Legislature reinstates senior exemption; deadline July 15
PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2012
Legislature reinstates senior exemption; deadline July 15
Glenwood Springs, CO – The legislature of the State of Colorado voted to fund the Senior Citizen Property Tax exemption for 2012. Fifty percent of the first $200,000 of the actual value of qualifying senior’s homes will be exempted from property tax, and the State of Colorado will pay this amount.
Senior citizens must take immediate action.
A July 15 deadline is fast approaching for homeowners to apply for the Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption for 2012. It applies to homeowners ages 65 and older, who have owned and lived in their homes for the past ten years.
The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners is pleased that the state legislature is supporting seniors and disabled veterans by reinstituting support of the property tax exemption.
To apply, residents must complete either the short or long form application, depending on their specific qualifications, and return this information to the County Assessor by July 15, 2012.
Both applications are available on the Garfield County website at: https://www.garfield-county.com/assessor/senior-exemptions.aspx. This information is available from the top of any page in the Garfield County website under “for seniors” on the “Senior Tax Exemption” tab.
Anyone who needs more information before printing the forms should call the Garfield County Assessor’s Office at 970-945-9134.
To qualify for a senior exemption, the following basic requirements must be met. The “short form” can be used for seniors who meet each of these basic requirements:
- Must be at least 65 years old on January 1 of the year the application is filed; and
- Must be the current owner of record, and listed as the owner of record for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1; and
- Must occupy the property as his/her primary residence, and must have done so for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1.
Applicants who meet one or more of the exceptions below to the basic qualifications can use the “long form” senior exemption application:
- Ownership is in the spouse’s name, and the spouse also occupies the property;
- Ownership has been transferred to or purchased by a trust, corporate partnership or other legal entity solely for estate planning purposes;
- The qualifying senior or his/her spouse was, or is, confined to a health care facility
- The applicant was forced to move when the prior residence was condemned in an eminent domain proceeding;
- The applicant is the surviving spouse of a senior who met the requirements on January 1, 2002 or on any January 1 thereafter.