Denver Property Tax Rate: Mill Levy, Exemptions, and Payment

The Denver property tax rate for 2025 is 79.602 mills, which works out to about $79.60 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. That total combines levies from the City and County of Denver (26.328 mills), Denver Public Schools (52.274 mills), and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (1.000 mill). Because Colorado now uses two different assessment rates for residential property, turning that mill levy into an actual dollar figure takes a little more math than a single multiplication.

Where the 79.602 Mills Come From

A mill is one-thousandth of a dollar, so a 79.602-mill levy means $79.602 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.¹ Denver’s total is the sum of every taxing entity whose boundaries overlap your parcel.² The three main pieces:

City and County of Denver, 26.328 mills, covering the general fund, bond debt service, social services, fire and police pensions, capital maintenance, affordable housing, and the public library.
Denver Public Schools, 52.274 mills, funding district operations, bond redemption, and special revenue programs. Schools account for roughly two-thirds of the total.
Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, 1.000 mill, for regional flood infrastructure.

Some properties also sit inside additional special taxing districts, such as metropolitan districts and business improvement districts, that add their own mills on top of the 79.602 base.² The Regional Transportation District levy, for example, is listed separately on your statement. Your bill itemizes every district that taxes your parcel.

Each taxing entity certifies its levy to the Board of County Commissioners by December 15 under C.R.S. § 39-5-128, so the combined rate can shift from year to year as budgets change. The 79.602 figure is the certified 2025 levy; the 2026 number will be set in late 2025.

How Denver Calculates Your Bill

Your tax bill is the product of two numbers: your property’s assessed value and the mill levy. The Assessor sets your property’s actual (market) value from comparable sales, then applies an assessment rate to produce the taxable assessed value that the mill levy is applied to.

Colorado’s Split Residential Assessment Rates

Starting in 2025, Colorado split the residential assessment rate into two separate figures, one for local government levies and one for school district levies.³ For the 2026 tax year the rates are:

Local government rate: 6.8% of actual value.
School district rate: 7.05% of actual value.⁴

Non-residential property uses a single rate that varies by classification. Commercial improved property is assessed at 25%, and most other commercial and industrial categories at 26% for 2026.³

A Worked Example

Take a Denver home with an actual value of $600,000, using the 2026 assessment rates and the 2025 mill levy:

Local government portion: $600,000 × 6.8% = $40,800 assessed value. Multiply by the 27.328 local government mills: $40,800 × 0.027328 ≈ $1,115.
School district portion: $600,000 × 7.05% = $42,300 assessed value. Multiply by the 52.274 school district mills: $42,300 × 0.052274 ≈ $2,211.
Total estimated bill: roughly $3,326 per year.⁵

Under the dual-rate system, you effectively have two mini-bills, one for local government and one for schools, combined on a single statement. Homes in a metro district or other special district will see those additional mills added to this calculation.

Exemptions That Cut the Bill

Colorado offers two major property tax exemptions for qualifying Denver homeowners. Each exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value from taxation, which at the current mill levy saves roughly $5,500 to $6,000 per year on an eligible home.

Senior Homeowner Exemption

You qualify if you are at least 65 years old on January 1 of the application year and have owned and occupied the home as your primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years before that date.⁶ The 10-year occupancy requirement catches a lot of people who bought recently, even well past 65.

Disabled Veteran Exemption

Veterans with a qualifying VA-approved disability rating who own and occupy the home as a primary residence can claim the same 50% exemption on the first $200,000 of actual value. There is no age threshold and no minimum ownership period beyond occupying the home as of January 1 of the tax year.⁷

When and How to Pay

The Denver Treasury mails property tax bills in January. You can pay in full or split the bill into two installments:⁸

Full payment: due by April 30.
First installment: due by the last day of February.
Second installment: due by June 15.

If a tax bill totals less than $25, installments are not available and the full amount must be paid by April 30.⁸

The Treasury accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and electronic checks online or in person. Mailed checks and money orders should be made payable to the Manager of Finance with your parcel number in the memo line.⁹

Late payments accrue interest at 1% per month, and Colorado counts any partial month as a full month.⁸ If you miss the February installment, interest runs from March 1, though a late statement from the Treasurer buys you a 30-day grace period from the mailing date. Miss the June 15 installment and interest runs from June 16. Miss the April 30 full payment and interest runs from May 1 on the entire balance.

If the Value on Your Notice Looks Wrong

The Denver Assessor’s Office mails a Notice of Valuation to every property owner in May of each reappraisal year, which Colorado conducts every two years in odd-numbered years.⁵ Review it when it arrives. Errors in square footage, lot size, or condition ratings feed straight into an inflated bill, and the window to challenge them is short.

File a written protest or appear in person at the Denver Assessor’s Office no later than June 30 of the reappraisal year. If June 30 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.¹⁰ The assessor must schedule a hearing between June 15 and July 5 and respond in writing with a Notice of Determination.

Bring real evidence: recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal (residential appraisals typically run $300 to $750), or proof of incorrect property characteristics. If the assessor’s determination still looks wrong, you can appeal to Denver’s County Board of Equalization by July 20.¹⁰ The Board holds hearings starting July 1 and must decide by August 5. Further appeals go to the state Board of Assessment Appeals or district court. Miss these deadlines and you wait until the next reappraisal two years later.

1
Assessors’ Library. Chapter 4 – Assessment Math
2
City and County of Denver. Abstract of Assessment and Summary of Levies
3
Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Property Taxation. Understanding Property Taxes in Colorado
4
Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Property Taxation. Residential School Assessment Rate
5
City and County of Denver. Assessment FAQ
6
Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Property Taxation. Senior Property Tax Exemption
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Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Property Taxation. Senior Citizen and Veterans with a Disability Property Tax Exemption and Senior Primary Residence Classification
8
Justia. Colorado Code 39-10-104.5 – Delinquency
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City and County of Denver. Pay Property Taxes
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Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Protests and Appeals