If you've got expired plates, you may want to buckle down and get new tags ...

On Thursday, April 1, the City and County of Denver will resume vehicle registration enforcement. In addition, Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) stated that its backlog has been cleared and it will be "resuming timely processing requests" for new, standard license plates by the end of March.

So, if you're one of many Denver drivers who hasn't yet done anything about their plates or registration, well, now may be a good time to start ... because you could receive a ticket if it's not handled. This will be in effect starting on April 1.

Below are the steps Denver County residents must take in order to get vehicle plates and registration done before April 1 (taken directly from Denver.org):

  • New, Standard Plates
    • Denver County vehicle owners who prefer standard green and white plates can get their plates without waiting by visiting one of the Denver County Motor Vehicle Offices. Please note, vehicle owners must utilize the motor vehicle office located in their county of primary residence.
  • New, Specialty/Vanity Plates
    • Denver County vehicle owners who order or have ordered specialty/vanity plates from the state may continue to experience a delay in receiving their new plates due to a backlog caused by a COVID 19 work delay. Denver vehicle owners who already ordered, but don’t want to wait for these specialty plates and risk getting a ticket, can go to a Denver Motor Vehicle office to get a standard green and white plate instead. Note that Denver will not be able the refund the $25 collected for the organization benefitting from the specialty plate.
  • Temporary Plates
    • Vehicle owners with temporary permits that are about to expire and who haven’t received their permanent license plates yet, should seek an extension of their temporary permits from either the dealer from which they bought the car or their County Motor Vehicle Office, including Denver Motor Vehicle. Or, if you are a Denver County resident who has paid for new plates, but haven’t received them yet, visit a Denver Motor Vehicle Office to get them.
  • Registration Renewals
    • Residents with vehicle registrations due for renewal and who have yet to apply for their renewal stickers should take immediate steps to complete that process to avoid a citation in April. Registration renewals are processed at the County level and Denver Motor Vehicle offices have renewal stickers in stock and no processing backlogs. Residents are encouraged to go online, visit a motor vehicle office, or mail their renewal as soon as possible to complete their registration renewal.
  • Contesting a Citation
    • Drivers who don’t address their plate/registration situations by April 1 may receive a ticket and can contest the citation if they believe they received it in error at www.parksmartdenver.com.

DOTI also announced that street paving is set to begin on Monday, March 22, while enforcement of posted street sweeping will begin on April 1. In both cases, people will need to "move their cars for crews to effectively operate and serve the city’s residents," states Denver.org.

Residents are encouraged to get familiar with their street sweeping day, which will be indicated by red and white signs posted on their block. You can sign up for sweeping reminders at www.pocketgov.com—this will help you avoid a $50 ticket for parking your vehicle in a tow-away zone.

As for the street paving, if your car is left on the street when this starts, it will be moved—"typically within a two-block radius of where the car was parked." Oh, and you'll receive a $50 citation for parking in a no parking zone. However, due to the pandemic, DOTI will not be issuing an additional $100 citation for the tow.  Residents who need help locating their cars can call the city’s non-emergency line at 720-913-2000.

Learn more at Denver.org.

Have you been putting off getting your vehicle registration done? Share your thoughts in the comments below.