(1) (a) (I) No later than May 1 in each year, the assessor shall mail to each person
who owns land or improvements a notice setting forth the valuation of such land or
improvements. For agricultural property, the notice must separately state the
actual value of such land or improvements in the previous year, the actual value in
the current year, and the amount of any adjustment in actual value. For all other
property, the notice must state the total actual value of such land and
improvements together in the previous year, the total actual value in the current
year, and the amount of any adjustment in total actual value. The notice must not
state the valuation for assessment of such land or improvements or combination of
land and improvements. Based upon the classification of such taxable property, the
notice must also set forth the appropriate ratio of valuation for assessment to be
applied to said actual value prior to the calculation of property taxes for the current
year and that any change or adjustment of the ratio of valuation for assessment
must not constitute grounds for the protest or abatement of taxes. The notice must
state, in bold-faced type, that the taxpayer has the right to protest any adjustment
in valuation, the classification of the property that determines the assessment
percentage to be applied, and the dates and places at which the assessor will hear
such protest. The notice must also set forth the following: That, to preserve the
taxpayer's right to protest, the taxpayer shall notify the assessor either in writing or
in person of the taxpayer's objection and protest; that such notice must be
delivered, postmarked, or given in person no later than June 8; and that, after such
date, the taxpayer's right to object and protest the adjustment in valuation is lost.
The notice must be mailed together with a form that, if completed by the taxpayer,
allows the taxpayer to explain the basis for the taxpayer's valuation of the property.
Such form may be completed by the taxpayer to initiate an appeal of the assessor's
valuation. However, in accordance with section 39-5-122 (2), completion of this
form does not constitute the exclusive means of appealing the assessor's valuation.
For the years that intervene between changes in the level of value, if the difference
between the actual value of such land or improvements in the previous year and the
actual value of such land or improvements in the intervening year as set forth in
such notice constitutes an increase in actual value of more than seventy-five
percent, the assessor shall mail together with the notice an explanation of the
reasons for such increase in actual value.
(II) Repealed.
(b) (I) Commencing as provided in subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (b), the
notice of valuation for the first year of each reassessment cycle that is mailed to
each person who owns land or improvements pursuant to paragraph (a) of this
subsection (1) shall include, in addition to the information specified in paragraph (a)
of this subsection (1), an itemized listing of the land and improvements and the
characteristics that are germane to the value of such land and improvements.
(II) In a county with a population in excess of fifty thousand people, the
information specified in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b) shall be included in
notices of valuation mailed on or after January 1, 2001. In a county with a population
of twenty-five thousand people or more but not more than fifty thousand people,
the information specified in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b) shall be included
in notices of valuation mailed on or after January 1, 2003. In a county with a
population of less than twenty-five thousand people, the information specified in
subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b) shall be included in notices of valuation
mailed on or after January 1, 2005.
(c) For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, the
assessor shall not include the appropriate ratio of valuation for assessment in the
notice setting forth the valuation for land or improvements.
(1.2) A notice of valuation included with the tax bill shall fulfill the
requirements of subsection (1) of this section. The general assembly hereby finds
and declares that the notice procedure set forth in this subsection (1.2) facilitates
the efficient and economic operation of local governments, consistent with the
expressed purpose of section 20 of article X of the state constitution to reasonably
restrain most the growth of government, and still fulfills the purposes of section 20
(8)(c) of said article X in the intervening year of each reassessment cycle when
there is no change in value for the property in such year.
(1.5) (a) (I) No later than June 15 each year, the assessor shall mail to each
person who owns taxable personal property a notice setting forth the valuation of
the personal property. The notice must state the actual value of such personal
property in the previous year, the actual value in the current year, and the amount
of any adjustment in actual value. The notice must not state the valuation for
assessment of the personal property. The notice must also set forth the ratio of
valuation for assessment to be applied to said actual value prior to the calculation
of property taxes for the current year. With the approval of the board of county
commissioners, the assessor may include in the notice an estimate of the taxes
owed for the current property tax year. If such an estimate is included, the notice
must clearly state that the tax amount is merely an estimate based upon the best
available information. The notice must state, in bold-faced type, that the taxpayer
has the right to protest any adjustment in valuation but not the estimate of taxes if
such an estimate is included in the notice, and the dates and places at which the
assessor will hear protests. The notice must also set forth the following: To
preserve the taxpayer's right to protest, the taxpayer shall notify the assessor
either by mail or in person of the taxpayer's objection and protest; that the notice
must be postmarked or physically delivered no later than June 30; and that, after
such date, the taxpayer's right to object and protest the adjustment in valuation is
lost. The notice must be mailed together with a form that, if completed by the
taxpayer, allows the taxpayer to explain the basis for the taxpayer's valuation of
the property. The form may be completed by the taxpayer to initiate an appeal of
the assessor's valuation. However, in accordance with section 39-5-122 (2),
completion of this form does not constitute the exclusive means of appealing the
assessor's valuation.
(II) Repealed.
(b) (I) Notwithstanding subsection (1.5)(a) of this section, for taxable real
property and personal property on oil and gas leaseholds or lands for which the
operator has filed the statement required by section 39-7-101 (1), the assessor shall
send the notice of valuation only to the operator, who shall accept it. The
acceptance of the notice of valuation by the operator shall not be construed as an
indication that the operator agrees with the amount of the actual value of the
property stated in the notice or as obligating the operator to pay the tax
attributable to property in which the operator has no ownership interest. Upon the
written request of the county treasurer, the operator shall submit to the treasurer a
written statement containing the name and address of each person who has an
ownership interest in the property. If the operator fails to submit the statement
within thirty days after receiving the request, the operator shall pay a penalty to the
treasurer in the amount of one hundred dollars or the amount of tax due on the
property, whichever is less.
(II) As used in this article 5, well or unit operator means the operator of
each wellsite or, if there is no operator, the owner who filed the statement with the
assessor pursuant to section 39-7-101.
(1.7) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a taxpayer may request to
receive by electronic transmission the notices of valuation required by subsections
(1) and (1.5) of this section. The taxpayer shall submit along with the request an
electronic address to which the assessor may send future notices of valuation. The
assessor, upon receipt of such request by a taxpayer to receive notices of valuation
electronically, may send all future notices of valuation by electronic transmission to
the electronic address supplied by the taxpayer; except that, if a taxpayer
subsequently requests to cease the electronic transmission of such notices and
requests to receive future notices of valuation by mail, the assessor shall comply
with the request. Failure of a taxpayer to receive the electronic notice of valuation
shall not preclude collection by the treasurer of the amount of taxes due from and
payable by the taxpayer.
(1.8) (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the assessor may mail
abbreviated notices of valuation on a postcard. The property tax administrator shall
approve the form of the abbreviated notice of valuation as required in section 39-2-109 (1)(d).
(b) At a minimum, the postcard must:
(I) Provide an accurate summary of the valuation information required under
subsections (1) and (1.5) of this section;
(II) Provide contact information for the assessor's office;
(III) Include a link to the assessor's website where taxpayers can access the
long form notice of valuation that includes all of the information required under
subsections (1) and (1.5) of this section; and
(IV) State that the taxpayer may request to cease the transmission of the
notice of valuation by postcard and may instead request to receive future long form
notice of valuation mailed in an envelope.
(c) If the taxpayer would prefer to not use the link to the assessor's website
to access the long form notice of valuation, the taxpayer may contact the
assessor's office and request a long form notice of valuation be mailed instead.
(d) If a taxpayer makes a request described in subsection (1.8)(b)(IV) of this
section, the assessor shall comply.
(e) Failure of a taxpayer to receive the notice of valuation by postcard does
not preclude collection by the treasurer of the amount of taxes due from and
payable by the taxpayer.
(2) (a) The assessor shall, no later than August 25 of each year, notify each
taxing entity subject to the provisions of section 29-1-301, C.R.S., the division of
local government, and the department of education of the total valuation for
assessment of land and improvements within the entity and shall also report: The
amount of the total valuation for assessment attributable to annexation or inclusion
of additional land, and the improvements thereon, and personal property connected
therewith, within the taxing entity for the preceding year; the amount attributable
to new construction and personal property connected therewith, as defined by the
administrator in manuals prepared pursuant to section 39-2-109 (1)(e), within the
taxing entity for the preceding year; the amount attributable to increased volume of
production for the preceding year by a producing mine if said mine is wholly or
partially within the taxing entity and if such increase in volume of production
causes an increase in the level of services provided by the taxing entity; and the
amount attributable to previously legally exempt federal property that becomes
taxable if such property causes an increase in the level of services provided by the
taxing entity.
(b) In addition to the information specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection
(2), the assessor shall, no later than August 25 of each year, notify each taxing
entity except school districts of the total actual value of all real property within the
taxing entity and the total actual value of all real property within the taxing entity
from construction of taxable real property improvements, minus destruction of
similar improvements, and additions to, minus deletions from, taxable real property,
in accordance with the manner prescribed by the administrator in manuals prepared
pursuant to section 39-2-109 (1)(e).
(3) Repealed.
(4) (a) Any notice of valuation required by subsections (1) and (1.5) of this
section sent to the owner of any real property must include the following
statement: If a property owner does not timely object to their property's valuation
by June 8 under section 39-5-122, C.R.S., they may file a request for an abatement
under section 39-10-114, C.R.S., by contacting the county assessor.
(b) Any notice of valuation required by subsections (1) and (1.5) of this section
sent to the owner of commercial property must include contact information for the
relevant county assessor along with the following statement: If you would like
information about the approach used to value your property, please contact your
county assessor.
Source: L. 64: R&RE, p. 703, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 137-5-21. L. 67: p. 952, � 26. L.
76: Entire section amended, p. 687, � 4, effective July 1; (1) amended, p. 762, � 23,
effective January 1, 1977. L. 81: (1) amended and (1.5) added, p. 1833, � 8, effective
June 12; (2) amended, p. 1395, � 3, effective January 1, 1985. L. 83: (2) amended, p.
2073, � 4, effective October 13; (2) amended, p. 2052, � 24, effective October 14; (2)
amended, pp. 2074, 2052, �� 5, 25, effective January 1, 1985. L. 87: (2) amended, p.
1188, � 4, effective March 12. L. 88: (1) and (1.5) amended, p. 1298, � 5, effective April
29; (1) and (1.5) amended, p. 1285, � 17, effective May 23. L. 89: Entire section
amended, p. 1453, � 9, effective June 7. L. 90: (1) amended, p. 1690, � 8, effective
January 1, 1991. L. 92: (2) amended, p. 2182, � 54, effective June 2; (1) and (1.5)
amended, p. 2207, � 4, effective January 1, 1993. L. 93: (2) amended, pp. 1282, 1688,
�� 2, 5, effective June 6. L. 96: (1), (1.5), and (2)(a) amended, p. 113, � 1, effective
March 25; (1) and (1.5) amended and (1.2) added, p. 720, � 5, effective May 22. L. 99: (1) amended, p. 704, � 1, effective May 20. L. 2002: (1)(a) amended, p. 41, � 1,
effective August 7. L. 2006: (1.5) amended, p. 33, � 1, effective March 13. L. 2008: (1.5)(a) amended, p. 948, � 3, effective August 5. L. 2010: (1.7) added, (HB 10-1117),
ch. 195, p. 842, � 2, effective August 11. L. 2013: (1)(a) and (1.5)(a) amended, (HB 13-1113), ch. 11, p. 26, � 1, effective March 8. L. 2020: (1)(a)(I) and (1.5)(a)(I) amended and
(1)(a)(II) and (1.5)(a)(II) repealed, (SB 20-136), ch. 70, p. 290, � 33, effective
September 14. L. 2021: (1.8) added, (SB 21-019), ch. 14, p. 88, � 2, effective March 21;
(1)(a)(I) amended and (3) added, (SB 21-293), ch. 301, p. 1811, � 10, effective June 23. L. 2022: (1.5)(b) amended, (SB 22-026), ch. 58, p. 265, � 1, effective March 30;
(1)(a)(I) amended and (4) added, (HB 22-1416), ch. 158, p. 997, � 3, effective August
10. L. 2024: (1)(a)(I) amended, (HB 24-1302), ch. 340, p. 2301, � 3, effective June 3. L.
2024, 2nd Ex. Sess.: (1)(c) added, (HB 24B-1001), ch. 1, p. 22, � 16, effective October
1 (see editor's note).