Gold Star Spouse Exemption and Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran, Senior Property Tax Exemption (Senior Homestead Exemption), Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification (2025 and 2026)
Where to apply in Colorado
Your county assessor approves the senior, disabled veteran and Gold Star exemptions and the senior primary residence classification. You apply to the assessor of the county where the home is; the Division of Property Taxation (Department of Local Affairs) sets the forms.
The office that handles property in each Colorado county, with its phone number. In some places another office takes exemption applications; the “Where to apply” box above says which.
50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is not taxed (up to $100,000 off the value).
Who qualifies
You are 65 or older on January 1 of the year you apply, and you (or your spouse) have owned the home and lived in it as your primary residence for at least 10 straight years before January 1. A surviving spouse of someone who qualified, who has not remarried, may also apply (long form). No income limit.
How to apply
File the Senior Property Tax Exemption application with your county assessor by mail or in person. Use the Short Form if your ownership and occupancy are simple; use the Long Form if the home is in a trust or LLC, you had an allowed absence (hospital, nursing home, natural disaster, eminent domain), or you are a surviving spouse.
Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification (2025 and 2026)
Same benefit as the senior exemption: 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value is not taxed (not below $1,000 assessed value). Available only for tax years 2025 and 2026.
Who qualifies
You (or your spouse) got the senior exemption at a previous home in 2020 or later, lost it because you moved, and now own and live in a new primary residence on January 1. A surviving spouse who has not remarried may qualify. No income limit.
How to apply
File the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification application with the assessor of the county where your new home is, by mail or in person.
Apply by January 1 to March 15 of the tax year. Late applications until July 15, without appeal rights.
Renewal
Covers tax years 2025 and 2026 only. A bill to make it permanent (HB25-1156) failed in 2025 ('Lost'), so as of October 2026 there is no 2027 classification unless new law passes.
Law
SB 24-111; C.R.S. 39-1-104 (qualified-senior primary residence real property)
50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is not taxed (up to $100,000 off the value).
Who qualifies
A veteran who served on active duty and has a service-connected disability rated by the VA as 100% permanent, or has been granted individual unemployability. You or your spouse own the home and you live in it as your primary residence on January 1. No income limit and no 10-year requirement.
How to apply
File the Veteran with a Disability application with your county assessor and attach a recent VA disability award letter. If your rating or unemployability status changes, send new documents to the assessor within 60 days.
Gold Star Spouse Exemption and Surviving Spouse of a Disabled Veteran
50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is not taxed.
Who qualifies
(1) A Gold Star spouse: the spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty, or of a veteran whose death came from a service-related injury or disease, who has been awarded Gold Star status by the VA. (2) The surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who was already receiving the veteran exemption. Either way, you own the home and live in it as your primary residence on January 1.
How to apply
File the matching application (Gold Star Spouse, or Veteran with a Disability Surviving Spouse) with the county assessor, with proof of Gold Star status or the veteran's prior exemption and the death certificate.
Property Tax Deferral (seniors 65+ and active military)
Lets you put off paying the property taxes on your home. It is a deferral (the taxes must be repaid later), not an exemption.
Who qualifies
Colorado residents 65 or older, and people called into active military service, for their residence.
How to apply
Get the application from your county treasurer (per the Division of Property Taxation). Contact the county treasurer for interest, equity and repayment rules.
Deadline
Apply by January 1 to April 1 each year (Division of Property Taxation FAQ).
Partly, and only through 2026. The senior exemption itself does not move: you need 10 years at the same home. But for tax years 2025 and 2026, seniors who lost the exemption by moving (after getting it in 2020 or later) can keep the same reduction on the new home through the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification (apply by March 15).
Good to know in Colorado
The senior exemption needs 10 straight years of owning and living in the same home before January 1; many seniors who moved lose it.
Exemptions approved in 2026 show up on the tax bill you receive in early 2027 (Colorado taxes are paid a year in arrears).
Filing late (after July 15 for seniors, July 1 for veterans) is still allowed for a month, but you lose the right to appeal a denial.
Savings estimate for Colorado
Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.
Eligibility finder for Colorado
Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you.
Document checklist for Colorado
Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.
Questions about property tax exemptions in Colorado
Is there a homestead exemption in Colorado?
Our research found no general homestead exemption that every Colorado homeowner can claim. Colorado does have the breaks listed on this page, for example for seniors, veterans or people with disabilities.
Are there property tax breaks for seniors in Colorado?
Senior Property Tax Exemption (Senior Homestead Exemption): 50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is not taxed (up to $100,000 off the value). Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification (2025 and 2026): Same benefit as the senior exemption: 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value is not taxed (not below $1,000 assessed value). Available only for tax years 2025 and 2026. Property Tax Deferral (seniors 65+ and active military): Lets you put off paying the property taxes on your home. It is a deferral (the taxes must be repaid later), not an exemption.
Do disabled veterans get a property tax exemption in Colorado?
Veteran with a Disability Exemption: 50% of the first $200,000 of your home's actual value is not taxed (up to $100,000 off the value).
Can I move my exemption to a new home in Colorado?
Partly, and only through 2026. The senior exemption itself does not move: you need 10 years at the same home. But for tax years 2025 and 2026, seniors who lost the exemption by moving (after getting it in 2020 or later) can keep the same reduction on the new home through the Qualified Senior Primary Residence Classification (apply by March 15).
Where do I apply for property tax exemptions in Colorado?
Your county assessor approves the senior, disabled veteran and Gold Star exemptions and the senior primary residence classification. You apply to the assessor of the county where the home is; the Division of Property Taxation (Department of Local Affairs) sets the forms.
Think your home’s assessed value is too high? An exemption and an appeal are separate: you can do both.
Median effective tax rate: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied homes) and B25077 (median value, owner-occupied homes). The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value.