught him in February, and that the city notice he received gave him 30 days to either pay or challenge the $40 citation. A municipal magistrate later rejected his April 30 bid to get the ticket tossed, and Anderson ended up paying the fine. The fight has dragged Aurora's new photo-enforcement program into the spotlight after it churned out tens of thousands of notices and pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars in a matter of months.
Driver Says City's 30-Day Notices Cut Short Colorado's 45-Day Window
Anderson has been publicly arguing that Aurora's standard notices are legally defective, according to The Denver Post. The Post reported that Anderson was cited after being photographed in February and that he appealed the notice before a magistrate, who refused on April 30 to dismiss the ticket. Records reviewed by the paper show Aurora issued more than 26,000 citations and collected about $627,000 through May 31. Anderson has also launched Elevated Aurora, where he is cataloging what he says are widespread problems with how the city is running the program.
City Calls the Shorter Timeline a Home-Rule Choice
City officials point to the program's rollout and process in defending the 30-day deadline. The City of Aurora says its photo-enforcement pilot began Nov. 18, 2025, with roughly a month of warnings before actual citations started going out on Dec. 17, 2025, and notes the city's partnership with vendor Verra Mobility. Jennifer Soules, a city spokesperson, told The Denver Post that Aurora is relying on its "home-rule authority" in the way it administers the program.
State Law Spells Out a Longer Response Period
Colorado's automated-enforcement statute sets minimum procedural rules that some critics say Aurora's notices are not meeting. The Colorado Department of Transportation notes that state law gives registered vehicle owners at least 45 days to pay or contest a notice before a civil penalty assessment is issued, and that local AVIS programs are supposed to follow statewide standards. That 45-day statutory timeline is the legal gap at the center of Anderson's complaint and the broader challenge to Aurora's template notice language.
How Big the Risk Is, And What Could Come Next
Anderson and other advocates say that if Aurora routinely gives drivers fewer than 45 days, a lot of those citations could be vulnerable to challenge. Those concerns, along with questions about sign placement and compliance, are laid out on Elevated Aurora. For now, one magistrate has already declined to throw out Anderson's citation, but the tension between the municipal timeline and the state timetable leaves room for more hearings, administrative cleanup, or even litigation. Former state Rep. Leslie Herod and other critics have urged Aurora to match the 45-day standard used in other Colorado jurisdictions.
What Aurora Drivers Can Do Right Now
Aurora's website explains how to request an administrative review or a formal hearing if you receive a notice, while the Colorado Department of Transportation provides a breakdown of statutory rights and timelines. Motorists who get a citation are encouraged to count the days from the issuance date on the notice and make sure the deadline is at least 45 days away. If it is not, drivers can request a hearing or file a public-records request for deployment and calibration records. For now, the dispute amounts to a face-off between a city's local rollout and the letter of state law, and it may take a court decision or an administrative fix to settle which interpretation ultimately wins out.
