How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment in Colorado

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Your property tax bill is built on one number: the county assessor’s opinion of what your home is worth. That number is produced by mass appraisal — a model valuing thousands of homes at once — and models miss. When yours misses high, you’re invited to say so: the appeal process is free, homeowner-friendly, and wins more often than people assume. Most owners never try.

How does Colorado decide what my home is worth?

Colorado runs on a two-year reassessment cycle. In odd-numbered years, county assessors revalue every property based on sales from a defined look-back period, and mail every owner a Notice of Valuation (traditionally around May 1). That value drives your tax bill for two years, so a successful appeal pays you back twice.

Key concept: the assessor isn’t valuing your home today — they’re valuing it as of a fixed date, using sales from that historical window. Your evidence has to speak to the same window, not to today’s listings.

Should I appeal?

Worth a serious look if any of these are true:

The valuation jumped far beyond what comparable homes actually sold for in the look-back period.
The property record is wrong. Pull your home’s record card on the assessor’s site — wrong square footage, bath count, or a garage you don’t have are the easiest wins available.
Your home has issues the model can’t see — deferred maintenance, a failing roof, a layout problem — that comparable sold homes didn’t have.
You just bought near the assessment date for meaningfully less than the assessed value. Your own arm’s-length purchase is powerful evidence.

Note what doesn’t work: “my taxes went up too much” isn’t a case. The appeal is about the value, not the tax rate.

Five-step checklist for protesting a Colorado property tax valuation, from the May 1 notice and June 8 deadline through escalation — The five-step protest path — notices go out by May 1, real-property protests are due June 8. General, confirm current.

How do I actually appeal? (El Paso County and everywhere else)

Hit the deadline. The Notice of Valuation states the protest window — it’s short (weeks, not months). Statewide, notices go out by May 1 and real-property protests are generally due by June 8, but check your county assessor’s site (El Paso County’s has online filing) for the current year’s exact dates. Miss it and you generally wait for the next cycle.
Pull your property record and correct any factual errors — that alone can settle it.
Gather 3–5 comparable sales from the assessor’s look-back period: similar size, age, neighborhood. The assessor’s own site typically lists the sales they used.
File the protest — online, by mail, or in person — with your comps and a short, factual explanation. Polite and specific beats outraged.
If denied, escalate. Colorado gives you further steps (County Board of Equalization, then arbitration/district court/BAA). Many appeals resolve at the first level.

No lawyer needed for a straightforward residential appeal. And be aware the review can theoretically move a value up if you’re truly under-assessed — one reason to check the comps before filing.

Comparison of appealing a Colorado property valuation versus doing nothing across the two-year assessment cycle — A successful appeal pays you back for two years; doing nothing locks in the model’s number. General, confirm current.

What’s it worth in dollars?

Taxes = actual value × assessment rate × your local mill levy, so a valuation cut flows straight through. Knocking $40,000 of overstatement off a valuation saves real money every year for two years — for an afternoon of paperwork. It also shrinks the tax line inside your monthly escrow payment.

While you’re at it: Colorado offers property-tax exemptions — notably for seniors (65+, 10-year occupancy) and disabled veterans — that eligible owners routinely fail to claim. Check the assessor’s exemption page once; it’s free money.

This guide is part of our Homeowner Library. Property taxes are one lever on your monthly payment; reshopping your homeowners insurance is the other one most owners never pull. And if you’d like a local read on how your whole payment stacks up, our Colorado Springs mortgage broker team lives with these mill levies too.

Frequently asked questions

When can I appeal my property taxes in Colorado? During the protest window after Notices of Valuation go out in reassessment (odd-numbered) years — a short deadline printed on your notice. Some counties allow intervening-year appeals in limited cases.

What evidence wins a property tax appeal? Errors on your property record, and comparable sales from the assessor’s look-back period showing a lower value. Your own recent purchase price near the assessment date is strong evidence.

Does appealing cost anything? No — filing a protest is free, and residential owners routinely do it without a lawyer.

Can my value go up if I appeal? It’s possible if review shows you’re under-assessed, which is why you check the comps before filing.

By Timothy Chase, Founder, 719 Lending — Colorado Springs mortgage broker. NMLS #868175 (Company NMLS #1601989). Equal Housing Opportunity. Verify current-year deadlines with your county assessor. This article is educational only and is not financial, tax, or legal advice; program details and figures are general — confirm current. 719 Lending is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Last updated: July 2026.