Front Range
Larimer County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through Larimer 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 Larimer County
The average total mill levy across Larimer County was about 94.8 mills for tax year 2023 — above the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $3,124 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 Larimer County adds 0.8%, for 3.7% 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 Larimer County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know Larimer County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Outdoors and wildfire
Getting into Rocky Mountain National Park can take a reservation
On busy stretches of the year, Rocky Mountain National Park uses a timed-entry reservation system, so a visit from the Estes Park side may need planning ahead.
Read note ->Water and land
Around Fort Collins, the big reservoirs hold project water from the other side of the mountains
Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake store water brought across the Continental Divide by the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, and that supply is managed separately from any well or city tap.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Cache la Poudre is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River
The Cache la Poudre River, which runs out of the mountains through Larimer County and Fort Collins, carries a national Wild and Scenic River designation that shapes how the canyon is managed.
Read note ->History and culture
Arapaho Bend mixes gravel ponds with an old cabin story
East Fort Collins's Arapaho Bend layers reclaimed gravel ponds, bird habitat, fishing, and the burned ruins of the historic Strauss Cabin.
Read note ->Money and taxes (20)
Money and taxes
Larimer property tax is half-pay or full-pay
Larimer property tax is paid in two equal halves or one full amount; partial payments are not accepted, so send a whole installment.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Larimer tax liens can be redeemed before a deed
An owner or legally interested party can redeem a Larimer County tax lien in cash or certified funds any time before a Treasurer's Deed is executed.
Read note ->Home and property (21)
Home and property
In Larimer County's foothills, defensible space is part of owning a home
Homes along the foothills and canyons west of Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park sit in wildfire country, and the state forest service explains how to prepare a home before there is smoke.
Read note ->Home and property
Larimer County building permits mainly mean unincorporated property
The county handles permits only outside city limits, so confirm a parcel is unincorporated before pricing any project.
Read note ->Water and land (21)
Water and land
A Larimer County well permit can limit outdoor use
A well permit, not the parcel size, sets how the water may be used, so read it before planning gardens, livestock, or outdoor watering.
Read note ->Water and land
In Larimer County, water service is an address-specific question
Water service in Larimer is split among cities, districts, small providers, and wells, so confirm the actual provider for your specific parcel.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (15)
Outdoors and wildfire
The Poudre is a National Heritage Area you can raft through
The Cache la Poudre corridor above Fort Collins is a 45-mile national heritage area honoring Western water law, and summer snowmelt turns the same canyon into the Front Range's go-to whitewater run.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Coyote Ridge is where Fort Collins meets the foothills
Coyote Ridge Natural Area is the visible seam where Fort Collins, prairie, and foothills meet, with connected trails and wide Front Range views.
Read note ->Cars and driving (14)
Cars and driving
Driving Larimer County's canyons: the one weather tip worth knowing
The drive up Big Thompson Canyon west of Loveland is one of Larimer County's prettiest. One thing worth knowing before you go: in a flash flood, leave the car and climb to higher ground.
Read note ->Cars and driving
Larimer after-hours car purchases have a narrow driving rule
After buying a car from a private seller in Larimer County, the after-hours rule lets you drive it only from the seller's storage to yours.
Read note ->Local rules (16)
Local rules
Larimer noxious weeds are more than a messy-yard issue
On Larimer land, certain weeds are a stewardship duty: the Weed District helps you manage them and enforces the state Noxious Weed Act.
Read note ->Local rules
Larimer private-land burns start with the permit question
An Open Burn Permit comes before any private-land ignition in Larimer County, and plans must clear local, state, and federal rules.
Read note ->History and culture (17)
History and culture
The Cameron Peak Fire still shapes the land west of Fort Collins
The 2020 Cameron Peak Fire burned a large stretch of Larimer County's high country, and its burn scar continues to affect flooding, roads, and recreation years later.
Read note ->History and culture
Bobcat Ridge carries homestead traces in a wildlife valley
West of Fort Collins, Bobcat Ridge holds grassy valley, red cliffs, ponderosa pine, wildlife, and old homestead sites in one on-trail natural area.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Front Range counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.