Money and taxes
Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption: 2026 Rules
Colorado exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of home value if you are 65+ and owned and lived in the home 10 years.
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Colorado exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value if you are 65 or older on January 1 and have owned and lived in the home for 10 straight years (Boulder County Assessor, 2026). That is up to $100,000 of value off the tax roll. The application deadline is July 15 (El Paso County Assessor, 2026).
Who qualifies for tax year 2026?
- Born on or before January 1, 1961.
- Owned the home continuously since before January 1, 2016.
- Lived in it as your primary residence continuously since before January 1, 2016 (Boulder County Assessor, 2026).
How much does it save?
- The exemption removes 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value, a maximum of $100,000 (Boulder County Assessor, 2026).
- Your dollar savings depend on your local mill levy.
- On a $2 million home the exemption is still capped at $100,000 of value.
- The $100,000 comes off actual value before the assessment rate is applied.
Do I lose it if I downsize?
- Not in 2025 or 2026. SB24-111 lets a senior who qualified on a prior home for any tax year 2020 or later carry the same 50%-of-$200,000 reduction to a new primary residence (Colorado General Assembly, SB24-111).
- The portability is authorized for the 2025 and 2026 tax years. It continues past 2026 only if lawmakers renew it.
- Call your county assessor before you close on the new home.
What about a surviving spouse?
- A surviving spouse keeps the exemption if the late spouse met the rules, the survivor lives in the home, and the survivor has not remarried (El Paso County Assessor, 2026).
Do I reapply every year?
- No. Once approved, your application stays active (El Paso County Assessor, 2026).
- Tell the assessor when you sell or move.
- An approval on your old home does not follow you. Portability under SB24-111 is its own classification, the Qualified Senior Primary Residence (Boulder County Assessor, 2026).
Why do people search 'senior exemption suspended'?
- The state pays for the exemption, and lawmakers have suspended it in past budget years. County assessors list it in effect for tax year 2026, with the discount on the bill sent in January 2027 (Boulder County Assessor, 2026).
Quick answers
Questions, answered.
Is Colorado's senior exemption based on income?
No. The tests are age 65, 10 years of ownership and 10 years living in the home as your primary residence (Boulder County Assessor, 2026).
Can I claim it on a mountain second home?
No. It applies only to your primary residence.
When is the deadline to apply?
July 15 for tax year 2026, payable in 2027 (El Paso County Assessor, 2026).
Sources
Where the numbers come from.
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