--- title: "Colorado Forced to Refund $1.1M in Speeding Tickets Thanks to Silly ‘Administrative Error’" date: "2026-11-12" modified: "2026-11-12" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/colorado-forced-to-refund-1-1m-in-speeding-tickets-thanks-to-silly-administrative-error" categories: - "News" - "Regulations" --- # Colorado Forced to Refund $1.1M in Speeding Tickets Thanks to Silly ‘Administrative Error’ ![LONGMONT, CO - JULY 7:A traffic violation enforcement camera is seen near the intersection of Ken Pratt Boulevard and South Main Street in Longmont on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. 4707 traffic camera citations were issued between May 15 and June 29, according to a post on Longmont Public Safety's Facebook page. (Photo by Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)]() *\Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images\* Local governments nationwide have embraced [automated, camera-based ticketing]() as a means of revenue generation traffic enforcement. Predictably, many of these roll-outs have gone pear-shaped in a hurry, either because municipalities have been overwhelmed by the [sheer volume of infractions](), or as in this case in Colorado, because automated systems have to [rely on not-so-automated humans]() in order to function properly. Now the state has to refund more than $1 million in automated speeding tickets issued along a three-mile stretch of Interstate 25 outside Pueblo because somebody screwed up the paperwork. The cameras were set up to catch speeders in a construction zone, pueblocounty.news [reported](). Violators were targeted in [a corridor stretching from Indiana Avenue north to 13th Street](). As the construction progressed, the work zone moved with it, with the mobile speed cameras following it. According to all involved, all speed limits were properly marked and violators were in fact exceeding those limits when they were issued tickets. At first blush, it sounds like a flawless pilot program. The problem? Nobody bothered to update the legal description of the work zone as it moved down the freeway. Because the locations of the violations didn't match the filed paperwork describing the location of the work zones, all 27,000 of those tickets now have to be thrown out. If you received a violation notice, you can now safely toss it in the garbage, state officials said. If you already paid your ticket, a refund will be issued via snail mail with no extra effort required on your part. Don't get too comfortable with any perceived lack of enforcement. Once everything is straightened out, CO officials say the work zone cameras will go live once again. *Got a story tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [It’s Not Just You: Six of 10 Drivers Say Headlight Glare Is a Problem]() - [The Feds Are Coming for Diesel Truck Owners. They’re Starting With Your Phone]() - [How Long Will the Resurrected Ram TRX Stick Around? ‘Call Washington,’ Ram CEO Says]() - [How GM Used Virtual Crash Testing To Bring Back the Chevy Bolt so Quickly]() - [Another State Wants to Make It Harder for Teens to Get a Driver’s License]() - [AM Radio Could Be Legally Mandated in New Cars]() - [Another State Makes UTVs Road Legal. Is That a Good Thing?]() - [Trump Pardons 9 Diesel Tuners Charged with Deleting Emissions Equipment]()