In 2020 and 2021 combined, the city of Denver received 15 complaints about ticket violations in private parking garages and lots.
Complaints more than quadrupled to 89 in 2022, according to city data.
Those complaints have prompted the city to require private parking companies to post signs outlining how much Denverites might pay for parking violations.
Starting June 12, private parking garages and lots will have to post signs that include fine and citation penalty amounts for parking over reserved time or without paying; instructions on how to pay; information about grace periods; what to do if payment kiosks are not working and contact information to dispute penalties.
The rise in complaints is due to new automated ticketing technology.
John Conway is the co-founder of Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS), which runs compliance for about 95% of private parking lots in Denver (the lots have a range of different operators but contract compliance out to PRRS). He said the rise in complaints comes from the rise in parking enforcement. New systems include cameras that automatically send tickets to drivers who violate parking rules, similar to pay-by-plate highway tolls.
Before the company switched to automated ticketing during the pandemic, Conway said enforcement was spottier, especially in the middle of the night. Now, Conway said that with more rightful tickets have come more complaints.
"Anything that would enhance and reduce compliance incidences is something that we definitely would be in favor for," Conway said about the new signage requirements. "It's a step in the right direction, for sure and our company fully supports it."
Amid increased enforcement, many customers bringing complaints complained of what they called "predatory" ticketing practices.
Eric Escudero, spokesperson for Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses, said some complaints came from customers claiming the technology can be faulty and that consumers were not notified of exorbitant fines before receiving tickets.
Denverite reviewed more than 100 complaints the city received from customers, many of which mentioned PRRS by name. Customers complained about being charged over $80 for overstaying their parking time by a matter of minutes, which came as a shock because they did not see any signs about the fees. Others said they received fines for more than $80 despite putting parking receipts on their dashboards, or said they got fines for parking in places they claimed were not clearly marked as part of a private lot.
Multiple people said they were fined for overstaying the grace period because they were waiting in a long kiosk line to pay for parking, while others said they received fines upwards of $80 because the parking kiosk was not working.
People also complained about a general lack of clear signage, struggles to contact the ticketing company and worries about their credit score being penalized, after threats to send the fines to collectors.
The rise in complaints also in part came from a discovery by the city in 2022 that a number of parking lots operating with expired licenses were issuing tickets.
Denver requires private parking lots to be licensed by the city. In 2022, Denver urged lots to revoke tickets from that period of lapsed licensure. The city also asked customers then to contact 311 to inquire about potential refunds. According to reporting from Denver 7, Conway blamed the lapse in licenses on the pandemic and said all lots were then properly licensed.
Conway said his company has a 20-minute grace period for people to purchase payment after parking, and that the technology does not wrongfully flag people. He urged customers to take complaints directly to the company to resolve issues, rather than straight to the city or the Better Business Bureau.
The city cannot intervene in civil matters like disputes over private parking tickets, but it can require things like enhanced signage for private parking garages, which need licenses to operate in Denver. Escudero said he hopes the signs will better protect consumers, as well as increase competition between parking companies based on the price of fines.
"What we want is we want more transparency for consumers," Escudero said. "We want people to understand, if they're shopping around deciding where they're going to park, that it is clearly visible on a sign on every parking lot or garage, in the city, how much the fine or citation they'll receive will cost."
