Colorado property taxes are due either in a single payment by April 30, or in two equal installments with the first half due by the last day of February and the second half due by June 15. The choice is yours. County treasurers mail the tax statements shortly after January 1, and a missed deadline starts interest running at 1% per month.
The Two Payment Options
Every Colorado homeowner picks between two schedules each year:
- Pay the full amount by April 30.
- Pay in two halves: the first by the last day of February, the second by June 15.
You don’t have to tell the treasurer which route you’re taking. Pay the full amount by April 30 and you’re done; pay half by the February deadline and the office will expect the balance by June 15.
Two boundaries are worth knowing before you plan around these dates. If your total tax bill is under $25, the installment option isn’t available and the whole amount is due by April 30.1Justia. Colorado Code Title 39 – Taxation – Section 39-10-104.5 – Payment Dates – Optional Payment Dates – Failure to Pay – Delinquency – Repeal And when any due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, payment on the next business day counts as timely.2Justia. Colorado Code Title 39 – Section 39-1-120 – Filing
When the Tax Statement Arrives
County treasurers send out tax statements, by mail or email, as soon as practicable after January 1. Most counties get them out by the end of January, though the statute ties the deadline to what’s practical rather than a fixed date. Your statement shows the assessed value, the total tax owed for the preceding year, and how the money is split among local taxing bodies such as the school district, county, and any fire or special districts.3Colorado Department of Local Affairs Division of Property Taxation. Understanding Property Taxes in Colorado
If late January comes and goes without a statement, call your county treasurer. The bill is still due on time, and not receiving a notice isn’t by itself a defense against interest. There is one narrow exception, covered below, for when the treasurer mails the statement late.
Don’t mistake the Notice of Valuation for the tax bill. The assessor mails that separate notice by May 1, showing your property’s actual (market) value and any change from the prior year. It isn’t a bill, and it generally won’t tell you what you owe.4Justia. Colorado Code Title 39 – Section 39-5-121 – Notice of Valuation
How to Pay
County treasurer offices accept payment by mail, online, by phone, or in person. For mailed checks, the postmark date is what counts, so a check postmarked by the deadline is on time even if it lands in the office a few days later.
Most counties run an online portal that accepts e-checks, credit cards, and debit cards. Card payments usually carry a convenience fee in the range of 2% to 3% of the transaction, charged by the payment processor on top of your taxes. E-checks are typically cheaper or free. In-person payments at the treasurer’s office are an option during normal business hours.
If Your Mortgage Lender Pays Through Escrow
Many homeowners don’t write a check at all because their lender collects property tax money each month in an escrow account and pays the treasurer directly when the bill comes due. You’ll still get the tax notice from the county for your records, but you shouldn’t send a separate payment.
The deadlines still matter to you, though. Confirm the payment went through by checking your annual escrow statement or your mortgage account, or by calling the county treasurer. If your lender misses the deadline, the delinquency attaches to the property, and the county’s recourse is against you as the owner.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Once a due date passes, the unpaid amount becomes delinquent and interest starts accruing at 1% per month. The start date depends on which deadline you missed:
- Missed the February first-half deadline: interest runs from March 1 at 1% per month.
- Missed the June 15 second-half deadline: interest on the second half starts June 16. If you also missed the first half, interest on both portions keeps running.
- Missed the April 30 full-payment deadline: interest runs from May 1.
One exception is worth knowing. If the treasurer mails your tax statement late and that’s why you missed the February installment, no interest accrues on the first half as long as you pay within 30 days of receiving the statement.1Justia. Colorado Code Title 39 – Taxation – Section 39-10-104.5 – Payment Dates – Optional Payment Dates – Failure to Pay – Delinquency – Repeal
If taxes remain unpaid past June 15, the county treasurer prepares a delinquent tax record and must send you a formal notice by September 1 warning that the unpaid amount may be subject to a tax lien sale.
Tax Lien Sales and the Risk of Losing the Property
Delinquency doesn’t stop at interest. Colorado law requires county treasurers to hold a public auction of tax liens on properties with outstanding delinquent taxes, and that auction must begin on or before the second Monday in December each year. Investors bid for the right to pay your delinquent taxes in exchange for a tax lien certificate against your property.
You can redeem the lien by paying the delinquent amount plus interest at the state redemption rate, which the Commissioner of Banking sets at nine percentage points above the Federal Reserve discount rate, rounded to the nearest whole percent. As of October 2025, that rate is 14%.5Colorado Division of Banking. Interest Rates Set by the Bank Commissioner Any partial month counts as a full month for the calculation.6Justia. Colorado Code Title 39 – Section 39-12-103 – Redemption Made – Interest
If you don’t redeem, the lienholder can apply for a treasurer’s deed starting three years after the lien sale, and that right lasts up to fifteen years before the certificate expires. The county follows notice and auction procedures before transferring ownership. Once a treasurer’s deed is issued, you lose the property. Redemption before the deed is executed is the only way to stop it.
The practical takeaway is straightforward: mark the February, April, and June dates, confirm your lender’s escrow payments if you have a mortgage, and if you ever can’t pay on time, pay as soon as possible to keep the 1% monthly interest from compounding into a lien sale.