A single ticket can now cost a Colorado driver far more than a fine. Starting this year, going 100 miles per hour or faster on a Colorado road triggers an automatic license point penalty layered on top of whatever a driver already faces, and that kind of quick accumulation of points can push someone dangerously close to losing their license.
At Shazam Kianpour & Associates, we’ve watched Colorado’s speeding laws grow sharper year after year, and Senate Bill 26-035 is one of the more consequential changes we’ve seen. If you’ve been cited for excessive speed anywhere in the Denver metro area, our traffic violations team can walk you through what this new law means for your driving record and your future.
What SB 26-035 Actually Changes
Colorado lawmakers built SB 26-035 to respond to a rise in high-speed, high-risk driving across the state, and the bill zeroes in on two specific behaviors: extreme speeding and illegal passing. Under the new law, a driver caught traveling 100 mph or faster picks up an additional set of points on their license, assessed on top of whatever penalty already applies to the underlying speeding offense itself.
That stacking effect is what makes the bill so significant. A driver hitting 100 mph was already facing points under Colorado’s existing speeding statute, and this new penalty adds to that total automatically, regardless of the surrounding circumstances. The bill also increases penalties for repeat speeding above 75 mph or beyond a reasonable and prudent speed, with the point total climbing further each time a driver picks up another violation within a defined window of time.
Why Repeat Offenses Carry Even Steeper Consequences
Colorado already tracks how points build up over time, and a driver who reaches a high enough point threshold within seven years can be labeled a habitual traffic offender, a designation that can trigger a five-year license suspension. Our habitual traffic offender page walks through how that classification works and why it carries such serious long-term consequences.
SB 26-035 makes that threshold easier to reach. Someone with a single 100 mph citation is already carrying a heavier point load before any other violation enters the picture, and a second high-tier speeding ticket within the following year adds to it further. The bill also removes a driver’s ability to resolve certain repeat speeding violations through a simple penalty assessment notice, meaning some of these cases now proceed as formal traffic infractions or misdemeanor offenses in court rather than a ticket a driver can just pay and move past.
What Extreme Speeding Charges Look Like in Practice
Driving well over the posted limit in Colorado already crosses into criminal traffic offense territory rather than a simple infraction, and speeds reaching 100 mph typically fall well past that line on most highways. That distinction matters because a misdemeanor conviction can appear on a criminal record, not just a driving record, and it opens the door to court appearances, potential license suspension proceedings, and increased insurance scrutiny that a routine speeding ticket wouldn’t carry.
For drivers who also face a suspension recommendation tied to their point total, having strong representation at the hearing stage can be the difference between keeping a license and losing one for years. We regularly represent clients at DMV hearings across the Denver Front Range, presenting the full context of a citation rather than letting the point total speak for itself. Every case includes circumstances a hearing officer needs to hear, whether that’s the condition of the roadway, the driver’s full record, or inconsistencies in how the stop was conducted.
Building a Defense Against a High-Speed Citation
A speeding citation, even one carrying this new penalty, is not automatically a conviction. Officers make mistakes, and the specific facts of a stop often leave room to challenge how the violation was measured or recorded. A strong defense starts with a careful review of the citation itself, the circumstances of the stop, and the driver’s full record before deciding on the right strategy.
Some defenses focus on procedural issues, such as whether the officer had a valid reason to initiate the stop. This is a good moment to walk through a few of the angles worth examining before assuming the ticket has to stick:
- Overall driving record: A driver’s history shapes strategy, particularly when a new citation risks pushing them toward habitual offender territory.
- Road and traffic conditions: Construction zones, weather, and visibility can all affect whether a reasonable and prudent speed determination was accurate.
- Officer training and certification: The person operating the speed-detection device must be properly trained, and gaps here can be challenged.
- Equipment calibration: Very rarely, but occasionally, police use equipment that is faulty, outdated, or has not been calibrated correctly or recently.
Once those angles are on the table, the next step is deciding whether to contest the citation directly, negotiate the charge down, or focus energy on protecting the license itself at a DMV hearing.
Speeding Tickets Can Also Affect Your Record in Denver Cases
Drivers cited for extreme speeding in Denver, Aurora, Littleton, or the surrounding metro often assume the ticket is an isolated issue, but it rarely stays that way. A conviction can affect insurance rates for years, complicate employment for anyone who drives for work, and combine with other citations to accelerate a suspension timeline. Our Denver traffic violations team looks at how a new citation interacts with a driver’s full history, not just the ticket sitting in front of them.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, troopers issued more than 43,900 speeding citations statewide in 2025 alone, underscoring how common these stops already were before the new penalties took effect. That volume is part of why lawmakers pushed for stiffer point penalties in the first place, and it’s exactly why drivers facing one of these tickets benefit from a lawyer who understands how the points, the underlying offense, and any prior record all interact.
Talk to Shazam Kianpour & Associates About Your Speeding Citation
Extreme speeding charges under Colorado’s new point system carry more weight than they used to, and a single citation can set off consequences that reach well beyond a fine. For more than 22 years, Shazam Kianpour & Associates has defended Denver-area drivers against traffic charges of every kind, earning recognition from the National Trial Lawyers and Super Lawyers along the way. As a smaller firm, we’re able to give each client the personal attention that gets lost at a larger practice, reviewing every detail of a citation ourselves rather than handing it off.
Whether you’re facing a first-time 100 mph citation or a repeat speeding violation that’s pushing you toward habitual offender status, we can review the specifics of your case and help you understand what’s realistically at stake. Contact our office today to talk through your citation and start building a plan to protect your license and your record.
Written by
Shazam KianpourDenver Criminal Defense Attorney & Founder, Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C.