Parking Revenue Recovery Services on Your Credit Report

If Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS) has appeared on your credit report, a 2023 Colorado Attorney General settlement is the most important context.

The Colorado AG found PRRS collected on parking fines from consumers who had already paid, consumers who never parked in their lots at all, and consumers who did not receive a required grace period. PRRS agreed to pay $106,000 in fines and refunds and to dismiss meritless notices under an ongoing monitoring agreement.

This guide covers who PRRS is, what the AG settlement means, and how to respond.

Who Is Parking Revenue Recovery Services?

Parking Revenue Recovery Services, Inc. (PRRS) is an Aurora, Colorado company that both operates parking lots and collects on unpaid parking notices. The company issues approximately 180,000 parking notices per year and pursues collection on unpaid notices across hospitals, universities, municipalities, property management companies, and private parking operators.

PRRS is unusual because they function as both the original creditor for notices they issue directly and as a collection agency for third-party parking operators. This dual role affects which legal protections apply.

The 2023 Colorado Attorney General Settlement

On August 29, 2023, the Colorado AG’s office entered into a Stipulation and Final Agency Order with PRRS following a high-volume complaint investigation. The AG’s office found three specific violation patterns.

First, PRRS collected from consumers who paid for parking but entered the wrong license plate number. Second, PRRS collected from consumers who never parked in their lots at all due to license plate entry errors. Third, PRRS collected from consumers who paid after the lot’s posted grace period but before a reasonable window had elapsed.

PRRS also collected debts in Colorado after its collection license expired on July 1, 2022. PRRS did not submit a new license application until December 2022. The company continued collecting throughout that period without a valid license.

PRRS denied the allegations but agreed to the settlement. Under the order, PRRS paid $75,000 to the AG’s office, issued $31,298 in refunds to 442 consumers, extended its grace period to 20 minutes, and agreed to ongoing monitoring of its compliance practices.

If You Paid for Parking and Still Received a Notice

The AG settlement specifically addressed consumers who paid for parking but entered the wrong license plate. Under the settlement terms, PRRS agreed to dismiss any notices issued to consumers in this category.

If PRRS is pursuing you for a notice you received despite having paid for parking, pull your payment receipt showing the amount, date, time, and parking operator name. Send a copy to PRRS by certified mail through their stated appeals process and simultaneously dispute the credit report entry with each bureau.

PRRS’s own BBB profile provides a specific appeals channel: email their appeals department with your notice number and a brief description of why you are questioning the notice. Include a copy of your payment receipt if you paid. They state a 15-day response window.

If You Never Parked in Their Lots

A second documented category involves consumers who received notices despite never having parked in a PRRS-operated lot. In these cases, a license plate was entered incorrectly in their system, generating a notice sent to the wrong vehicle owner.

If you receive a PRRS notice for a location you have no connection to, document your whereabouts on the date in question if possible. A credit card or bank statement showing no transaction at that location on that date, combined with any parking receipt from a different location, strengthens your dispute.

Collecting Without a Valid License

PRRS collected debts in Colorado without a valid collection license for approximately six months in 2022. Collecting debts without a valid state license is a violation of the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If any PRRS account on your credit report traces to the July through December 2022 period, note the license lapse specifically in your dispute and CFPB complaint.

The FDCPA and Colorado Law

PRRS’s dual role as parking operator and collector creates a legal complexity. For notices PRRS issues on their own lots, they may be considered an original creditor rather than a third-party debt collector, which limits federal FDCPA applicability.

However, Colorado’s own Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Colorado Consumer Protection Act were the basis of the 2023 AG enforcement action. Colorado law applies regardless of the federal FDCPA question.

For third-party parking operators who refer accounts to PRRS for collection, PRRS acts as a third-party collector and the federal FDCPA fully applies.

If you are unsure whether PRRS is acting as an original creditor or third-party collector on your specific account, ask in writing. The answer affects which laws apply and where to file complaints.

What PRRS Cannot Do Under Colorado and Federal Law

Under Colorado law and the FDCPA, PRRS cannot:

• Collect on notices issued to consumers who paid for parking: Subject of the 2023 AG settlement.
• Collect on notices issued to wrong vehicle owners due to license plate errors: Subject of the 2023 AG settlement.
• Collect without a valid Colorado collection license: Documented in the 2022-2023 license lapse.
• Report inaccurate information to credit bureaus: Standard FCRA prohibition.
• Use harassing or abusive collection tactics: Standard FDCPA prohibition.

File complaints at consumerfinance.gov and with the Colorado AG’s Consumer Protection Section at coag.gov.

Verify the Notice Before Paying Anything

Pull any payment receipt you have for the date and location referenced in PRRS’s notice. Send a written validation request by certified mail within 30 days asking for the specific lot location, date and time of the alleged violation, and the license plate number on their notice.

Compare the license plate on their notice against your vehicle’s actual plate. A single digit or letter discrepancy indicates a wrong-vehicle error.

How to Check Your Credit Report for PRRS Errors

Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Is the lot location one you actually visited? Does the date match any time you parked there? Is the license plate on the notice actually yours?

Any inaccuracy is grounds for a dispute with each credit bureau.

How Long Can PRRS Legally Pursue the Debt?

Colorado has a 6-year statute of limitations on most consumer debts. The relevant state is typically where you currently reside.

Your Options for Resolving a PRRS Account

Once you have verified the notice:

• Submit through their appeals process: PRRS’s BBB profile provides a specific email appeals channel. Include your notice number and payment receipt.
• File with the Colorado AG: The 2023 settlement includes ongoing monitoring. Colorado resident complaints go to coag.gov.
• Dispute the credit report entry: If the lot location, date, or license plate is wrong, dispute with all three bureaus simultaneously.
• Demand dismissal for wrong-plate paid parking: The settlement specifically requires PRRS to dismiss these notices.

How to Contact Parking Revenue Recovery Services

Handle all formal communications in writing:

• Address: Parking Revenue Recovery Services, Inc., 12381 East Cornell Avenue, Aurora, CO 80014
• Phone: (877) 302-7275

Bottom Line

PRRS settled with the Colorado AG in 2023 for $106,000 after collecting on paid parking notices and wrong-vehicle notices. They also collected without a valid Colorado license for six months.

If you paid for parking and still received a notice, pull your receipt and submit through their appeals process. File with the Colorado AG at coag.gov if the dispute is not resolved.