Thinking of appealing your property taxes in Breckenridge?
Here is what you need to know:
We have been getting many calls from our clients in Breckenridge, and all of Summit County for that matter, so we have prepared a quick summary.
SUMMARY
There was a Zoom presentation to the Summit Association of Realtors earlier today 5/18/23, titled “2023 Reappraisal and Appeals in Summit County” by County Assessor Lisa Eurich.
In the one-hour presentation, a ton of information was given, but a few key points are:
- You can appeal your valuation, but not your tax
- The estimated tax on the postcard you received, is probably higher than the tax you will actually eventually pay — see below (DETAILS)
- The state-mandated “appraisal date” is June 30, 2022. Per state law, the goal of the valuation by Summit County is to decide “what would this property have sold for on June 30, 2022?” So, any sales, or market trends, or other factors that occurred after 6/30/22, cannot be considered in appealing your valuation.
- The last date to file an appeal is June 8, 2023
- The best way to file an appeal is via an email to
and include attachments such as photos or other information such as comparable sales. Don’t bother sending sales data for anything that sold after 6/30/2022 – it cannot be considered.
ACTION
If you wish to appeal your valuation, do the following:
- Visit https://www.
summitcountyco.gov/86/Assessor for background information on the process. - Go to http://gis.summitcountyco.
gov/Map/ and use the Search Options in the upper right corner to locate your property. Once you find your property, click on Show Detailed Data, and make a note of your Schedule Number. Check the other information on the the Detail Data sheet and make sure there are no errors. Note that “Cond” is short for “Condition of the property”. If there are errors on this Detail Data page, that can form the basis for an appeal. - Go to https://apps.
summitcountyco.gov/ NOVArchiveViewer/default.aspx and enter your Schedule Number. The next screen will show all of the comps that the automated mass-appraisal system used, for coming up with your valuation. In most all cases, these were computer-generated and have not been screened by a human to check for reasonability. - On that page, click on the “Calculation Ladder – Adjustment Values” and see the detailed info there, and see if there is anything you feel is inaccurate or could be adjusted in your favor.
- Go to https://www.summitcountyco.
gov/118/Real-Property- Valuation for more background info, and check out the details for your property type. For example, scroll to the section labeled “Condo Model Information” if your property is a condo, vs a single family home vs vacant land. - Send an email to and include attachments such as photos or other information such as comparable sales. Send it before June 8, 2023
DETAILS
The estimated tax on the postcard you received, is probably higher than the tax you will actually eventually pay, because the tax on the postcard does not take into account:
- a senior citizen discount, if applicable. There is pending legislation to increase the senior exemption from $100K to $140K.
- the reduction of valuation due to current and pending legislation: $15,000 or perhaps more
- the reduction of rates (mill levy rate and assessment rate) due to pending legislation, which could lead to reduced taxes
- See https://www.cpr.org/2023/
05/04/colorado-property-tax- explainer/ - By the way, according to the presenter, Colorado has the 3rd lowest property taxes in the nation – see https://www.
rocketmortgage.com/learn/ property-taxes-by-state
The county’s analysis is actually very sophisticated.
- To determine trends and coefficients and other factors, the county used a 5-year data collection period – the maximum allowed by state law. That period is 7/1/2017 through 6/30/22.
- The county then used the data from a more recent period two-year, 7/1/2020 to 6/30/22, to refine the calculations and place higher value on sales closer to the end of the period (6/30/22) as they are more recent and therefore more accurate.
- Sales prior to 6/30/22 are “time-adjusted” to take into account the market trends
The Summit Assessor’s office has received over 1,000 requests for re-valuation to date, and anticipates they will receive a total of 5,000 or more, by the deadline of 6/7/2023. Each email has to be processed by hand. It will take a while.
You can file an appeal online, but it’s recommended that you send an email instead, as described above. Due to the volume of emails, the office may not get back to you right away, but they say the will eventually respond to everyone.
The primary factors that enter into a valuation are: sales date, property location, size, and age.
If there is a unique characteristic of your property, mention it in your email. For example, a recently obstructed view due to new construction, or a big difference between the condition of your property vs others that are selling in the same complex, etc.
The presenter said, when it comes to appealing your valuation, “don’t overthink it” – just provide a simple clear email stating your case. Remember, they have literally thousands of these emails to go through, by hand. If yours is really long and complex, it won’t serve you as well as something short and to the point.
When considering the condition of your property, the default assumption by the assessor’s office is “good”. Other options include “poor” which basically means uninhabitable, or “fair” which implies deferred maintenance.
If you do provide comparable sales, provide at least 3, and again the sale cannot be after 6/30/2022.
Hope this helps!
