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Broomfield creates administrative civil-penalty process for select code and animal offenses
Summary
Council adopted ordinance 2271 to allow civil citations and fines for many property and animal code violations, aiming for faster resolution than the municipal-court criminal process while preserving law-enforcement discretion.
The City and County of Broomfield on second reading adopted an ordinance (2271) creating an administrative civil-penalty process for certain property and animal code violations, including dogs at large, property nuisances and minor marijuana/paraphernalia possession by adults. The ordinance passed unanimously, 9–0.
City Attorney’s Office attorney Courtney Thiemann said the change is intended to improve efficiency for residents, police and court staff. Under the new process, an officer or code official may issue a civil citation with a set fine; a person may pay the fine online or contest the citation through a simplified administrative hearing. If an appellant fails to appear at the hearing, the court may enter a default judgment rather than issuing an arrest warrant.
Commander Kent Wychlots of the Broomfield Police Department said department policy will continue to focus on education and voluntary compliance first, and that the civil-penalty tool is intended for cases where voluntary compliance has failed or where the municipal court process would be disproportionate to the infraction. Wychlots and Thiemann described examples in which nuisance or vehicle-on-property cases stretched for months under the current summons-and-court schedule; the administrative route is designed to close cases faster.
Key features of the ordinance include a chief-judge-established fine schedule (statutory cap set at $1,000), a requirement that citations provide notice of rights and hearing procedures, and a juvenile carve-out: marijuana and paraphernalia citations for juveniles still require a mandatory court appearance and parental involvement.
Thiemann emphasized the ordinance preserves law-enforcement discretion: officers may still elect to pursue the existing municipal-court criminal process in cases with repeat offenders, public-safety concerns or other aggravating factors.
Why it matters: The change aims to shorten the interval between complaint and resolution for neighborhood code issues and minor animal offenses, reducing staff time and the backlog of municipal court dockets while giving accused parties a streamlined way to contest charges.
What’s next: The fine schedule will be set administratively by the chief municipal judge and posted publicly; staff and police will finalize implementation procedures and continue to prioritize education before enforcement.
