Civic LookupFOR THE PEOPLE

See where your property tax is actually going. And why.

Property tax lookup and breakdown

Select your Colorado county

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Built by Jesse Lind for his Arapahoe County Assessor campaign (opens in a new tab)

Two numbers raise your property taxes

Property value

What the county says your property is worth

Mill levy

Everyone on your tax bill, added up

From appraised value to a tax bill

Here's a sample property to show how this works.

Step 1. Colorado sets two assessment rates

This is the percent of your property value that can be taxed. Homes use two rates: one for schools, one for other local governments on the bill.

Local-government assessment rate

6.8%

Used for county, city, fire, metro, and other non-school bill entries.

School assessment rate

7.05%

Used only for school tax on the bill.

On residential property, Colorado uses a separate school assessed value. Other property types follow different assessment-rate rules.

Colorado Division of Property Taxation: Assessed Value (opens in a new tab)

Step 2. The county appraises your property

Appraised value (actual value) is what the Assessor puts on your property. It is the starting number.

Step 3. Appraised value becomes two assessed values

Multiply appraised value by each assessment rate.

Find local assessed value

$500,000 times 6.8% equals local assessed $34,000

Find school assessed value

$500,000 times 7.05% equals school assessed $35,250

Step 4. Mills and the mill levy

A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. Each district sets its own mills. Add every district together and you get the mill levy: the combined rate on your bill.

Here's a sample mill levy:

  • School District40 mills
  • County25 mills
  • Fire15 mills
  • Metro District20 mills
  • Mill levy total100 mills

Step 5. School mills use school assessed value

School District - 40 mills

$40 for every $1,000. Apply that rate to school assessed value $35,250: $1,410. See the math: $35,250 / 1,000 × 40 mills = $1,410.

Step 6. Other districts use local assessed value

County - 25 mills

$25 for every $1,000. Apply that rate to local assessed value $34,000: $850. See the math: $34,000 / 1,000 × 25 mills = $850.

Fire - 15 mills

$15 for every $1,000. Apply that rate to local assessed value $34,000: $510. See the math: $34,000 / 1,000 × 15 mills = $510.

Metro District - 20 mills

$20 for every $1,000. Apply that rate to local assessed value $34,000: $680. See the math: $34,000 / 1,000 × 20 mills = $680.

Step 7. Add the pieces for the tax bill

$1,410 + $850 + $510 + $680 = $3,450

Proposed tax increases and revenue limit waiver

On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot

Arapahoe County School District No. 6 (Littleton Public Schools)

Proposed tax increase

On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot

Ballot Issue 4A asks for $10,289,724 more in the first full .

See what's on the ballot

Ballot Issue 4A: override (a voter-approved higher mill rate) for General Fund school purposes

Voters are asked to raise District taxes by $10,289,724 in 2026 for collection in 2027 (and by other amounts in later years up to a ), with the new revenue going to the General Fund (the district's main operating budget) for purposes such as attracting and retaining teachers, school safety, and academic and career programs. The ballot also asks that those revenues be spent as a voter-approved revenue change under .

Proposed tax increase (first full )
$10,289,724

Official source

Arapahoe County TABOR Notice 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Bennett Fire Protection District

Revenue limit waiver

On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot

Ballot Issue 7G would waive the for all future years.

See what's on the ballot

Ballot Issue 7G: Waive the

Voters are asked to waive the for all future property tax years. The ballot wording says this is without increasing property taxes. The same question also asks that all District revenues be collected, retained, and spent even if revenue limits in law would otherwise block that.

Official source

Arapahoe County TABOR Notice 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Bennett School District No. 29J

Proposed tax increase

On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot

Ballot Issue 5A asks for $11,000,000 more in the first full and up to $125,000,000 in new debt.

See what's on the ballot

Ballot Issue 5A: and property tax for school buildings

Voters are asked to raise District debt by up to $125 million ( up to $235 million) and to raise District taxes by up to $11 million a year to repair and improve school buildings and address enrollment growth, including a new high school and converting the existing high school to a middle school. The ballot asks for property taxes charged without limit as to the mill rate, up to those dollar caps, to pay the .

Proposed tax increase (first full )
$11,000,000
Proposed
$125,000,000
Total cost (maximum)
$235,000,000

Official source

Arapahoe County TABOR Notice 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Hills at Cherry Creek Metropolitan District

Proposed tax increase

On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot

Ballot Issue 6A asks for $105,000 more in the first full . Expected additional in the election notice: 3.688 mills.

See what's on the ballot

Ballot Issue 6A: Property tax increase for district operations

Voters are asked to raise District taxes by $105,000 a year beginning in 2027 (and by inflation plus local growth each year after that) for operations and maintenance such as the perimeter wall, playground, park, and courts. The county Clerk's election notice states the levy is expected to be an additional 3.688 . The ballot also asks to collect and spend those revenues even if and the would otherwise block that.

Proposed tax increase (first full )
$105,000
Expected additional (election notice)
3.688 mills
Election notice cost example
About $20.90 per month for a $1,000,000 residence in 2027

Official source

Arapahoe County TABOR Notice 2026 (opens in a new tab)

We're constantly digging into why your property taxes are changing.

Here are the latest updates.

Urban Drainage & Flood, South Platte LevyNo change from last year

Who authorized this?

According to official certified election results (opens in a new tab), voters approved Ballot Issue 7G (opens in a new tab) in November 2018: Restore flood-control mills up to the 1.0 mill ceiling set in state law (this line is the separate South Platte levy).

See each step

  1. Who gets this money?

    This bill line's property-tax revenue pays for maintenance and improvements on the South Platte River and its tributaries inside the district (in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson).

    Name on the county tax list
    URBN DRNGE&FLD (S PLATTE)

  2. What changed?

    Ballot Issue 7G restored the district's mills toward the 1.0 mill ceiling set in state law. This South Platte bill line is the sepa one-tenth mill for South Platte River work. County published rates for this authority settle at 0.100 mills in recent years.

    Change from last year

    2024: 0.100 mills

    2025: 0.100 mills

    No change in mills

  3. Ballot Issue 7G: Restore flood-control mills up to the 1.0 mill cap

    According to official certified election results, voters approved raising Urban Drainage and Flood Control District taxes by about $14.9 million in 2019 (up to about $1.97 that year for each $100,000 of actual residential valuation) and by amounts raised later from a levy not to exceed 1.0 mills for flood warning gauges, floodplain parks and open space, and removing debris from streams, with the mill rate subject to the ceilings in state law, and letting the district keep and spend that revenue without refund limits.

    South Platte one-tenth mill (C.R.S. § 32-11-217)
    State law lets the district levy a separate tax of up to one-tenth of a mill in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson for maintenance and improvements on the South Platte River inside the district. That is in addition to the main district mill, which is capped at one mill.

  4. How people voted

    County certified totals:

    Ballot Issue 7G (November 2018)

    Yes: 146,184 (57.75%)

    No: 106,939 (42.25%)

What we can't say for sure
  • County tax lists often show a separate main Urban Drainage & Flood mill (about 0.9 mills) in addition to this South Platte levy. That is a different bill line. This trail covers the South Platte mill only.

Urban Drainage & Flood Control DistrictNo change from last year

Who authorized this?

According to official certified election results (opens in a new tab), voters approved Ballot Issue 7G (opens in a new tab) in November 2018: Restore flood-control mills up to the 1.0 mill ceiling set in state law.

See each step

  1. Who gets this money?

    This district's property-tax revenue pays for regional stormwater and flood control work in its service area, including flood warning systems, floodplain open space, and keeping streams clear of debris.

    Name on the county tax list
    URBAN DRAINAGE & FLOOD

  2. What changed?

    Ballot Issue 7G restored this district's main mill toward the 1.0 mill ceiling set in state law. County published rates for this authority show that jump between Tax Year 2018 and Tax Year 2019, then a steady 0.900 mills.

    Change from last year

    2024: 0.900 mills

    2025: 0.900 mills

    No change in mills

  3. Ballot Issue 7G: Restore flood-control mills up to the 1.0 mill cap

    According to official certified election results, voters approved raising Urban Drainage and Flood Control District taxes by about $14.9 million in 2019 (up to about $1.97 that year for each $100,000 of actual residential valuation) and by amounts raised later from a levy not to exceed 1.0 mills for flood warning gauges, floodplain parks and open space, and removing debris from streams, with the mill rate subject to the ceilings in state law, and letting the district keep and spend that revenue without refund limits.

    Statutory mill ceiling (C.R.S. § 32-11-217)
    State law caps the board's main district levy at one mill (with set shares for engineering, capital, and floodway work). A levy above one mill needs voter approval. A separate one-tenth mill for South Platte River work applies in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson.

  4. How people voted

    County certified totals:

    Ballot Issue 7G (November 2018)

    Yes: 146,184 (57.75%)

    No: 106,939 (42.25%)

What we can't say for sure
  • County tax lists often show a separate Urban Drainage South Platte levy (about 0.1 mills) in addition to this main district mill. That is a different bill line. This trail covers the main district mill only.

Regional Transportation DistrictNo change from last year

Who authorized this?

According to the 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes Title 32 § 32-9-120 (opens in a new tab), this district may levy property tax only for an annual deficit in operation and maintenance expenses, and not more than one-half mill.

See each step

  1. Who gets this money?

    When this district collects a property-tax mill under its limited statutory authority, that money helps pay for regional transit (bus, rail, and related services) in its service area.

    Name on the county tax list
    REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION

  2. What changed?

    County published s for this authority have been 0.000 mills across the years we track. This line can still appear on your levy list even when it does not add property-tax dollars.

    Change from last year

    2024: 0.000 mills

    2025: 0.000 mills

    No change in mills

  3. Property-tax levy limit

    Property tax only for an , capped at half a mill
    Colorado law says this district may not levy a general property tax under the Regional Transportation District Act except to cover an annual deficit in operation and maintenance expenses, and that levy may not exceed one-half mill.
What we can't say for sure
  • This trail covers the property-tax mill on your levy list. RTD's main local funding is sales tax, which is a separate tax and is not part of this property-tax authorization trail.