Qualifying disabled veterans will receive an exemption on 50% of the first 200,000 of actual property value. Owners of multiple properties can designate only one of those properties for the exemption, and it should be their primary residence. In 2014, Colorado’s Legislature extended this exemption to the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran who previously received the exemption. Surviving spouse applications are submitted to the county assessor.

Requirements 

A qualifying disabled veteran must meet the following requirements: 

• Receive a service-connected disability that was been rated by the federal department of veterans affairs as one hundred percent permanent through disability retirement benefits, OR medically retired at 100% AND
• Must have owned and occupied the property since January 1st of the year in which the Veteran is applying. In some circumstances ownership by a spouse or by a trust or other legal entity may be considered acceptable.

Application Process

Veteran applications for this exemption are made through the Colorado Department of Military Affairs in Denver. The phone number is (303) 914-5832. The application is online at the Division of Veteran Affairs. The Department of Veteran Affairs will qualify the veteran as eligible and the Summit County Assessor's Office will confirm that the ownership and residency requirements are met. A surviving spouse may submit the Veteran Surviving Spouse Application (pdf) directly to the Assessor's Office 

Application Deadline

The deadline is July 1 in the tax year of application. The exemption only must be applied for once if approved, and remains in effect for subsequent years as long as the ownership and occupancy do not change. 

For more information on the program, please refer to this brochure: Veteran Exemption Brochure (pdf)