In 2000, voters approved an amendment to the Colorado Constitution and subsequent legislation to create a property tax exemption for two groups of people: qualifying seniors and the surviving spouses of seniors who previously qualified. Funding for this exemption was approved for tax year 2022 (taxes payable in 2023). This is re-evaluated by the Colorado legislature each year.  For those who qualify, 50% of the first $200,000 in actual value of their primary residence is exempted.

Requirements 

The three basic requirements to qualify for the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption are:

• The qualifying senior must be at least 65 years old on January 1st of the year the application is filed.
• The qualifying senior must be the owner of record, and must have been the owner of record for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1st.
• The qualifying senior must have lived in their home as their primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 

*A surviving spouse of a senior who previously qualified for the exemption may also apply.

Application Process

Qualifying seniors must fill out an application form and submit it to the Assessor's Office by July 15th in the tax year of application. 

• Short Form Application (pdf): Applicants who meet the above qualifications should fill out the Short Form Application. 
• Long Form Application (pdf): Applicants who own their property in a trust, or are applying under the surviving spouse option, or fall within certain other exceptions to the occupancy and ownership requirements should fill out the Long Form Application. Please refer to the Long Form Instructions (pdf) to fill out the form. 

Application Deadline

The deadline for either form is July 15th in the tax year of application. The exemption must be applied for only once if approved, and remains in effect for subsequent years as long as the ownership and occupancy do not change. 

For more information on the program, please refer to this brochure: Senior Exemption Brochure (pdf)