Does your lost-and-found incorporate items lost at all airport offices, restaurants and shops?
Primarily, our lost-and-found office receives personal property left in public spaces of the airport. This also includes the employee shuttles to Mt. Elbert and Pikes Peak.
If you think you may have left your item on a plane, at an airline gate or ticket counter, please check with that airline's website for information regarding its lost-and-found process. If you think you may have left your item at a shop, restaurant or with a Ground Transportation provider, please visit www.flydenver.com and select the appropriate link to locate the correct company and its contact information.
If you believe you lost an item at TSA and you are still in the airport, you may wish to return to the TSA checkpoint and ask a TSA agent if your property is there. However, periodically, TSA sends found property to our central lost-and-found so those items are searchable in our system.
How does the DIA Lost-and-Found system work?
- Your first step will be to complete a digital form to file your claim. The system will ask you to provide the most complete description possible of what you lost, and when and where you think you may have lost it. (Be sure to scroll down and read "Tips For Best Results," below.)
- If your item may have already been found, you will be notified as soon as possible and asked to validate ownership.
- If the item is confirmed as yours, you will be provided options for shipping, or you may make arrangements to pick up your item at the airport lost-and-found office. Our office is located in the main Jeppesen Terminal, Level 5, northwest corner, next to international arrivals.
- If your property has not yet been found, the system will search continuously for 30 days. This is important because, for a variety of reasons, it is not unusual for an item to be discovered days or even weeks after your loss. With our system, it is not your responsibility to keep calling or checking in. Every time a new item is found and registered in our system, it is compared with your property description. As soon as the system recognizes a possible or likely match to yours, you will be notified.
- If a match has not been made by the end of 30 days, you will be notified.
What are the chances I will get my item back?
Many Good Samaritans -- employees and your fellow travelers -- turn in lost items to our central lost-and-found every day. It is important to remember, however, that it may take several days or even a week or more for an item to be found and brought to our lost-and-found office for safekeeping and registration. The more detail you provide about your item, the better the chances are of finding it.
How can I speak with someone in Lost-and-Found?
When a possible or likely match is identified, you will be contacted by a DIA employee who will provide instructions as to how to proceed to confirm the item is yours and get it back as quickly as possible.
Will you keep me updated on the status of the search for my lost item?
You will receive an email from DIA Lost-and-Found as soon as you file your claim form to let you know it has been received and your search is activated. If we find an item that matches the description of your lost item, we will call or send you e-mail notification as soon as possible with further instructions for validating that the item is yours. If your property is not found immediately, we will update you periodically for the duration of our 30-day search.
My lost item is electronic and has a data plan associated with it. Should I turn it off?
Yes. Although we are conducting an exhaustive search and will hopefully find your item, you should immediately deactivate any associated data plans for your own protection. We recommend that you leave call service activated on phones for a period of one week to help facilitate our search and verification.
If my item is found how will it be returned to me?
Once our staff has validated your ownership, you may choose to pick it up at the DIA lost-and found window by you or someone you designate in writing. Our office is located in the main Jeppesen Terminal, Level 5, northwest corner, next to international arrivals. If you prefer to have your item shipped, we will provide acceptable options for shipping to your location.
What happens to the items that cannot be returned to their owner?
All items received are kept for a minimum of two weeks at the airport's lost and found. They are then processed and transported to the City & County of Denver's General Services City Surplus warehouse and are retained for another two weeks. The custodial hold period is per Denver Revised Municipal Code (Sec. 42-76 thru 42-86). After holding items for a minimum of 30 days, property is prepared for auction, charitable donation, or disposed of by the General Services City Surplus warehouse.
What happens to official documents or government-issued IDs if you are unable to locate the owner?
Military IDs and state-issued ID's are destroyed. Passports will be sent to the U.S. Department of State, Passport Services, and Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section. All other personal documents that we are unable to return will be destroyed.
