Colorado Code § 39-5-121

Notice of valuation - legislative declaration - definition - repeal
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(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."

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