Denver County Court

Clear an OJW

OJW stands for “Outstanding Judgment or Warrant.”  An OJW hold is placed on your driver’s license if you fail to appear for court, fail to pay your fines, or fail to obey a court order on a traffic case.  If unresolved, your driving privileges will be cancelled.

How you resolve an OJW depends on the status of your case.  Below are a number of scenarios:

If you failed to appear for arraignment for your traffic infraction case, a default judgment was entered. This means you are responsible for the ticket.  All fines and costs are due, the points have been reported to the Department of Motor Vehicle, and an OJW hold was placed on your license.  To clear the OJW you must pay all fines and costs, including the $30 OJW fee, before the Court will cancel the OJW.  You can do this online or in person by coming to 1437 Bannock Street, Room 135.  Once full payment is received, the Court will notify the Department of Motor Vehicle.  Please allow at least 48 hours for the hold on your license to be lifted.

If you failed to appear for a hearing related to a traffic offense or misdemeanor, a warrant for your arrest was issued and an OJW was placed on your driver’s license.  To clear the OJW, you must first clear the warrant for your arrest and appear in court.  After you plead guilty, are found guilty or not guilty, or the case is dismissed, you can clear the OJW.

    • If you are found guilty, you must pay all fines, costs, and fees, to include the $30 OJW fee, before the Court will clear the OJW hold.  Once full payment is received, the Court will cancel the OJW and notify the Department of Motor Vehicle.
    • If you are found not guilty or the case is dismissed, the judicial officer will determine if you owe the $30 OJW fee.  If you do, the Court will not clear the OJW until the fee is paid.  If you do not owe the fee, the Court will cancel the OJW hold and notify the Department of Motor Vehicle.  Please allow at least 48 hours for the hold on your license to be lifted.

If you appeared, but did not pay your fines and costs, the court will place an OJW hold on your driver’s license.  To clear the OJW you must pay all fines and fees, including the OJW fee, before the Court will clear the OJW.  You can pay online or in person.  Once full payment is received, the Court will cancel the OJW and notify the Department of Motor Vehicle.  Please allow at least 48 hours for the hold on your license to be lifted.