El Paso County property owners can expect to receive their property tax bills a little later this year, giving them less time to pay those taxes by the usual deadlines.

The Colorado Legislature recently adopted new laws during a special session before the new year to reduce the property assessment ratio and increase the amount homeowners can claim for exemption when calculating tax liability. The changes have delayed the due date by which counties must certify county tax rolls to Jan. 24. The cutoff is usually Jan. 10.

El Paso County Treasurer Chuck Broerman’s office anticipates tax statements won’t be produced until the first week of February, according to the county treasurer’s website.

The delay in sending out property tax bills allows counties more time to certify their mill levies — the tax rate applied to the assessed value of a property — and gives county assessors more time to gather data, Broerman said in a news release Tuesday.

Property owners must still pay their property taxes by the usual dates. Legislators did not extend payment deadlines so special districts like fire districts, school districts and other public entities have the revenues they need to operate, Broerman said in the release.

Residents who choose to pay their balance all at once must do so by April 30.

Residents opting to split their property tax payments into two installments must pay the first half of the balance by Feb. 29 and the second half by June 17.

The city of Colorado Springs and El Paso County have put in place temporary reductions to the city’s and county’s property tax rates to stay within the limits of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Officials have said the reductions will save taxpayers millions this year.

El Paso County commissioners this month voted to reduce the county property tax by a total of $20.5 million, or by almost 20%. Colorado Springs’ property tax cap is expected to save taxpayers in the city a total $6.2 million this year.

Property owners can sign up to receive their property tax bills electronically on the treasurer’s website at treasurer.elpasoco.com/request-for-electronic-statement-delivery.

Property tax statements will be accessible directly through the El Paso County treasurer’s website, treasurer.elpasoco.com.

Property owners who aren’t signed up to receive their tax statements electronically will receive them in the mail by mid-February, Broerman said in the release.

Property tax amounts will be available after Feb. 9. Visit treasurer.elpasoco.com and click on the “Real estate property tax search and online payments” link under the “Online services” section near the center of the webpage.

If property owners have a mortgage and are escrowing property taxes, the balances due will be directly provided to mortgage servicers by Feb. 9, Broerman said.

El Paso County property tax bills are expected to go out a little later in 2024 due to recent legislative changes made by the Colorado Legislature to provide property tax relief this year.

Gazette file