Buy Your Next Colorado Home Before This One Sells
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Most of what is written about Colorado senior property tax relief is now out of date. The portability that existed for two years was repealed in June, and the move you are planning sits on the other side of that.
Start with what changed, because most pages have not
Colorado ran a property tax bridge for seniors who move. It was created by SB24-111 and it covered property tax years 2025 and 2026 only. In June 2026 the legislature ended it. SB26-116 was signed on June 2, 2026, took effect August 12, 2026 as Chapter 307, and terminates the qualified-senior primary residence classification for property tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027.
The enacted text did something else worth knowing. It capped applications at July 15, 2026. So the window is not merely closing, it has closed.
The Division of Property Taxation's own press release from March 2026 still encourages seniors to use the program, and a great deal of secondary writing repeats it. That page was accurate when it was published. It is not a description of what is available for a move you make now. Full detail, with the enacted language, is on the repeal page.
The rule underneath it, which never went away
Colorado's senior property tax exemption exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value. To get it you must be at least 65 on January 1, and you must have both owned and occupied the same primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years before that date.
Ten years. The statute's exceptions are narrow: property held in trust for estate planning, confinement to a hospital or nursing home, condemnation by eminent domain, destruction by natural disaster. Deciding to move is not on the list.
That is why the portability bridge existed, and why its repeal is a real number rather than a political footnote. A Colorado senior who moves now gives up the exemption and starts a fresh 10-year clock on the next house. That difference sits inside the payment for a decade, and the payment is what we underwrite. See the 10-year clock page.
How Coloradans buy first
| Structure | Works best when | Colorado wrinkle |
|---|---|---|
| Carry both, recast after | Income supports both payments | Front Range overlaps are short, which makes this realistic for more households |
| Borrow against current equity | Equity is strong, sale is near | No mortgage recording tax, so no state penalty for recording the lien |
| Keep it and rent it | The departing home covers its own payment | HB24-1098 means you need cause to end the tenancy later |
Compare them properly on the structures page.
Colorado is not one market
For the month ending August 2026, the typical US home went pending in 53 days. Greeley took 45, Denver 48, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins 50, Boulder 52. All at or better than the national figure, which is unusual and genuinely useful if you are carrying two payments.
Then the mountains: Breckenridge 73, Montrose 74, Edwards 81, Glenwood Springs 86, Steamboat Springs 93. Steamboat's time to pending rose 31 days over the year.
The value trend runs the other way. Front Range values slipped between 0.5% and 2.4% over the year while Glenwood Springs rose 5.1%, Steamboat 4.1% and Durango 3.0%. So the Front Range gives you a short overlap on a slowly softening asset, and the high country gives you a long overlap on a rising one. Those call for different structures. Numbers on the market page.
What we do and do not do
We are a lender. We do not write your offer or advise on its terms; your agent does that. We do not classify your property or determine your exemption; your county assessor does. What we do is model the real payment on the house you want, including the tax line your situation actually produces, and tell you which structure your numbers support.
Start with the Colorado guide, or see how qualifying works while you still own the first house.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still transfer my Colorado senior property tax exemption when I move?
No. The qualified-senior primary residence classification created by SB24-111 covered property tax years 2025 and 2026 only, and SB26-116 ended it for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027. The Governor signed that act on June 2, 2026 and it took effect August 12, 2026 as Chapter 307. The enacted text also limited applications through July 15, 2026, so the application window has already closed.
What happens to my senior exemption if I move within Colorado?
You lose it and begin a new qualifying period. The exemption requires being at least 65 on January 1 and having both owned and occupied the same primary residence for at least 10 consecutive years before that date. The statute's exceptions cover estate-planning trusts, confinement to a hospital or nursing home, condemnation, and destruction by natural disaster. A voluntary move is not among them.
Does Colorado charge a tax to record a mortgage?
No. Colorado has no mortgage recording tax. The documentary fee under C.R.S. 39-13-102 is $0.01 per $100 of consideration and is measured by a conveyance of title, so it applies to deeds rather than deeds of trust, and nothing is payable where consideration is $500 or less. Borrowing against the departing home carries no state transaction penalty in Colorado.
How long do homes take to sell in Colorado?
It depends which Colorado you mean. For the month ending August 2026, mean days to pending was 45 in Greeley, 48 in Denver, 50 in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins and 52 in Boulder, against a US benchmark of 53. The mountain markets were far slower: 73 in Breckenridge, 81 in Edwards, 86 in Glenwood Springs and 93 in Steamboat Springs.
Is the conforming loan limit higher in Colorado?
In 20 of Colorado's 64 counties, yes. The 2026 baseline is $832,750, but Eagle County sits at the national high-cost ceiling of $1,249,125, Garfield and Pitkin at $1,209,750, Lake and Summit at $1,092,500, Boulder at $879,750, and the Denver metro counties at $862,500.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Property tax classifications, exemption eligibility, and landlord-tenant rules change and depend on your facts; your county assessor, your CPA or a Colorado attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.