Criminal and Traffic Summons

The Westminster Police Department issues all criminal and traffic summonses handled by the Westminster Municipal Court. If you have been cited to appear at the Westminster Municipal Court, the Court’s name and address will be listed below the signature box on the front of the summons. 

Criminal Summons

The initial appearance for a criminal summons is set on Mondays and Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m.  If you have a schedule conflict and are not available to appear as ordered on your ticket please contact the Clerk's Office to reschedule your appearance date.  You can have your case rescheduled without a court appearance one time only.  If you are on bond, you will need to file a motion with the court to request a new court date. You can also appear at an earlier date as an add-on to that day's docket. You can reach the Clerk's Office at 303-658-2240 or 303-658-2250.

If you missed your court date or need to appear before your scheduled court date add-on times are Monday and Tuesday, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.

Please contact the Clerk's Office prior to appearing in court if you need the services of an INTERPRETER as one may not be available to assist you on the day you choose to appear.

If you are under 18 years of age, you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when appearing in court. 

Certain traffic violations may carry criminal penalties, such as the imposition of jail time, which causes them to be handled in the same manner as criminal summonses and in accordance with the rules of criminal procedures. These charges include, but are not limited to, No Proof of Insurance, Careless Driving, Reckless Driving, Speed Contest, and Speeding (25 miles per hour or more above the speed limit).

Some criminal violations can be handled by payment on or before the appearance date and do not require a court appearance. Your ticket will indicate if it can be resolved by payment or if your appearance in court is mandatory. 

If you wish to CONTEST THE CHARGE(S), you must appear at the Westminster Municipal Court on the appearance date and time shown on the front of your summons. The appearance date is for arraignment only.  Upon entering a plea of “not guilty," you will be required to return on a future date(s) for other hearing(s) or trial. 

If you are indigent and have been accused of a criminal violation punishable by jail time, you may be eligible for legal representation by the public defender.  You may request to be appointed the public defender at your initial appearance (arraignment), or at any stage of the proceedings, including sentencing and appeal. The Court will determine your eligibility based on the evaluation of household income and size, and assets and expenses.

Failure to pay or appear in court on your scheduled court date may result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest. Other penalties may also be imposed, such as imposition of additional fees, placement of a hold or points against your driving record, referral to a private collections agency, and/or incarceration. 

Sealing of records:

2 Types of Petitions to Seal Records

1. Instructions to File a Petition to Seal Criminal Records on Dismissed Cases
2. Petition to Seal for Dismissed Cases

And

1. Instructions to File a Petition to Seal Criminal Records on Convictions
2. Petition to Seal for Convictions

Juveniles:

If you are under 18 years of age and your summons requires your personal appearance in court, you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. 

Please note:

• If you have not been previously charged with a drug and/or alcohol related violation, you may be eligible to attend a diversion program. Failure to truthfully represent your prior criminal history will result in rejection from the program. If you are under 18 years of age, you must attend the program accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
• The issuing officer, upon determination of your eligibility, will check the appropriate box on the bottom right of the summons, indicating which program you will be required to attend.
• If you choose to attend the diversion program you must: 1) contact the program agency within 72 hours of receiving your summons; 2) successfully complete the program; 3) submit the Certification of Completion to the Westminster Municipal Court by the appearance date listed on your summons.
• Successful completion of the program will result in your charge(s) being eligible for dismissal. If you fail to complete the program, you must appear in court at the appearance date and time shown on your summons. 

If you have any further questions please contact the Clerk's Office at 303-658-2250.

Criminal Summons documents

Click Here to Resolve Your Traffic Ticket Online or by Phone Without Appearing in Court

Traffic Summons

The initial appearance for a traffic summons is set on Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m.  If you have a schedule conflict and are not available to appear as ordered on your ticket, please contact the court to reschedule your appearance date.  You can have your case rescheduled without a court appearance one time only. You can also appear in person on an earlier date as an add-on to that day's traffic docket any Wednesday at 7:30 am or 8:30 am.

Please contact the Clerk's Office prior to appearing in court if you need the services of an INTERPRETER as one may not be available to assist you on the day you choose to appear.

Many traffic summons can be resolved by payment in advance and do not require a court appearance. 

• If the Citation Type section reads "Mandatory Appearance," you are required to appear in court on the date and time listed below your signature.  

• If your summons is marked as "Payable" or "Eligible for Early Payment" you may resolve your case and make your payment online or by phone. By doing so, you will be entering a guilty plea to the indicated charge. If you are receiving a reduction in points, your guilty plea will be to one of the below charges.  Your summons will note the number of points to be assessed against your license.  Fines will also be assessed and additional court costs and processing fees will apply.  Restitution may be ordered in any case and the City Prosecutor will have 45 days to determine the final amount, if any, unless an extension is granted for good cause.  By entering a plea and resolving your case without appearing in court, you will waive the rights outlined here. If your summons notes that you will receive a point reduction, a lesser charge will be reported to the DMV as follows:   
  • 4 points - Disobeyed Stop Sign (Model Traffic Code section 703)
  • 2 points - Drove a Defective or Unsafe Vehicle (Model Traffic Code section 202(1))
  • 1 point - Defective Headlight (Model Traffic Code section 205)

By choosing to pay and not appear in court, you are pleading guilty to the charge and the points will be assessed against your driving history.

Certain traffic violations may carry criminal penalties, such as the imposition of jail time.  These charges include, but are not limited to, No Proof of Insurance, Careless Driving, Reckless Driving, Speed Contest, and Speeding (25 miles per hour or more above the speed limit).

If you have been charged with not having proof of insurance, you will be required to show proof that your insurance was valid at the date and time when the ticket was issued. 

• If the only charge on your ticket is No Proof of Insurance, and your vehicle was insured at the date and time of the violation, you may resolve your case without appearing in court.  Please mail in a letter from your insurance carrier (letterhead required) that shows that your policy was valid at the day and time of the violation. The clerk will verify the information provided. If the information is confirmed your ticket will be dismissed and you will not be required to appear.  It is your responsibility to confirm whether or not your ticket has been dismissed before your scheduled court date. 
• If you did not have insurance at the time you received the ticket, you must appear in court. 
• If the No Proof of Insurance is not the only charge on your ticket, you must appear in court. 

Failure to pay or appear in court on your scheduled court date may result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest. Other penalties may also be imposed, such as the imposition of additional fees, points against your driving record, referral to a private collections agency, and/or incarceration. 

Parking Summons:

If you received a parking summons before February 14, 2023 or later:

Effective February 14th, 2023 The Community Services Department's Parking and Curbside Management staff will issue and administer all parking citations in the City of Westminster.  For questions or more information, please follow this link to the Parking and Curbside Management webpage. 

If you received a parking summons before February 14, 2023:

Parking summons can be resolved by full payment on or before the appearance date listed on the front of the summons and do not require a court appearance. 

You may contest the violation(s) within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the date of issuance of the ticket. In order to contest the ticket you are required to appear in person at the Clerk’s Office, at which time a hearing before the court will be set for a later date.  

Failure to pay or appear within 21 days of the date of issuance of the summons will result in the referral to a private collections agency and the waiver of your right to contest the charge.  

If you have any further questions, please contact the Clerk's Office at 303-658-2250.

Traffic and Parking Summons documents