Mountains
Custer County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through Custer 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 Custer County
The average total mill levy across Custer County was about 64.2 mills for tax year 2023 — below the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $2,095 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 Custer County adds 2%, for 4.9% 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 Custer County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know Custer County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Water and land
A pond on a Custer County parcel needs a water right behind it
In the Arkansas River basin, even a small pond can need its own water right, and a pond that has been there for years is not automatically in the clear.
Read note ->History and culture
The Dark Sky Over Westcliffe: Why People Drive Here to Look Up
Westcliffe and Silver Cliff protected their night sky so well they earned Colorado's first International Dark Sky Community certification, and a free in-town observatory lets you see the result.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness rises right above Westcliffe
The high peaks west of Westcliffe sit inside a designated wilderness in the national forest, where the rules are stricter than on ordinary forest land.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
DeWeese Reservoir near Westcliffe is a favorite Wet Mountain Valley fishing spot
DeWeese Reservoir is a beloved Custer County fishing and wildlife-watching spot near Westcliffe, managed as a State Wildlife Area where one easy thing to grab before you go is a license or SWA pass.
Read note ->Money and taxes (5)
Money and taxes
Custer assessor records are about property facts and value
The Custer County assessor discovers, locates, and values taxable property and keeps its records, but does not set the tax rate.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Custer value protests start while the valuation window is open
A set window each year lets Custer County owners question a property valuation with the assessor, with a later appeal step.
Read note ->Home and property (7)
Home and property
A Custer County dwelling permit includes site plan and zoning review
A Custer County dwelling permit covers new primary, manufactured, and modular homes, with site plan and zoning review built in.
Read note ->Home and property
Homes against the forest edge in Custer County share wildfire risk
Many Custer County properties sit where homes meet forest and grassland, where defensible space around the house is a normal part of ownership.
Read note ->Water and land (3)
Water and land
Custer septic work needs the right OWTS permit
Custer County OWTS permits cover septic installs, modifications, repairs, and upgrades, with inspection and approval required.
Read note ->Water and land
Grape Creek below DeWeese carries a trout fishery into a rugged canyon
Grape Creek flows out of DeWeese Reservoir and supports brown and rainbow trout as it runs through remote canyon country, where fishing rules can differ by stretch.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (5)
Outdoors and wildfire
South Colony Road climbs to the high peaks south of Westcliffe
The main Custer County approach to Humboldt Peak and the Crestones runs up Colfax Lane to South Colony Road, where the upper miles need four-wheel drive.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Camping rules in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness keep lakes and streams clear
In the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness above Westcliffe, special rules limit group size and keep camps and campfires set back from lakes and streams.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
A new Custer driveway to a county road needs an access permit
New driveway connections to a Custer County road, and changes to existing ones, need an access permit from Road and Bridge.
Read note ->Cars and driving
Custer vehicle registration starts with proof of insurance
Registering a vehicle in Custer County means bringing proof of insurance with coverage dates, the VIN, make and year, and expiration date.
Read note ->Local rules (4)
Local rules
Custer home businesses start with a home-occupation notice
Running a business from a Custer County home means filing a Notice of Home Occupation and keeping the work low-impact.
Read note ->Local rules
Outside the two towns, the county makes the rules in Custer County
Most land in Custer County is unincorporated, so the county's planning and building offices handle permits and land use rather than a town hall.
Read note ->History and culture (11)
History and culture
A hand-built stone castle rises from the woods on Highway 165
On Highway 165 in the wooded southeastern corner of Custer County, Jim Bishop spent decades hand-building a towering stone-and-iron castle that anyone can visit on a donation basis.
Read note ->History and culture
Custer County started with silver and settled into ranching
Silver Cliff and nearby camps grew from an 1870s mining rush, and when the ore played out the Wet Mountain Valley turned to hay and cattle.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Mountains counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.