4 Documents Coloradans Over 65 May Need for the Senior Property Tax Exemption

Property taxes can feel heavier every year, so any break you qualify for is worth a look.

Coloradans 65 and older will find the paperwork depends on their situation, so not everyone needs every document.

Here’s what to gather before you apply.

Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Assessment rules and exemption amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with your county assessor.

Which Documents Does the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption Application Need?

The state Division of Property Taxation says the application goes to the county assessor in the county where your home is located.

Many county assessor offices post the forms on their websites.

Four documents can matter, and your situation decides which ones you file.

1. Short Form Application

Use the short form when you meet all three basic tests and no exception is involved, according to the form’s instructions.

It asks for your name, Social Security number and date of birth.

It also asks for your property address and parcel or schedule number, plus the names and Social Security numbers of everyone else who lives in the home.

You sign it under penalty of perjury in the second degree.

The statute requires that the information be kept confidential.

2. Long Form Application

Surviving spouses and applicants claiming an exception to the ten-year rule use the long form instead.

Surviving spouses give the date of birth of the spouse who previously qualified, which is a line on the long form.

The long form has a section for each exception, including a trust, confinement, condemnation and a disaster.

Those include a home held in a trust solely for estate planning and time you spent confined to a hospital, nursing home or assisted living facility.

They also include a previous home that was condemned and a previous home that a natural disaster destroyed or made uninhabitable.

Each section opens by telling you to complete it only if that situation applies, so you fill out just the sections that match yours.

3. Power of Attorney or Court Order

A guardian, conservator or attorney-in-fact who signs the application for you has to provide a court order or power of attorney showing their authority, the form instructions say.

Both the short form and the long form name those signers, so the requirement applies to either version.

If you’re filing for a parent under a power of attorney, that paperwork goes in with the application.

4. Condemned-Home Transfer Records

If your previous home was condemned, or sold to a governmental entity on the threat of condemnation, the long form’s eminent domain section asks for attachments.

You attach the sales contract, the condemnation order and the correspondence from the governmental entity.

The section also asks for the condemned home’s address and the dates you owned it and lived there.

It adds the condemnation date and your statement that the home would still be your primary residence if it hadn’t been condemned.

Who Qualifies to Apply?

The state’s age test is at least 65 on January 1 of the year you apply, so a birthday after January 1 moves your application to the next year.

You also need to have owned the home and lived in it as your primary residence for ten consecutive years before that date.

For this exemption, a primary residence is the place where you’re registered to vote.

The long form’s instructions add that if you aren’t registered to vote, the address on automobile registrations, income tax returns or other legal documents may be considered evidence.

A surviving spouse who hasn’t remarried and still lives in the home can qualify too.

How Much Does the Exemption Take Off?

The exemption covers 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value, so the most it can remove is $100,000.

For homes, the state says actual value is based on an analysis of comparable sales.

The exemption also applies when the State of Colorado’s budget allows.

It covers property tax only, so it doesn’t lower the other costs of a Colorado retirement.

When Is the Deadline to Apply?

The application window runs from January 1 to July 15, and an application returned by mail counts as filed on its postmark date.

If July 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, an application delivered or postmarked by the next working day still counts as timely.

At least one county page gives an earlier date, though.

Washington County’s assessor page tells seniors to apply between January 1 and July 1, while the state sets July 15.

Confirm the date with your county assessor before you count on July 15.

Do You Reapply Each Year?

No. The exemption is a one-time application that stays in effect for later years as long as your ownership and occupancy don’t change.

A change in who owns the home or who lives in it has to be reported to your county assessor.

Colorado also allows no more than one exemption per tax year on a residential property.

FAQ

Your county assessor can confirm local details on any of these answers.

When is the Colorado senior property tax exemption deadline?

Your application has to be filed with your county assessor on or before July 15, and a mailed application counts on its postmark date.

The window for each year opens January 1, and at least one county page lists July 1, so confirm with your assessor.

Where do you send the application?

You submit it to the county assessor in the county where your home is located.

Does the exemption cover a second home?

No. The exemption applies to the home you occupy as your primary residence.

Who pays for the exemption?

The state does.

State law has the state treasurer reimburse local governments for the property tax revenue they lose.

What happens if you miss the July 15 deadline?