Waymo has 60 cars on Denver streets. City staff will tell the Council it has no power to regulate them
A briefing posted for Wednesday's transportation committee says state law preempts the city, Waymo self-certified its safety, and Denver can't require data. Police can still ticket the cars.
Waymo's driverless cars have been carrying paying riders in Denver since September. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, city staff will brief the Council's Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on what the city can and can't do about them (26-1758, presentation).
Why it matters: the short answer in the slides is "not much." It's the first Council briefing on autonomous vehicles in our records since 2017 (17-0451).
Where things stand
According to the presentation by the Department of Safety and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure:
- Waymo's public launch was in September 2026, covering 50 square miles with 60 vehicles. News reports at launch described a zone of about 60 square miles that reaches past city limits (Axios Denver, Denverite).
- The first expansion is "likely late 2026," and Waymo is seeking eventual service to the full metro area and Denver International Airport.
- Zoox is doing test mapping this fall, and Tesla is "interested in future deployment."
- Autonomous trucks are already here: Stack AV is operating on Peña Boulevard, and Aurora's trucks are "likely deploying 2027."
What the city can't do
The slides list the limits:
- A 2017 state law, Senate Bill 17-213, made regulating automated driving systems "a matter of statewide concern."
- Colorado cities "are fully preempted from regulating any component of autonomous vehicle testing or operations."
- Denver has "no ability to permit or require data sharing."
- Waymo operates under a "luxury limousine" permit from the state Public Utilities Commission, and the city has "no ability to revoke their approval."
- "Waymo self-certified their technology was safe."
What the city can do
The cars must follow traffic and parking laws. Police will respond to emergencies and enforce citations from automated cameras "with new owner-liability legislation." Transportation staff will enforce parking. Both departments will track and investigate crashes, and police are building an internal tool to track incidents that aren't crashes.
That owner-liability piece connects to Monday's agenda. The speed camera ordinance, 26-1435, is up for a final vote Nov. 16 (our story). The slides don't say which provisions apply to driverless cars.
Staff say they hold monthly citywide coordination meetings and regular trainings with Waymo, are taking part in federal discussions, and expect "state legislation changes" in 2027.
How to report a problem
The slides tell residents to call 911 in an emergency and (720) 913-2000 for non-emergencies, report illegal parking through 311, and send other complaints to Waymo or to the PUC as an informal complaint about "luxury limousine service."
Advertisement
What our records add
State law is on the Council's list. "Autonomous vehicle regulations" is one of the topics a majority of Council members want to track in the 2027 legislative session, according to a separate presentation for Tuesday's Governance Committee (our story).
RTD is on the same agenda. The committee will also get a Regional Transportation District budget and service plan update (26-1759). No slides were posted as of Friday. Our earlier coverage of RTD's January service changes is here.
What's next
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1 p.m.: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (meeting). Briefings don't come with a vote.