Property tax in Arapahoe County, Colorado

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Arapahoe County, Colorado is $2,938 a year, which is about 0.52% of the county's median home value of $561,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical Colorado county (0.39%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Arapahoe County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Arapahoe County's average effective rate of 0.52% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $2,918 / year

Property tax in Arapahoe County at a glance

Arapahoe County, Colorado property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$2,938
Median home value	$561,200
Effective tax rate	0.52%
Typical Colorado county rate	0.39%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Arapahoe County compare in Colorado?

Among Colorado's 64 counties, Arapahoe County has the 7th highest effective property-tax rate: 6 rank higher and 57 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2561st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Colorado county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Arapahoe County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Arapahoe County's 166,534 owner-occupied homes, 47.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 72.3% pay at least $2,000, and 3.5% pay under $800. Another 2.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Arapahoe County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	5,861	3.5%
$800 to $1,499	15,611	9.4%
$1,500 to $1,999	20,429	12.3%
$2,000 to $2,999	41,869	25.1%
$3,000 or more	78,608	47.2%
No property tax paid	4,156	2.5%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,975 and owners without one pay $2,844. That is within 10% either way, so in Arapahoe County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Arapahoe County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $2,938 is about 2.3% of the median income of Arapahoe County homeowner households, $127,117 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 64.7% of Arapahoe County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Arapahoe County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,978 in 2015-2019 to $2,938 in 2020-2024, a 48.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 56.7%, from $358,200 to $561,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Arapahoe County

Arapahoe County borders 7 counties.

Arapahoe County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Adams County, CO	0.61%	$2,962	$484,200
Douglas County, CO	0.55%	$3,947	$713,600
Arapahoe County, CO (this county)	0.52%	$2,938	$561,200
Jefferson County, CO	0.48%	$3,082	$637,600
Denver County, CO	0.45%	$2,751	$616,000
Elbert County, CO	0.45%	$3,214	$709,800
Lincoln County, CO	0.44%	$1,092	$246,500
Washington County, CO	0.39%	$874	$226,200

How is a home assessed in Arapahoe County?

Colorado assesses homes at 6.8% of market value in every county, Arapahoe County included. How Colorado assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Arapahoe County?

No. Colorado has no general homestead exemption; the closest broad relief is a 10% reduction on the first $700,000 of value for the local government portion, which applies to all residential property. That is the Colorado rule, and it applies in Arapahoe County. Colorado's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Arapahoe County?

Bills cover the preceding year and are mailed soon after January 1. If your tax is over $25 you can pay in full by April 30 or in two halves due the last day of February and June 15. Bills of $25 or less must be paid in full by April 30.

Colorado splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Colorado rule. Arapahoe County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Arapahoe County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County assessor, then the County Board of Equalization, then the Board of Assessment Appeals, district court, or binding arbitration. The filing deadline is typically June 8. That is the Colorado rule; Arapahoe County sets the exact dates and forms. The Colorado appeal process step by step.

Colorado rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Colorado page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Arapahoe County, Colorado: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.