Property Tax Records in Colorado

Colorado collects property taxes from homeowners to support a wide range of local services. Property taxes vary from county to county. While they can be as high as 0.81%, the average property tax in Colorado is just 0.49%, which is well below the national average of 0.99%.

While several factors determine how much you pay in property taxes, the main one is the value of your home. Even though the tax rate doesn't change, the amount you pay can. If the value of your home increases, you might have to pay more in taxes. When you receive your tax bill, you'll need to pay it by the due date to avoid penalties. Residents of Denver County must make their payment online or through the mail to the Assessor's Office.

If you intend to pay your property taxes in multiple installments, these payments will be due on the final day of February and July 15. When paying taxes in full, you must send in your payment by April 30.

Colorado property taxes have a long and complicated history. For example, the senior homestead property tax exemption didn't become available until 2002. In 2020, voters in Colorado repealed the Gallagher Amendment, which became law in 1982. When this law was first passed, the assessment rate dropped considerably. Opponents of the amendment believed that it put too much stress on the state to pay for school districts.

In Colorado, your property taxes depend on the tax rate that your county levies and the market value of your property. Taxing authorities that can collect money from property taxes include school districts, counties, and cities.

The value of your property is based on the values of comparable ones. While the latest that your notice of valuation can be shipped is June 15, you'll likely receive it in May. Like most states, tax rates are based on a property's assessed value in Colorado rather than its market value. For the 2023 tax year, the assessment rate on single-family homes was 6.765%. The Colorado government has yet to set the 2024 rate.

When you're trying to calculate your property taxes, let's say that the market value of your home is $250,000. When you multiply $250,000 by 0.06765, you end up with $16,913. Your county's property tax rate will only apply to the $16,913 assessed value. County-specific tax rates depend on how much revenue the government needs to raise. Rates are displayed in mills. A single mill equals $1 for each $1,000 in property value. If you receive a tax of 10 mills on an assessed value of $16,913, your property taxes will be around $169.

In Colorado, your rate will be set by the local tax commissioner and collected by the tax assessor. While the average rate in Colorado is 0.49%, you could pay more or less depending on where you live. Let's consider the current property tax rates with the five most populous counties in Colorado:

As you can see, property tax rates in different counties in Colorado vary. For example, El Paso County property tax rates are more favorable than in Adams County and other highly populated counties.

The revenue that's raised from property taxes is used to pay for county governments, junior colleges, public schools, sanitation systems, and smaller projects. In Colorado, whether you buy a mobile home or a large single-family property, you'll need to pay property taxes. Before you make an offer on a property, consider looking at the tax records.

When you access property tax records in Colorado, you'll be able to view everything from the market and assessed value to the tax entity and levy information. However, tax records differ slightly with each county.

Under the section for tax entity information, you can view every part of the government that's benefiting from your property taxes, which can include the library district, fire protection district, and school district. You can find the homeowner's name and other useful information are available within property tax records, which include the following:

Click on the sales history section to find more specific information about each transaction.

There is a homestead exemption in Colorado, but it does not currently affect property taxes. There are, however, other exemptions that are available to you that can reduce the amount of property taxes you owe each year.

Senior Property Tax Exemption: If you're a senior citizen who qualifies for this exemption, 50% of the initial $200,000 of your home's actual value will be exempted from property taxes. The application deadline for this exemption is July 15. You need to be at least 65 years old to qualify. In addition to living in the residence, you must have owned the property for ten or more consecutive years. Your county may allow limited exceptions to these rules.

Veteran with a Disability Exemption: You can apply for this exemption if you:

• Received a service-connected disability during active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces
• Were honorably discharged
• Obtained a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs as being 100% disabled
• Own a home that's your primary residence.

This specific exemption is also available to spouses of disabled veterans who passed away before the current year. The application deadline for this exemption is July 1. Starting in 2022, an expansion to this exemption was made available to Gold Star Spouses.

Colorado Property Tax Deferral Program: The Colorado Property Tax Deferral Program is designed to help active military personnel and senior citizens make their homes more affordable. This specific program isn't an exemption. Instead, it defers property taxes for an extended period, during which the recipient doesn't need to pay what they owe.

If you gain approval for this program, the Colorado state treasurer will make tax payments to your county for the amount you owe. Every year, this amount will be used as a lien against your property. However, the lien doesn't go into effect until your ability to defer these taxes goes away.

At the start of 2023, the deferral program was expanded to some people who wouldn't normally qualify. The minimum amount you can defer is $100, and you can't defer more than $10,000. To be approved, you'll need to apply between January 1 and April 1. You can also reapply every year if you need to continue deferring your taxes.

County-specific Partial Property Tax Refund: Some counties have their own partial property tax refund programs. For example, Broomfield offers a tax relief program that can be accessed by people with disabilities, eligible veterans, or residents who are at least 65 years old. This refund is available even if you qualify for the other exemptions. In 2024, the application deadline is September 30.

Searching for property tax records in Colorado is easy. Recent records can be obtained directly from the local assessor's office. Each county has its own tax assessor, through which you can access property records. For example, Denver County offers the Denver Property Taxation and Assessment System. When you navigate to this link, you can enter the address or parcel number of a piece of real estate.

Once you enter this info, the property you're searching for should be listed below. From here, you can access the report, property map, and chain of title. Most counties throughout Colorado offer similar online tax record databases.

If you can't find a property tax database for your county, consider using a third-party solution that offers the same information. With a tool like PropertyChecker, you can search for property tax records based on criteria like address, parcel ID, name, and phone number.

When you own any type of real estate in Colorado, you'll need to pay property taxes. However, your tax bill might be too high. If you think that the value of your property increased by too much in the latest appraisal, you could appeal your property tax record. While the process for appealing property taxes in Colorado is straightforward, there are some strict deadlines you'll need to meet.

Step 1: Check your mail often for your Notice of Valuation. You should receive it by June 15 at the latest.

Step 2: The next step is to request a hearing with the assessor, which you must do by June 30. Depending on when you file this request, a hearing can be scheduled at any time between June 15 and July 5.

Step 3: Even after this meeting, you may not agree with the assessor's valuation determination. You can respond by filing a tax appeal in Colorado directly with the County Board of Equalization (CBOE), which can be done in person or by letter. You have until July 20 to file the appeal.

Once your hearing is scheduled, you'll receive a notice to ensure you can attend. You can also present witnesses and provide other types of evidence that might help your case. The CBOE decides all cases by August 5th. You'll receive a letter within five business days that details their decision and gives you information about your next steps.

Step 4: You can choose to appeal the CBOE decision via the binding arbitration process, the Board of Assessment Appeals, or the district court. If you appeal with the Board of Assessment Appeals or the district court, both sides will have the opportunity to present their cases.

Step 5: If you don't win your case, you must pay interest on any property taxes you owe.

Property taxes often make a difference in real estate transactions. If you attempt to sell a home in an area with high property taxes, you may be tasked with accepting a lower offer because of the high costs that the buyer must take on. High property taxes are more noticeable in monthly mortgage payments. If buyers also need to contend with high interest rates, they may show very little interest in buying a property in an area with elevated property tax rates.

One of the many advantages of living in Colorado is that tax rates are generally low. If you're looking to buy or sell a home, property taxes shouldn't factor heavily into your decision. However, you might benefit from buying a home in a place with low property taxes if you're investing. For example, the average property tax rate in counties like Jackson, Gilpin, Chaffee, and Summit is below 0.35%, which means that you have ample opportunity to save a lot of money and increase your cash flow.

If a homeowner doesn't pay their taxes every year, the county government might place a lien on their property. In this situation, the value of the property will decrease. If the homeowner is unable to repay what they owe, the entity that collects the taxes could foreclose on the lien.

Most of the properties with delinquent taxes are auctioned off. The annual Colorado Tax Lien Public Auction is usually held on November 1 in Denver County. The investor who bids the most for the property can take ownership of it once they pay the delinquent taxes.