Western Slope
Moffat County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through Moffat 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 Moffat County
The average total mill levy across Moffat County was about 69.4 mills for tax year 2023 — below the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $2,287 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 Moffat 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 Moffat County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know Moffat County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Water and land
On Moffat County acreage, a well may need an augmentation plan
The Yampa River basin is administered for water rights, so a well on a small Moffat County parcel may not let you water more than the house without an extra supply of water.
Read note ->Water and land
Dinosaur National Monument's Colorado side is canyons, not bones
Dinosaur National Monument straddles Colorado and Utah, but the famous fossil wall is on the Utah side — the Colorado side near the town of Dinosaur is about deep river canyons and overlooks.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Moffat County draws hunters, but the rules change by unit
Northwest Colorado is well known for elk and other big game, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife sets the seasons, units, and license rules that change from year to year.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Rafting the Green and Yampa through Dinosaur requires a permit
Every river trip inside Dinosaur National Monument needs a permit, with different routes for multi-day, one-day, low-use, and play trips.
Read note ->Money and taxes (6)
Money and taxes
Why Moffat County's tax base is in transition
Coal power and coal mining have long been important to Moffat County's property-tax base, and a planned shift away from coal is changing how local services get funded.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Moffat County's assessor values property, then the treasurer bills it
In Moffat County the assessor values property and the treasurer bills it, so where you aim a question depends on which is wrong.
Read note ->Home and property (10)
Home and property
In Moffat County, the map is mostly public land
A large share of Moffat County is federal and state land managed by agencies like the BLM, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service, which shapes what you can buy, build, and reach.
Read note ->Home and property
Moffat County building permits run through a regional department
Moffat County and the City of Craig have combined building departments, with permitting and inspections processed through the regional office.
Read note ->Water and land (5)
Water and land
Elkhead Reservoir offers flat-water boating near Craig
Elkhead Reservoir State Park, northeast of Craig, is a developed lake for boating and fishing, and motorized or trailered watercraft must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection before launching.
Read note ->Water and land
Yampa River State Park is a string of river access points
Yampa River State Park is not one block of land but a chain of boat launches and river sites strung along the Yampa across Moffat and Routt counties, each with its own access.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (3)
Browse 2 more outdoors and wildfire notesCars and driving (1)
Local rules (2)
Local rules
Check Moffat County zoning before changing how land is used
Before changing how Moffat County land is used, check the zoning map, district, and subdivision rules tied to that parcel.
Read note ->Local rules
Most of Moffat County is unincorporated, and that shapes the rules
Outside the towns of Craig and Dinosaur, most addresses in Moffat County fall under county rules for zoning, building, and land use rather than a city's.
Read note ->History and culture (3)
History and culture
Moffat County is named for David Moffat, the railroad financier
The county takes its name from David Moffat, a Denver financier whose railroad pushed into northwest Colorado, and that railroad shaped where towns grew.
Read note ->History and culture
Northwest Colorado was Ute homeland, and that history deserves care
The land that became Moffat County was long the homeland of Ute people, and their removal in the late 1800s opened it to settlement — a history worth learning from official and tribal sources.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Western Slope counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.