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Property Tax FAQs

Property tax notices are mailed as soon as possible after the first of each year. If you do not receive your notice by the end of January, contact the Treasurer's office.

If your property lies within the boundaries of the Morgan County, you will pay your property taxes to the Morgan County Treasurer. Taxes may be paid at the Treasurer's office or online.

Property taxes may be paid in full or by halves without interest by the following dates.
Full Payment Deadline: April 30
First Half Deadline: February 28
Second Half Deadline: June 15
If a deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, the next business day will be considered timely payment.

You owe tax on your property whether you get a tax notice or not. If you are not sure if you owe tax, please check with the Treasurer's office.[/collapsed]

State law requires that the notice be mailed to the property owner. Most mortgage companies get their tax information from a private tax service or directly from the county. If you feel your mortgage company needs a copy of the tax notice, you may mail them a copy with your next payment.

In order to conserve tax dollars, the Morgan County Treasurer will not be sending second half notices. You should mark the June 15th deadline on your calendar.

Property taxes help pay for local government services, such as the following:
Public Schools; Police, Sheriff, and Fire Protection; City and County Roads; Water and Sewer lines; Public Libraries; Recreation and Parks; Public Health; Human Services

Property taxes paid after the deadlines accrue interest at the rate 1% per month. Delinquencies are normally advertised during the months of September and/or October. If at all possible, you should try to pay the tax by the end of August in order to avoid the publication charges. Remember that the next year's taxes will be coming due the first of the year. Make every effort to keep from falling behind on the payment of your property taxes because you could ultimately lose your property. To calculate the interest due, refer to the Interest Chart below, check online), or contact the Treasurer's office.

Required Date of Payment Last Day of February June 15 April 30
Month Paid Half Tax Option Full Tax Option*
  1st Installment 2nd Installment  
March 1% - -
April 2% - -
May 3% - 1%
June 1 - 15 4% - 2%
June 16 - 30 4% 1% 2%
July 5% 2% 3%
August 6% 3% 4%
September 7% 4% 5%
October 8% 5% 6%
November 9% 6% 7%
December 10% 7% 8%
*Total taxes less than $25.00 must be paid using the Full Tax Option.

A Certificate of Taxes Due is a certification that all property taxes have been paid on a property except those shown on the certificate as still due. This assures the purchaser of the certificate that there will be no hidden surprises such as prior year delinquent taxes not shown on the tax rolls. If such a case occurs, Morgan County will take care of any taxes that were omitted from the certificate. Statutory Reference: 39-10-115, Colorado Revised Statutes

Property taxes are calculated by multiplying the assessed value times the mill levy for the taxing area. The assessed value is a percentage of the actual value of your property (for more information concerning valuation for taxation, contact the Morgan County Assessor). The mill levy for the taxing area is the combination of the separate mill levies for each taxing authority whose boundaries encompass your property.

Example:
   $11,550 (Assessed Value)
x .099512 (Mill Levy Total - usually expressed as 99.512)
$ 1,149.36 Property Tax

Actual values are determined by the Assessor. Assessed values are derived from the actual values using formulas set by the Colorado Legislature.

The mill levy is the tax rate used to calculate the tax bills of individual properties within a taxing area (or district). Each taxing authority determines how much revenue they need from property taxes and divides that by the total assessed value of the properties within their boundaries as supplied by the Assessor.

Taxing authorities, including schools and fire protection districts, levy property taxes in an amount necessary to meet budget needs for the following year. If you want to have a voice in the amount of taxes you will be asked to pay, you should try to attend public budget hearings and get involved in the process.

Yes, The State of Colorado currently has three programs to assist senior citizens in paying their property taxes.

  1. The Tax Deferral program. A person who is sixty-five years of age or older or who is a person called into military service on January 1 of the year in which the person files a claim under this section may elect to defer the payment of real property taxes. To exercise this option, the taxpayer shall file a claim for deferral with the State Treasurer. The claim shall be filed after January 1 and on or before April 1 of each year in which the taxpayer claims the deferral. If approved, the State Treasurer will pay the taxes for that year and attach a lien to the property. The lien will accrue interest at a rate set by statute and will become due and payable upon the sale of the property or the death of the applicant. Applications may be obtained from the State Treasurer's website. Statutory Reference: §39-3.5-101 et seq., Colorado Revised Statutes
     
  2. The Senior Property Tax Exemption program. A property tax exemption is available to senior citizens, qualifying disabled veterans, the surviving spouses of Gold Star veterans and the surviving spouses of senior citizens or disabled veterans who were previously granted the exemption. For those who qualify, 50 percent of the first $200,000 in actual value of their primary residence is exempted. The state pays the exempted portion of the property tax. Once approved, the exemption remains in effect for future years, and the applicant need not reapply. The General Assembly may eliminate the funding for the Senior Citizen Exemption or Disabled Veteran Exemption at their discretion in any year that the budget does not allow for the reimbursement.  Application requirements are as follows:

    1. SENIOR CITIZEN EXEMPTION - The exemption is available to applicants who: a) are at least 65 years of age as of January 1 of the year of application, b) owned their home for at least 10 consecutive years as of January 1, and c) occupy it as their primary residence and have done so for at least 10 consecutive years as of January 1. Limited exceptions to the ownership and occupancy requirements are detailed in the qualifications section of the application.

      SENIOR CITIZEN SURVIVING SPOUSE EXEMPTION - The exemption is also available to surviving spouses of senior citizens who previously met the requirements.

      The application deadline for 2023 is July 15. The application form is available from the website of the Colorado Division of Property Taxation at https://cdola.colorado.gov/property-taxation or the Morgan County Assessor. The application must be submitted to the county assessor at the following address:                  

      Morgan County Assessor

      231 Ensign St., PO Box 892,
      Fort Morgan, CO 80701

      Email: asrmorganc@co.morgan.co.us, Phone: 970-542-3512

       

      DISABLED VETERAN EXEMPTION - The exemption is available to applicants who: a) sustained a service-connected disability while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, b) were honorably discharged, and c) were rated by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs as one hundred percent permanent disability through disability retirement benefits. Disabilities rated at less than one hundred percent and VA unemployability awards do not meet the requirement.

      DISABLED VETERAN SURVIVING SPOUSE EXEMPTION - The exemption is available to surviving spouses of disabled veterans who had the disabled veteran exemption and who passed away prior to January 1 of the current year.

      DISABLED VETERAN GOLD STAR SPOUSES – This exemption is now available to surviving spouses of “Gold Star” Veterans.

       

      The applicant must have owned and occupied the home as his or her primary residence since January 1 of the year of application; however, limited exceptions to the ownership and occupancy requirements are detailed in the eligibility requirements section of the application. The application deadline for 2023 is July 1. Applications are available from the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, from the website of the Colorado Division of Property Taxation at https://cdola.colorado.gov/property-taxation or the county assessor of the county in which the property is located. Completed applications must be submitted to the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs at the address listed below.

      Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Veterans Affairs

      155 Van Gordon St., Suite 201

      Lakewood, CO 80228
                  Phone: 303-914-5832 Fax: 303-914-5835, vets.colorado.gov
      Statutory Reference: §39-3-201 et seq., Colorado Revised Statutes
       

  3. The Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate program. This is administered through the Colorado Department of Revenue State Income Tax system and is based on your income. If you are a full-year Colorado resident, 65 years of age or older, disabled, or a surviving spouse 58 years of age or older, you may qualify for the Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate and/or the Property Tax Deferral described above. Qualified applicants can receive a rebate of their property tax and of their heating expenses paid during the year, either directly or as part of their rent payments, by filing the Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate Application Form 104PTC. For more information, follow this link to the Colorado Department of Revenue web page, or check with the person who does your income tax preparation.