Property tax protest · Colorado
Protest your property taxes in Colorado.
In Colorado, the county assessor sets your value and the County Board of Equalization (CBOE) hears your case. Boards act on evidence of market value as of the assessment date, and a licensed, USPAP-compliant appraisal is that evidence.
$5, credited toward your appraisal.
Colorado
9 county pages below
- Values your home
- County assessor
- Hears your case
- County Board of Equalization (CBOE)
- Desktop appraisal
- $225
- $5 check credited
- Timing
- Confirmed with your order
Deadline
The protest window opens May 1, when Notices of Valuation mail, and closes in early June — the exact last day is printed on your notice.
Confirm your filing window and recipient requirements before ordering. Service availability and delivery depend on the property, evidence and appraiser. You remain responsible for filing on time.
How it works
How to protest your property taxes in Colorado.
- Step 1
Check your savings
Enter your address and pay $5. We check your Colorado assessment against recent nearby sales.
- Step 2
Order the appraisal
A desktop appraisal valued as of your assessment date, with the $5 credited. Complex homes get one exact quote.
- Step 3
Show us your home
Walk through on your phone so the appraiser sees its condition. A desktop appraisal needs no visit.
- Step 4
File your protest
A state-licensed CO appraiser signs it, with a cover letter and filing steps. You file by your deadline, and the County Board of Equalization (CBOE) hears your case.
The evidence
Boards act on value, not frustration.
However Colorado labels the process, the case underneath is the same: show what your home was actually worth on the assessment date. A licensed, USPAP-compliant appraisal, with comparable sales, documented adjustments and a signed opinion of value, is that showing.
What the appraisal gives you
- Valued as of your assessment date, not today
- Comparable sales with adjustments and citations
- Signed by a state-licensed CO appraiser
- A phone walkthrough; a desktop appraisal needs no visit
Confirm before you file
- Your filing deadline, from your assessment notice
- Appraiser availability and delivery timing, before you order
The process
How Colorado handles protests.
Colorado revalues every odd-numbered year, and by law the comparable sales must come from a fixed base period ending June 30 of the preceding even year — so a 2027 value rests on sales through June 30, 2026, not on today’s market. Protests go first to the county assessor starting May 1 (online, by mail, or in person in most counties); if the assessor doesn’t move, you appeal to the County Board of Equalization, and beyond that to arbitration, district court, or the state Board of Assessment Appeals. Because the statute fixes the appraisal date, the strongest evidence is a licensed appraisal tied to that exact date, built from sales inside the statutory study period.
Worth knowing in Colorado
In the even (intervening) year values generally carry over unless the property changed, so the odd-year protest is the main event. Several large counties use an alternate protest calendar with later dates — one more reason the notice, not a blog post, is your authority.
FAQ
Colorado questions
When can I protest my property valuation in Colorado?
The window opens May 1, when the Notice of Valuation arrives, and runs into early June — your notice states the postmark deadline. If you miss it, Colorado allows a later abatement petition, but the protest window is the designed path.
Why can’t I use last month’s sales as comps?
Colorado statute fixes the appraisal date at June 30 of the even year before the reassessment, and boards can only weigh sales from the statutory base period. An appraisal prepared for a Colorado protest is written “as of” that date for exactly this reason.
