Stationed at Fort Carson but a resident elsewhere? You may skip Colorado's ownership tax

El Paso County is home to five military installations, including Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy. So a lot of people here are stationed in Colorado but are still legal residents of another state. That difference matters for your car.

When you register a vehicle in Colorado, part of the yearly cost is the Specific Ownership Tax. But if you are an active-duty service member whose legal home is another state, you may not owe it. This exemption rests on Colorado law and the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which protects you from being taxed as a resident just because the military sent you here.

You have two paths. You can keep your home-state registration the whole time you are stationed here. Or you can register the vehicle in Colorado and claim the exemption using the state affidavit, form DR 2667.

To claim it, you generally bring your military ID, a copy of your orders, and a recent Leave and Earnings Statement showing a tax-withholding state that is not Colorado. The affidavit is filed at the county Motor Vehicle Office, and it has to be renewed each year at registration time. One form per vehicle.

This is worth knowing before a PCS move, not after. The rules and the exact proof can change, so confirm them on the state’s own pages before you go in.

For the official details, start with the Colorado DMV’s military page and the Department of Revenue’s guidance for active-duty service members.