GILPIN COUNTY OFFICE OF THE ASSESSOR
Anne Schafer, Assessor   
Phone:  303-582-5451    Fax:  303-565-1798  Email: aschafer@co.gilpin.co.us
203 Eureka Street    P.O. Box 338, Central City, CO  80427

The Protest/Appeals Process
Protest Form information
Protest Form
Protest Appeals Calendar

What are the grounds for a protest?  A protest is an opportunity for a property owner to question accuracy of the value the county has placed on their property.

Reasons for a protest might be an incorrect property record. – You have an unfinished basement, not finished; you have a carport, not a garage; or your home has 1,600 not 2,000 square feet; acreage or square footage of land is incorrect. You may also protest if the assessed value is too high or to low; submitting evidence in the form of an appraisal done during the valuing time period.

Employees of the Assessor’s office will do everything within their means to help you get the information you need for a protest. Please view them as an ally, not an adversary. Please double check that your protest has been signed and a daytime phone number is included.

If you think your value is correct, but your taxes are too high, this is an issue you must take up with the officials who determine budgets for each taxing authority. Taxes can not be protested through the Assessor’s office.

Protests by Mail:  If you choose to mail a written protest, you may elect to complete the protest form located on the back side of your Notice of Valuation or fill out the form on the county web site. Click here for Protest Form. To preserve the right to protest, the real property protest must be postmarked no later than June 1. If the date for filing a protest falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the protest is deemed to have been timely filed if postmarked on the next business day.

Protests by Fax:  A written protest may also be faxed to our office. Use the protest form located on the back side of your Notice of Valuation, or fill out the form on the county web site. Click here for Protest Form, complete, sign and fax to 303-565-1798. To preserve your right to protest, your faxed protest must be received in our office no later than 5:00 P.M. on June 1. If you are faxing your protest on June 1, be sure to allow enough time in the event that others are also faxing their protests at the last minute. We will not accept any protest time-stamped after 5:00 p.m. on that date.

Protests in Person:  One of the staff will accept your protest and double check that all pertinent information is contained. Please keep in mind we have a limited staff and cannot guarantee that an appraiser will be able to see you at the time of submission, but one of the appraisers will contact property owners to schedule appointments for on site visits. Written protests may be presented in person no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 1.

Business Personal Property Protests:  Personal property Notices of Valuation are mailed no later than June 15. The Assessor conducts hearings on personal property valuation protests beginning June 15 and continuing through July 5. Protest procedures are identical to procedures for real property protests, although the dates are different. Written personal property protests must be postmarked on or before July 2nd. Faxed and hand delivered written protests will be accepted through 5 p.m., July 5. 

Assessors Determination:  The Assessor must make a decision on all Real property protests and mail a Notice of Determination (NOD) to you before the last regular working day in June.  The decisions for Personal Property will be mailed July 10.

Appealing the Assessor’s Decision:  If you disagree with the Assessor’s determination, you may file a written appeal with the County Board of Equalization (CBOE) on or before July 15 for real property and on or before July 20 for personal property. The CBOE schedules and completes their hearings before August 5. The board must notify you in writing within five business days after their decision is made. If you are satisfied with the CBOE decision, the process ends there.  If not, there are three options:

-Go to binding Arbitration
-Appeal to the Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA), or
-Go to District Court

 You must appeal within 30 days of the CBOE decision.  If you choose Arbitration after the CBOE decision, the decision reached at Arbitration is final and not subject to review. If you are satisfied with the decision rendered by either the BAA or District Court, the process ends there. If, however, the decision rendered by either the BAA or District Court is unsatisfactory, you may then appeal to the Court of Appeals within 30 days of the BAA decision or 45 days of a District Court decision. The only appeal beyond that is to the Colorado Supreme Court. 

Protest/Appeals Calendar