2023 Property Values, Taxes, and Budgets

On May 1, the Boulder County Assessor’s office is required to send a Notice of Valuation to all property owners in Boulder County.
View the letter sent to destroyed homes
View the letter sent to damaged homes

For properties where a home was destroyed by the 2021 Marshall Fire and Straight-line Wind Event, the home value was removed in 2021 (for the purposes of property tax calculations), and the land value was reduced by 50% (for the purposes of property tax calculations).

For 2023, the land value is back at 100% due to remediation. If a property owner has not begun to rebuild a home, the home value will remain removed. Partial built homes will be valued based on how they stood on Jan. 1, 2023. Homes that were completely built on Jan. 1, 2023, will have a 100% value. If there are any circumstances that a property owner feels may impact their property value that the Assessor’s Office might not know about, property owners were able to appeal the valuation by the June 8 deadline.

Some properties in Louisville, Superior, and unincorporated Boulder County had their home value reduced in 2022 (for the purposes of property tax calculations) to reflect the impact of smoke, soot, char and ash. For 2023, the value of these homes is back at 100% of its 2022 value plus an increase due to the required reappraisal of values (for the purposes of property tax calculations). If a home is still being remediated, please share with the Assessor’s Office the timeline and costs associated with the ongoing work. Property owners should contact the Assessor’s Office with any questions and/or concerns regarding the notice of valuation. The deadline to submit an appeal was June 8, 2023. Find out more about the appeals process on the Assessor’s Office Website.

View the May 24, 2023 – Property Value Information Session and Presentation

Why are my taxes so much higher this year when I still haven’t rebuilt?
For the 2022 tax year – assessment date: January 1, 2022, properties with destroyed homes had structure values removed, as well as land values reduced by approximately 50% to account for soil contamination and infrastructure damage. For the 2023 tax year cycle – assessment date: January 1, 2023, you are seeing the full market value of your land at the residential rate, but without any structure value. As you begin to rebuild, your structures will be valued according to the level of completion of your home as of January 1 each year.

How are you valuing rebuilds?
Each year, we will review the status of your home as it stands January 1 to determine percent complete for valuation purposes. Pursuant to DPT Guidelines percent complete levels are as follows:

• 0% – Improvement/Structure destroyed or uninhabitable due to Marshall Fire.
• 10% – Excavation, footing work and foundation completed.
• 25% – Exterior wall framing for all floors erected, utilities extended from main service to structure.
• 50% – Rough framing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical complete.
• 75% – Partial interior finishes including drywall, finish carpentry, cabinetry and painting in progress.
• 100% – Only final interior finish including plumbing and lighting fixture installation, floor coverings and touch-up remaining.

How do you determine what percent complete my property is when you do not go inside?
We use Best Information Available “BIA”, which includes an exterior photo of your home and a review of the permits on your property to determine the level of completion as of January 1.

What if my home was uninhabitable for all or most of 2022?
If your home is deemed fully uninhabitable for the January 1, 2022, assessment date, the structure value may be lowered to zero on your notice of valuation with filing of an abatement. The value of the land will remain at its market value.

Will my value be reduced to account for all damages to my property including fences and landscaping? What about my personal things that were destroyed in the fire?
Improvements made to your property in the form of fences and landscaping are not part of the improvement/structure valuation; thus, these would not be removed. Personal property is not considered in your property valuation and a reduction will not be made for those items.

If you disagree with the value of your property, you have the option to proceed to the abatement- appeal process.

If you have questions and/or concerns, please contact the Boulder County Assessor’s Office at: 303-441-3530 or email: assessor@bouldercounty.org.

Three different Boulder County elected offices are involved in the calculation and collection of property taxes. The county calculates, collects, and distributes tax on behalf of 135 different taxing entities.

Every two years the Assessor’s Office is required by the State of Colorado to assess the value of all residential and commercial properties. The valuations are provided to property owners in May (2023) and the Certified Tax Roll is given to the Treasurer’s Office in January of the following year (2024).

The Treasurer’s Office uses the valuations to calculate property tax for each individual property based on the property’s location within municipal and special taxing district boundaries.

A property’s location determines which of the different mill levies will be used to calculate its property tax (examples include school districts, water districts, fire districts, etc.).

Boulder County itself receives about a quarter of the property tax collected. The Board of County Commissioners determines the county’s mill levy and state law limits the increase in revenue the county can collect from property tax for general operations to 5.5%.

Yes. Real property valuation appeals are accepted by state statute from May 1–June 8, 2023. Visit the Appeals website for details. The Assessor’s Office bilingual staff are available to help you in English and Spanish. Assistance in languages is available through phone interpretation.

No. The Assessor’s Office is required by law to include a property tax estimate based on the previous year’s tax. This is not a tax notice. Tax notices are mailed by the Treasurer’s Office near the end of January to the owner of the property.

The Boulder County Assessor’s Office has a mapping tool that shows basic property data, including change in value and tax distribution at the account level. Please note that the estimated property tax is a rough estimate of taxes based solely on mill levies and your current home value.

Your property tax notice will be mailed to you by the Treasurer’s Office in early 2024.

An enhanced Property Search website is being developed, which will include updated tax distribution mapping information to help property owners better understand the relationship between their property values and property tax. The enhanced Property Search website is planned for release before the Certified Tax Roll is given to the Treasurer’s Office in January 2024.

Visit the How Property Taxes Are Calculated website for more details about property tax calculation.

While the Board of County Commissioners determines the county’s mill levies (which are used to calculate the county’s share of tax revenue), their tax raising powers are governed by state law which limits the increase in revenue the county can collect from property tax for general operations to 5.5%. About a quarter of the collected property tax goes to Boulder County.

However, some special districts (e.g. school districts, water districts, fire districts, etc.) are not subject to the 5.5% limitation.

The Boulder County Treasurer can’t provide accurate tax estimates until all 135 taxing entities determine their mill levies and the Treasurer’s Office receives the Certified Tax Roll (January 2024).

Visit the How Property Taxes Are Calculated website for more details about property tax calculation.

No. State law limits the increase in revenue the county can collect from property tax for general operations to 5.5%. However, some special districts (e.g. school districts, water districts, fire districts, etc.) are not subject to the 5.5% limitation.

State law limits the annual increase in revenue the county can collect from property tax for general operations to 5.5%.

These revenues are used to provide the services county governments are required by state law to provide as well as those the Board of County Commissioners in consultation with heads of departments and other county elected officials determine are in the public interest. Visit the Your Taxes at Work website for more information about how the county uses tax revenue to deliver services and programs for county residents and businesses.

Through the county’s budget process, which begins in April, the county’s Office of Financial Management and the Board of County Commissioners determine the county’s budget and mill levy. The public are invited to share feedback with the board throughout the process by emailing commissioners@bouldercounty.org. The board hosts public meetings and a public hearing in the second half of the year and the final budget and mill levy is approved in December of each calendar year.

Sign up to receive Commissioners’ News to be kept informed of the budget process. Opportunities for public comment will also be shared on the county’s social media channels.

No. Although an $800,000 property in a Home Rule City (e.g. Boulder, Louisville, Longmont, etc.) may have a higher tax bill than an $800,000 property in unincorporated Boulder, the county’s budget receives the same amount of revenue from both properties.

Two properties with the same valuation may have different tax rates because they are in different tax districts. All taxes in a district are voter-approved. The county collects the tax for all of the districts and then distributes it to the taxing entities.

Visit the How Property Taxes Are Calculated website for more details about property tax calculation.

Tax notices are mailed by the Treasurer’s Office near the end of January (2024) to the owner of the property. Find out more on the Treasurer’s Office website.

No, property tax cannot be appealed. However, a property’s valuation (which is used to calculate tax) can be appealed during a valuation year. The 2023 appeals period is from May 1 to June 8. Visit the Appeals website for details. The Assessor’s Office bilingual staff are available to help you in English and Spanish. Assistance in languages is available through phone interpretation.

The Colorado Constitution establishes a partial property tax exemption for qualifying senior citizens, surviving spouses of senior citizens who previously qualified, and for Disabled Veterans. The deadline for 2023 applications is July 15. The discount will first appear on the tax bill sent in January 2024. Visit the Senior Exemption website for details.

Mobile Home Exemption – A mobile home with an actual value that is less than or equal to $28,000 is exempt from property tax. Visit the Mobile Home Exemption website for details.

Schools, charitable organizations, and churches are also exempt.

In some circumstances, property taxes can be deferred until the property is sold or passes into other ownership at which time they must be paid with interest. Starting in 2023, Colorado will expand its property tax deferral program.

The Colorado Constitution establishes a partial property tax exemption for qualifying senior citizens, surviving spouses of senior citizens who previously qualified, and for Disabled Veterans. The deadline for 2023 applications is July 15. The discount will first appear on the tax bill sent in January 2024. Visit the Senior Exemption website for details.

Mobile Home Exemption – A mobile home with an actual value that is less than or equal to $28,000 is exempt from property tax. Visit the Mobile Home Exemption website for details.