Foothills
Clear Creek County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through Clear Creek County. Permits and local rules may sit with a town or city instead, so match the office to the exact address.
Official county shortcuts
Take the task to the office that handles it
These links go straight to the official county or regional office shown. Check that page for current documents, hours, appointments, fees, and address-specific instructions. A city may run its own permit office.
Property tax snapshot
Typical property tax in Clear Creek County
The average total mill levy across Clear Creek County was about 76.3 mills for tax year 2023 — below the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $2,469 a year, using Colorado's 2026 residential rules: 7.05% on school mills, and 6.8% on the rest after the local actual-value adjustment.
This is the county average across all tax areas. Your parcel's actual mill levy depends on its exact tax area — a metro or special district can add many mills on top — so confirm the real number with the county assessor.
Sales tax: the state charges 2.9% and Clear Creek County adds 1.65%, for 4.55% before any city or special district. See Colorado sales tax rates ->
Source: Colorado Division of Property Taxation, 53rd Annual Report (2023) — Average Levies by County.
Incorporated places in this county
These cities and towns touch Clear Creek County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know Clear Creek County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Outdoors and wildfire
The road up Mount Blue Sky may need a reservation
The scenic byway up Mount Blue Sky from Idaho Springs uses a timed-entry reservation system during the busy season, so a visit takes planning.
Read note ->History and culture
The Argo Mill and Tunnel tell Idaho Springs' gold story
The Argo Mill and Tunnel above Idaho Springs is a preserved gold-era landmark that once drained and processed ore from mines across the district.
Read note ->History and culture
The Georgetown Loop is a railroad built to climb a wall
The Georgetown Loop is a restored narrow-gauge railroad that loops over itself to climb between Georgetown and Silver Plume, with a historic silver-mine tour on the route.
Read note ->History and culture
Georgetown and Silver Plume are a protected piece of mining history
The towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume and the railroad between them form a federally recognized historic district tied to Colorado's silver-mining past.
Read note ->Money and taxes (3)
Money and taxes
The Clear Creek assessor value is not the tax bill
In Clear Creek County, the assessor handles property value and records; the treasurer handles the tax statement and collection.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Clear Creek tax notices follow the owner of record
Property tax notices in Clear Creek go to the owner on the tax roll, so verify the treasurer record after a sale.
Read note ->Home and property (8)
Home and property
Buying a mountain home here often means checking the septic system
Many homes in Clear Creek County use an onsite septic system instead of a sewer, and the county regulates these systems through its own rules.
Read note ->Home and property
Clear Creek property records live in more than one place
Value goes to the assessor, taxes to the treasurer, deeds to the clerk and recorder, and ClearMap covers location — four tools, four questions.
Read note ->Water and land (1)
Outdoors and wildfire (7)
Outdoors and wildfire
Mount Bierstadt is the 14er most people reach from Guanella Pass
Mount Bierstadt, a 14,000-foot peak in the Mount Evans Wilderness, is climbed from the Bierstadt Trailhead on the Guanella Pass road south of Georgetown.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Georgetown bighorn herd is easy to watch from the highway
A well-known herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep lives on the slopes between Georgetown and Silver Plume, but the Georgetown State Wildlife Area that protects them has seasonal access limits.
Read note ->Cars and driving (3)
Cars and driving
Winter driving on I-70 through Clear Creek County has rules
Interstate 70 climbs through Clear Creek County toward the Eisenhower Tunnel, and in winter the state can require vehicles to meet a traction law.
Read note ->Cars and driving
Why there are two ways over the divide here
At the western edge of Clear Creek County, traffic can cross the Continental Divide either through the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel on I-70 or over the older Loveland Pass on US 6.
Read note ->Local rules (6)
Local rules
Check Clear Creek zoning before you sketch the project
Clear Creek zoning sets uses, setbacks, height, signs, and animals, so check your district before building or changing use.
Read note ->Local rules
A deed alone may not create a legal Clear Creek parcel
In unincorporated Clear Creek County, an unapproved deed split can create an illegal subdivision that blocks permits until the parcel is resolved.
Read note ->History and culture (9)
History and culture
Why Idaho Springs exists: an 1859 gold strike
Idaho Springs grew up around an early 1859 gold discovery on Clear Creek that helped launch Colorado's gold rush.
Read note ->History and culture
A French hotel in a silver town: the Hotel de Paris
The Hotel de Paris in Georgetown is a French-styled hotel and restaurant that Louis Dupuy created from an earlier building during the silver boom, now run as a museum.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Foothills counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.