Denver Property Taxes: Assessment, Rates, and Payment

Denver property taxes fund core public services including schools, fire protection, libraries, and infrastructure maintenance. This page explains how property values are assessed, how mill levies translate into tax bills, what payment schedules apply, and what options exist when disputes arise. Understanding these mechanics matters because errors in assessed value or misapplied exemptions directly affect what property owners owe each year.

Definition and scope

Property tax in Denver is an ad valorem tax — meaning it is calculated as a proportion of assessed property value. The Denver Assessor's Office, operating under the Denver City and County structure, determines the taxable value of all real and personal property within the city-county boundaries. Because Denver is a consolidated city-county (Denver City and County Structure), a single assessor handles functions that separate counties perform elsewhere in Colorado.

Scope and coverage: This page applies exclusively to property located within the geographic boundaries of the City and County of Denver, Colorado. Properties in Adams County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, or other jurisdictions that form the broader metro region — even those with Denver mailing addresses — are assessed and taxed by those respective county assessors. This page does not cover Denver sales tax, special improvement district levies outside Denver's consolidated jurisdiction, or state income tax obligations. For a broader map of regional governance relationships, see Denver Metro Area Governance Relationships.

How it works

Colorado property tax follows a two-year assessment cycle. The Denver Assessor revalues all properties in odd-numbered years using a 24-month sales study period ending June 30 of the year prior to reappraisal (Colorado Revised Statutes §39-1-104). Notices of Valuation are mailed by May 1 of the reappraisal year.

The tax calculation follows four steps:

1. Determine Actual Value — The assessor estimates market value using comparable sales, income capitalization, or replacement cost methods, depending on property type.
2. Apply the Assessment Rate — Colorado law sets different assessment rates by property class. As of the 2023 legislation cycle (Senate Bill 23-303), the residential assessment rate was reduced; the Colorado Division of Property Taxation publishes the operative rate each cycle at dpt.colorado.gov.
3. Establish Assessed Value — Actual value multiplied by the applicable assessment rate produces assessed value.
4. Apply Mill Levies — Each taxing entity (Denver Public Schools, the City and County, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, etc.) sets a mill levy. One mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Denver's combined mill levy reflects contributions from multiple overlapping districts; the Denver Budget Process determines the city's portion annually.

A residential property with an actual value of $500,000, assessed at 6.765% (the 2023 residential rate under SB 23-303), produces an assessed value of approximately $33,825. At a combined mill levy of 79 mills (illustrative of Denver's range; actual levies are published by the Denver Assessor's Office), the annual tax would be approximately $2,672.

Common scenarios

Residential homeowners qualify for Colorado's homestead exemption if the property is their primary residence and they are 65 or older with 10 years of continuous ownership, or if they are a qualifying veteran with a disability rated at 100% by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The exemption exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value from taxation (Colorado Revised Statutes §39-3-203).

New construction is assessed as of January 1 of the year following substantial completion, regardless of where it falls in the biennial cycle. Owners of newly built properties should expect their first full-year bill to reflect the assessor's determination of market value at that date.

Commercial and industrial properties carry a higher assessment rate than residential properties under Colorado's Gallagher Amendment framework (though the Amendment itself was repealed by voters in 2020 via Amendment B; the General Assembly now sets rates by statute). The distinction between residential and non-residential assessment rates remains operative through statute.

Payment of Denver property taxes occurs through the Denver Treasury Division. Full payment is due by April 30. A two-installment option allows payment of 50% by February 28 and the remaining 50% by June 15. Payments not received by deadline accrue interest at 1% per month under Colorado Revised Statutes §39-10-104.1.

Decision boundaries

Protest vs. acceptance: Property owners who believe the assessed value overstates market value must file a protest with the Denver Assessor's Office by June 1 of the reappraisal year. Missing this deadline forecloses the administrative appeal route until the next reappraisal cycle.

Assessor vs. Board of Assessment Appeals: If the assessor's protest decision is unsatisfactory, the owner may escalate to the Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals, an independent state body, within 30 days of receiving the assessor's decision. This is a formal adjudicative process distinct from the assessor's informal protest review.

Abatement vs. protest: A protest challenges value as of the assessment date. An abatement petition addresses errors discovered after the protest deadline — for example, a classification error or a billing error — and must be filed within two years of the tax due date (Colorado Revised Statutes §39-10-114).

Denver vs. state: The City and County sets only the city mill levy portion. School district levies are governed by Colorado Department of Education funding formulas. A taxpayer disputing a school levy must engage the state legislative process, not the Denver City Council.

For a full orientation to Denver's civic structure and services, the Denver Metro Authority home page provides a reference map of all covered topics.

References

• Denver Assessor's Office — City and County of Denver
• Colorado Division of Property Taxation — Department of Local Affairs
• Colorado Revised Statutes Title 39 — Taxation
• Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals
• Denver Treasury Division
• Colorado Senate Bill 23-303 — Property Tax