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El Paso County is included in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located in the east central part of Colorado (see map below) and has a population of about 699,000 people, making it the second-most populous county in the state after the City and County of Denver.
Map of El Paso County, Colorado
The county consists of more than 2,158 square miles, and the western portion is heavily mountainous while the eastern portion is primarily prairie land where dairy cows and beef cattle graze. The county’s natural scenic beauty inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” following her visit there in 1893. In fact, more than 5.2 million tourists visit El Paso County to enjoy the 300 days of sunshine each year as well as the more than 55 natural and manmade major attractions and the 156 state, county and city parks available throughout the county.
The county seat of El Paso County is located in Colorado Springs. Interestingly, El Paso County was a territorial county in 1861, 15 years prior to Colorado’s statehood in 1876. The county is also home to the majestic Rainbow Falls Historic Site located on Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs, Colorado which became the property of the county in June 2010. The median household income in El Paso County is $63,882 and the civilian workforce currently stands at about 314,000. In addition, the median value of properly located in El Paso County is nearly a quarter million dollars, with a healthy 7% annual growth rate.
It is the statutory responsibility of the El Paso Assessor to identify, list, classify and value all property within the county. To this end, the El Paso Assessor is responsible for the collection and administration of a wide range of data that are used to calculate property values throughout the county. The El Paso Assessor’s Office is also tasked with providing certified values as well as the State of Colorado’s Division of Local Affairs DLG-57 form to each Taxing Entity located in the county twice annually. All taxes assessed in El Paso County are distributed equally according to the value of taxpayers’ property. The percentage of actual value of all residential property, however, is established by the Colorado state legislature and is currently set at 7.20% while all commercial, industrial, and personal property is valued at 29%.
The Assessor’s Land Department is tasked with establishing the value of all vacant, improved, or agricultural land in El Paso County. In addition, Land Department staff members are also responsible for conducting physical property inspections for the purposes of classification and valuation. At present, the Vacant Land assessment rate is 29% in El Paso County. Likewise, the Assessor’s Office is responsible for administering the state’s Senior Property Tax Exemptions and the Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemptions.
The Assessor’s Commercial Real Estate Department is responsible for valuing commercial (including non-residential land and buildings generally used to produce rent income, provide services or serve as manufacturing sites), multi-family residential, and industrial properties within the county.
The El Paso County Assessor’s Office also maintains a useful GIS parcel numbering and legal descriptions on its Web site using the three common methods for describing land in Colorado stipulated by state law: (1) the U.S. Governmental Survey System or Rectangular Survey System, (2) Metes and Bounds, and (3) Recorded Plat. It is important to note, though, that under Colorado State law, residential properties can only be valued by the market approach to value which is defined by the Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal, 3rd Edition as: “The most probable price, as of a specified date, in cash, or in terms equivalent to cash, or in other precisely revealed terms for which the specified property rights should sell after reasonable exposure in a competitive market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, with the buyer and seller each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and for self-interest, and assuming that neither is under undue duress.”
Finally, the Assessor’s Office is responsible for re-appraisal during odd-numbered years. All of the real property in the county is reviewed and new values are then established for the purposes of ad valorem taxation. During the most recent re-appraisal in 2017, the county reported a total of 253,197 active real property parcels (this figure also includes mobile homes). In May of odd-numbered re-assessment years, the County Assessor’s Office mails all property owners a Notice of Valuation which is used to inform them of any decrease or increase in their property valuation together with information concerning their right to appeal the new value. The Assessor’s Office also ensures that agricultural lands are valued fairly and farmers and ranchers are not placed in the same categories as city dwellers. Similarly, natural resources such as mines and mineral interests also have their own classifications and are compared with other like-use properties in order to fairly value them.
Mr. Steve Schleiker
1675 Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 2300
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907
(719) 520-6600
asrweb@elpasoco.com
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays
Located almost smack-dab in the middle of the state, El Paso County’s population of nearly 700,000 people make it the second-most populous county in the state, trailing only the City and County of Denver. The combination of mountains, prairies and manmade and natural major attractions are a major draw for El Paso County, with more than 5.2 million tourists visiting the county each year. The citizens of El Paso County are fortunate to enjoy the professional services provided by Mr. Steve Schleiker and his staff, and virtually all assessor services provided are conveniently available directly online through the Assessor’s website.
