Foothills
Teller County
Property taxes, marriage licenses, vehicle services, and many public records run through Teller 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 Teller County
The average total mill levy across Teller County was about 49.6 mills for tax year 2023 — below the statewide average of about 81 mills. On a $500,000 home, that comes to roughly $1,615 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 Teller County adds 1%, for 3.9% 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 Teller County. Some cross a county line. Every name opens a direct place page, and selected places include a fuller local guide.
Get to know Teller County
The history, land, and character behind the place.
Water and land
On a Teller County mountain lot, your water often starts with a well permit
Many rural Teller County properties rely on a private well, and in Colorado a well needs a permit from the state with limits on how the water can be used.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Teller County is black bear country, and trash is the trigger
The forests around Woodland Park, Divide, and Florissant are black bear habitat, and securing trash, bird feeders, and food is the main way to keep bears wild and out of trouble.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Mueller State Park: elk, bears, and Pikes Peak granite
Mueller State Park west of Pikes Peak in Teller County is a watchable-wildlife park of meadows, granite, and miles of trails, with state-park pass and fishing rules to know before you go.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Crags Trail: Teller County's granite window onto Pikes Peak
A short, family-friendly hike from Crags Campground near Divide threads granite spires below Pikes Peak, and the same trailhead launches the strenuous back route toward the summit.
Read note ->Money and taxes (6)
Money and taxes
A Teller County value protest needs facts about your property
Win a Teller County value protest with your property record and comparable sales, not a neighbor's lower tax bill.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Cripple Creek's casinos send a share of gaming taxes back to Teller County
Colorado taxes the casinos in Cripple Creek, and a set share of that money is routed to Teller County to help with the impacts of gaming.
Read note ->Home and property (6)
Home and property
Start a Teller County property check with the assessor record
The Teller County assessor record is a strong first pass on a parcel, but not a substitute for zoning, title, or survey work.
Read note ->Home and property
Teller County building permits depend on the exact jurisdiction
Which building permit office you use in Teller County depends on the address: the county covers unincorporated land, towns their own.
Read note ->Water and land (2)
Browse 1 more water and land notesOutdoors and wildfire (6)
Outdoors and wildfire
At Florissant Fossil Beds, the fossils stay where they are
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Teller County protects ancient fossils and petrified stumps, and collecting or removing them there is not allowed.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Pike National Forest camping in Teller County has rules by district
Much of Teller County borders Pike National Forest, where dispersed camping and campfires follow Forest Service rules that vary by ranger district and season.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
Teller County motor vehicle work runs through the Clerk and Recorder
Titles, registration, licensing, renewals, and insurance checks for Teller County vehicles run through the Clerk and Recorder.
Read note ->Cars and driving
The Gold Belt byway is a great drive through Teller County's gold towns
The Gold Belt Tour byway links Teller County's gold towns over scenic historic routes like Phantom Canyon and Shelf Road, with some narrow, unpaved, seasonal stretches to plan for.
Read note ->Local rules (3)
Local rules
Check Teller County's current short-term rental page before hosting
Teller County short-term rental rules are still under review, so hosts should check the current county page and the exact city's rules.
Read note ->Local rules
Woodland Park is a home-rule city, so it writes more of its own rules
Woodland Park is a home-rule municipality, which lets it set more of its own local rules than a statutory town and means its code can differ from county and other-town rules.
Read note ->History and culture (5)
History and culture
Cripple Creek's Coal-Fired Steam Train and the Mine Below It
A coal-fired narrow gauge steam train still loops past Cripple Creek's old mines, and a real gold shaft sits just up the road.
Read note ->History and culture
The wild donkeys that wander Cripple Creek all summer
A small herd of free-roaming donkeys, tied to Cripple Creek's gold-mining past, walks the town's streets each summer under the care of the Two Mile High Club.
Read note ->Nearby counties
Other Foothills counties — rules, rates, and districts shift across county lines.