Notice of Valuation (NOV)
The notice your county assessor mails by May 1 with your home's actual value for the year.
It is the number your property-tax bill is built on — read it when it arrives.
Homebuyer & mover timeline
Just closed in Colorado? Here is what is due, and when.
Short answer: a few Colorado deadlines follow your closing day. Register a car within 90 days, switch your license within 30, watch for the May 1 Notice of Valuation, and mind the June protest window and tax due dates.
Timeline
Build your Colorado post-closing calendar
Enter the day you close (or move in). You will get the Colorado-specific deadlines that follow — the ones new owners and movers most often miss.
Pick a date above to see your personalized Colorado deadlines — driver's license, vehicle registration, the Notice of Valuation, the protest window, exemptions, and property-tax due dates.
This is a planning calendar, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Some counties run alternate protest schedules and exact dates can shift, so confirm protest, exemption, and payment deadlines with your county assessor and treasurer, and registration steps with your county motor vehicle office.
Plain English
The terms behind the dates
A few words you will see on county notices and at the DMV.
Actual value
The assessor's estimate of your home's market value. Colorado taxes a percentage of it.
If it looks too high versus what you paid, that is what you protest.
Protest
Your appeal to the county assessor disputing the actual value or the property record.
Commonly due by June 8 for homes, but some counties run a different schedule.
Specific ownership tax
Colorado's annual vehicle tax, based on the original MSRP and the vehicle's age — a big part of registering a car.
Estimate it before the 90-day registration deadline so the bill is not a surprise.
Why closing day starts a Colorado to-do list
Moving to or buying in Colorado trips two clocks at once: the DMV's new-resident deadlines and the county property-tax cycle. The DMV ones are short and count from the day you become a resident. The property-tax ones are fixed calendar dates that can land months later, which is exactly why they are easy to forget.
The property-tax cycle in one paragraph
The county assessor mails a Notice of Valuation by May 1 with your home's actual value. If it looks wrong, you protest with the assessor (commonly by June 8, though some counties differ). The tax bill is built from that value, and you pay it the following year — in full by April 30, or in two halves due the last day of February and June 15.
Do not forget the car
New residents have 90 days to title and register a vehicle and 30 days to switch to a Colorado driver's license. Registration includes the specific ownership tax, which is based on the vehicle's original MSRP and its age, so a newer car can be a real bill. Front Range counties may require an emissions test first.
FAQ
Quick answers
When will I get my first Notice of Valuation?
County assessors mail them by May 1. If you closed after this year's notices went out, your first one as the owner usually arrives the following May.
How long do I have to register my car and switch my license?
New Colorado residents have 90 days to title and register a vehicle and 30 days to get a Colorado driver's license. A Front Range county may require an emissions test before registration.
Do I still owe property taxes if my lender uses escrow?
Often the mortgage servicer pays from escrow, but you are still responsible. Read the bill and confirm it was paid by April 30, or by the February and June half deadlines.
I closed mid-year — whose property taxes are whose?
The year you buy is usually prorated at closing, so each side covers its share. Your first full tax bill as the owner comes due the following year.
Sources and review
Where this information comes from
Colorado Porch gives the plain-English version, then points back to official sources for the rule that matters.
- Data used
- Colorado DOLA Division of Property Taxation calendar and Colorado DMV new-resident guidance
- Last reviewed
- June 2026
- Colorado DOLA — Division of Property Taxation: protests & appeals for Notice of Valuation, assessor protest, and Board of Equalization timing.
- Colorado senior & veteran property tax exemptions for senior (by July 15) and disabled-veteran / Gold Star spouse (by July 1) exemption deadlines.
- Colorado DMV — New to Colorado for 30-day driver's license and 90-day vehicle registration windows for new residents.
Use this carefully: Dates vary by county and some counties run alternate protest schedules. The year you buy is usually prorated at closing, and a lender may pay taxes through escrow. Confirm protest, exemption, and payment deadlines with your county assessor and treasurer.
Next steps
Put numbers on the big two
The timeline tells you when. These tell you how much.
Estimator
Property tax estimator
Turn actual value, assessment rate, and mills into an annual tax estimate.
Estimate property tax ->Estimator
Vehicle registration estimator
Estimate the specific ownership tax and registration fees before the 90-day deadline.
Estimate my bill ->Checklist
Moving to Colorado
The broader first-month checklist for taxes, cars, water, wildfire, and local rules.
Open checklist ->Page feedback
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