About Engines Off

Engines Off is the Denver Department of Environmental Health’s city-wide anti-idling campaign with the goals of improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Idling vehicles in Denver are responsible for 9,000 tons of air pollution and over 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions every year.  The City and County of Denver’s idling ordinance limits idling to 5 minutes in most situations to help reduce air pollution (in addition to the air ordinance, for safety reasons Denver Police can ticket vehicles left idling for any duration if they are left unattended).  The goal of the Engines Off campaign is to foster voluntary behavior change so that enforcement is only necessary as a last resort.

Other local governments and organizations interested in idling reduction programs are free to use the materials developed as part of Denver’s program, please contact for more information or assistance.

Engines Off is made possible by Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant funds received through the Colorado Department of Transportation.