Property Taxes

The first half installment is due the last day of February and the second half installment is due on June 15 of each year. If the entire amount of tax due is paid at one time on or before April 30, no delinquent interest will be charged on the first half installment.  If any of these due dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the due date is moved to the next business day. Once a payment is past due, interest accrues at the rate of 1% per month.

If you do not pay your property taxes, you will owe delinquent interest at the rate of 1% per month and will receive a delinquency notice in July. Any unpaid taxes will be advertised for sale in the local newspaper and will be sold if they are still not paid by the day before the public tax lien auction. The public real estate tax lien auction is usually held in November.

The face value of a tax lien brought to auction is the sum of the unpaid taxes, delinquent interest, penalties (if applicable), and fees. After the auction you will owe monthly redemption interest on the face value of the lien until you redeem the property. Redemption interest is based on the Federal Reserve discount rate as of September 1 plus 9%.

In the event that payments are made by both the property owner and its mortgage company, the first payment received is applied toward the real estate property tax balance. Any subsequent payment made will be applied to the remaining balance due. If payments are received in excess of the total balance due, refunds will be processed to the last payer.

If your taxes are sold at the tax lien sale, you will owe the tax lien face value, redemption interest, redemption fee ($7.00), subsequent year endorsement fee ($5.00/year) if any, and any other fees associated with the deed process. 

Visit our Real Estate Tax Lien Sale page for more information on the real estate tax lien auction.

In November 2023, Colorado lawmakers convened a special legislative session to address rising property taxes. Colorado legislature passed several bills to designed to provide property tax relief and equalize TABOR refund checks. Learn more here.

If your property is within a local improvement district, a special assessment statement for the local improvements will be sent to you upon the completion of construction. Special assessments are billed separately from ad valorem property taxes.

Property owners have the option to defer payment over twelve (12) annual installments.

The Property Tax owed is calculated by multiplying the property’s Assessed Value by the Mill Levy:

Assessed Value x Mill Levy = Property Tax Due

What is a Mill Levy?

 A “mill levy” is a tax rate applied to the assessed value of a property. One mill equals one-thousandth of a dollar, or $1 of tax per $1,000 dollars of assessed value. Mill levies are set around December 15th each year by the various Denver taxing authorities such as the school district, city council, or special districts.

What is Assessed Value?

Every property owner was mailed a Notice of Valuation in April 2023. The value shown in the April 2023 notice (or the final value you received if you filed a 2023 protest) is the “actual value.” This is then reduced by the state-mandated assessment rate to arrive at an “assessed value,” which is lower than your actual value.

Your tax statement shows both the actual and assessed values for your property in the far right-hand column, approximately halfway down the page.

The actual value shown on your statement also serves as your 2024 Notice of Valuation. If your property has undergone any change that requires a revised value, the assessor will send you a separate Notice of Valuation in April 2024.  

The complete property tax calendar can be found here:

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Requests for research of prior year records should be addressed to:

Taxpayer Service
201 West Colfax Avenue, MC403 Dept 1009
Denver, CO 80202

Phone:
(720) 913-9300

Note: There is a $15.00 per hour charge for research payable in advance.

If you have questions concerning the valuation of your property, call the Assessor’s Office at (720) 913-1311.

For information on different types of housing assistance, from mortgage to rental supports, visit the Help on Housing page.