Property tax in La Plata County, Colorado

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in La Plata County, Colorado is $1,552 a year, which is about 0.26% of the county's median home value of $591,500. That effective rate is lower 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 La Plata County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at La Plata County's average effective rate of 0.26% (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: $1,538 / year

Property tax in La Plata County at a glance

La Plata County, Colorado property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,552
Median home value	$591,500
Effective tax rate	0.26%
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 La Plata County compare in Colorado?

Among Colorado's 64 counties, La Plata County has the 60th highest effective property-tax rate: 59 rank higher and 4 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 3110th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Colorado county ranked.

How much do homeowners in La Plata County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across La Plata County's 17,292 owner-occupied homes, 12.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 31.8% pay at least $2,000, and 16.2% pay under $800. Another 5.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by La Plata County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,799	16.2%
$800 to $1,499	5,072	29.3%
$1,500 to $1,999	2,977	17.2%
$2,000 to $2,999	3,395	19.6%
$3,000 or more	2,118	12.2%
No property tax paid	931	5.4%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,641 and owners without one pay $1,402. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $1,552 is about 1.6% of the median income of La Plata County homeowner households, $99,614 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.9% of La Plata 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 La Plata County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,156 in 2015-2019 to $1,552 in 2020-2024, a 34.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 49.5%, from $395,600 to $591,500. 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 La Plata County

La Plata County borders 6 counties, 1 of them across the state line.

La Plata County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
San Juan County, NM	0.68%	$1,317	$193,800
Archuleta County, CO	0.35%	$1,688	$478,100
San Juan County, CO	0.32%	$1,364	$432,500
Hinsdale County, CO	0.31%	$1,359	$437,900
Montezuma County, CO	0.29%	$958	$331,400
Dolores County, CO	0.27%	$659	$247,600
La Plata County, CO (this county)	0.26%	$1,552	$591,500

How is a home assessed in La Plata County?

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

Is there a homestead exemption in La Plata 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 La Plata County. Colorado's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in La Plata 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. La Plata County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your La Plata 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; La Plata 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 La Plata 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.