Calculate your property tax for CO. Enter your home value, apply exemptions, and see your estimated annual tax.
Colorado's effective property tax rates are low, commonly 0.5% to 0.8% of market value, but the system is unusual: residential and non-residential property are assessed at different ratios, and a Gallagher Amendment-era residential assessment rate (now set by law) keeps the residential share low. Property is valued at 100% of market value by the county assessor. Relief includes a senior/disabled veteran exemption (a percentage of the first $200,000 of value) and a circuit-breaker for seniors. This guide explains the calculation and relief; the calculator below estimates your bill.
Colorado classifies property: residential is assessed at a statutory percentage of market value (about 6.765% for assessment year 2024, set by the legislature), while non-residential is assessed at a higher percentage (about 27.9%). Your tax is the assessed value (market value times the ratio) times the combined mill levy. Because the residential ratio is small, the effective rate on market value stays low even when mill levies look large.
Colorado's residential assessment rate is the single biggest factor in your bill. It is set by state law (after the Gallagher Amendment was repealed, the legislature fixed the rate) and applies the same low ratio to all homes, while businesses pay the higher non-residential ratio. The result is a deliberate shift of burden toward commercial property and a low effective rate for homeowners.
Colorado's Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption excludes a percentage (about 50% for recent years, subject to legislative adjustment) of the first $200,000 of a qualifying owner-occupied home's actual assessed value for owners 65+ or qualifying disabled veterans. It is claimed with the county and is one of the most valuable breaks for older Colorado homeowners because it applies to the assessed (already-reduced) value.
Colorado offers a senior property tax deferral (a loan against the home) for owners 65+ with limited income, and a circuit-breaker refund (the 'Property Tax/Rent Rebate' style credit) for lower-income seniors and disabled persons claimed on the state return. There are also veterans' and disabled-veterans' additional exemptions.
Colorado's TABOR (Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) requires voter approval for tax increases above a cap tied to population plus inflation, and statutory mill-levy caps limit how much local governments can collect without a vote. Combined with the low residential assessment rate, these keep homeowner rates low but make school and local funding dependent on frequent ballot questions.
The figures below draw on our county datasets where available; rates differ by jurisdiction, so use your specific locality's rate in the calculator.
Estimates apply each county's effective rate to a $550,000 market value for comparison only; your actual bill depends on your own assessed value, exemptions, and local levies.
Colorado bills are usually two installments (commonly January/February and June), and counties charge interest and can initiate a tax lien sale for sustained delinquency. The senior/disabled-veteran exemption is applied by the county, so it should appear as a reduced bill rather than a later refund. Watch for voter-approved bonds that raise the secondary rate.
To reduce your Colorado bill: (1) if 65+ or a qualifying disabled veteran, claim the senior/disabled-veteran exemption (about 50% of the first $200,000 of assessed value) — it is the biggest break; (2) the low residential assessment rate already keeps your effective rate low, so focus on exemptions; (3) grieve by June 30 if comparable sales are lower; (4) consider the senior deferral if cash-flow is tight; (5) watch TABOR and mill-levy ballot questions, since voter-approved overrides raise the rate. The senior exemption is the single most valuable action for older Coloradans.
In practice, a Colorado bill is the assessed value (market value times the residential assessment rate, about 6.765%) times the combined mill levy, which bundles county, school, city, and special-district rates. Because the residential ratio is small, the effective rate on market value stays low even when the mill levy looks large. The senior/disabled-veteran exemption is applied by the county and reduces the assessed value before the levy is multiplied, so it shows as a lower bill directly. Voter-approved secondary levies (bonds, overrides) are the main way the rate rises; a TABOR-override question on the ballot is the moment to engage. Read the notice of value in the spring (appeal by June 30) and the fall bill, which separates the various funds.
If you are buying in Colorado, remember the residential assessment rate means your taxable base is only a small fraction of market value — so a high home price does not translate to a proportionally high tax. If you are 65+ or a qualifying disabled veteran, claim the senior/disabled-veteran exemption (about 50% of the first $200,000 of assessed value) right away. Check for any voter-approved secondary levies (bonds, overrides) on the ballot, since those raise the rate. Obtain the notice of value in spring and grieve by June 30 if it looks high. The combination of the low assessment rate and the senior exemption makes Colorado's effective rate among the lowest in the country.
To appeal in Colorado, act by June 30 (or within the window after the May notice). (1) Obtain the notice of value and compare it to recent sales; Colorado values at market and applies the low residential ratio, so check both the market value and the resulting assessed value. (2) File with the county Board of Equalization; many errors are fixed here. (3) If needed, go to the County Board of Assessment Appeals and then an administrative law judge / district court. (4) Claim the senior/disabled-veteran exemption (about 50% of the first $200,000 of assessed value) so your taxable base is already reduced. Because the assessment ratio is low, focus your evidence on market value, not on the resulting tax rate.
Colorado's property-tax debate focuses on the residential assessment rate and TABOR: after the Gallagher repeal, the legislature sets the rate, and any change shifts the homeowner/business balance. Proposals also touch the senior/disabled-veteran exemption percentage and the mill-levy caps. Because the low assessment rate is the key to Colorado's low effective rate, any legislative change to it is the single most important factor for your future bill — watch the state legislature each session.
Residential assessment rate — the statutory percent of market value taxed (about 6.765%). Non-residential rate — the higher commercial rate (about 27.9%). Senior/disabled-veteran exemption — about 50% of the first $200,000 of assessed value. TABOR — the voter-approval cap on tax increases. Mill levy — the combined rate from all districts. Secondary levy — voter-approved bonds/overrides.
Two $550,000 homes. Homeowner A: residential assessed value is ~6.765% (~$37,000); at a 0.7% effective rate the bill is about $3,850. Homeowner B, a 65-year-old, claims the senior/disabled-veteran exemption (about 50% of the first $200,000 of assessed value) — since assessed value is only ~$37,000, the exemption removes a large share of it, potentially cutting the bill toward $2,500–$3,000. The example shows the exemption's leverage is huge precisely because the assessed base is so small.
Colorado homeowners typically pay via escrow; the lender remits the two installments. Because the residential assessment rate is low, the tax base is small, but a voter-approved secondary levy (bond or override) still raises the bill and the escrow. If you claim the senior/disabled-veteran exemption, the assessed value drops and the escrow should fall — notify the lender. Buyers should check the county's ballot history for pending overrides, since an approved measure changes the escrow soon after closing.
What is Colorado's residential assessment rate? Residential property is assessed at a statutory percentage of market value (about 6.765% for 2024), while non-residential is assessed higher (about 27.9%). This keeps the homeowner effective rate low.
What is the Colorado senior/disabled veteran exemption? It exempts about 50% of the first $200,000 of a qualifying owner-occupied home's assessed value for owners 65+ or disabled veterans, claimed with the county.
How does TABOR affect property tax? TABOR requires voter approval for tax increases beyond a population-plus-inflation cap, and mill-levy caps limit collections without a vote, keeping rates low.
Is there a circuit-breaker in Colorado? Yes. A senior/disabled property-tax deferral and a circuit-breaker rebate for lower-income seniors and disabled persons, claimed on the state return.
How do I appeal my Colorado assessment? File with the county Board of Equalization by June 30 (or after the May notice), then to the County Board of Assessment Appeals and beyond.
Enter your home value, select your state, and see your estimated annual property tax.