Western Slope
San Juan County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through San Juan 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 San Juan County
The average total mill levy across San Juan County was about 42.4 mills for tax year 2023 — below the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $1,368 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 San Juan County adds 6.5%, for 9.4% 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 San Juan County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know San Juan County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Outdoors and wildfire
The Weminuche Wilderness fills much of San Juan County's high country
The Weminuche is Colorado's largest designated wilderness, spreading across San Juan County's peaks with strict no-motor, no-bike rules and a 15-person group limit.
Read note ->Water and land
Outside Silverton, a well permit decides how much water a property really has
A rural San Juan County property served by a well depends on its state well permit, which sets what the water can legally be used for.
Read note ->History and culture
The Durango–Silverton train was built to haul ore, not tourists
The narrow-gauge railroad that climbs to Silverton was built in the early 1880s to move ore and supplies, and it is now a National Historic Landmark that still runs in summer.
Read note ->History and culture
Mayflower Mill: Silverton's ore mill still set up to run
Two miles outside Silverton, the Mayflower Mill keeps its original 1930 ore-processing machinery in place, and the historical society opens it for self-guided summer tours.
Read note ->Money and taxes (1)
Home and property (1)
Water and land (2)
Browse 1 more water and land notesOutdoors and wildfire (8)
Outdoors and wildfire
Old mine drainage near Silverton is under a long-term Superfund cleanup
Old mines around Silverton drain metals into the upper Animas River, and the area is a federal Superfund site under long-term cleanup.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Silverton Mountain: One old chairlift, no easy way down
A single old double chairlift north of Silverton serves nothing but ungroomed expert terrain, where everyone carries an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe.
Read note ->Cars and driving (3)
Cars and driving
Getting to Silverton in winter means watching Red Mountain Pass
US 550 over Red Mountain Pass north of Silverton can close for snow and avalanche control, so winter travel here depends on checking the road first.
Read note ->Cars and driving
The Alpine Loop near Silverton is a backcountry byway, not a casual drive
The Alpine Loop links Silverton to high passes and old mining sites on rough roads that need the right vehicle and are closed by snow much of the year.
Read note ->Local rules (2)
Local rules
In San Juan County, a small statutory government makes the local rules
San Juan County runs as a statutory county with the Town of Silverton inside it, so who sets the rules depends on which jurisdiction an address falls under.
Read note ->Local rules
San Juan County has one tiny K–12 school district in Silverton
The whole county is served by one small public school district based in Silverton, where all grades share a single historic building, which shapes options for families moving here.
Read note ->History and culture (8)
History and culture
Most of Silverton sits inside a National Historic Landmark district
Much of the town of Silverton is a National Historic Landmark district recognized for its mining-era buildings, which is worth knowing if you own or change a property there.
Read note ->History and culture
Ride a mine train deep into Galena Mountain at the Old Hundred
Up Cunningham Gulch east of Silverton, the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour rides a vintage electric mine train a third of a mile into Galena Mountain, with former miners running the old machines and free gold panning afterward.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Western Slope counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.