As used in articles 1 to 13 of this title 39, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1.1) "Agricultural and livestock products" means plant or animal products in a raw or unprocessed state that are derived from the science and art of agriculture, regardless of the use of the product after its sale and regardless of the entity that purchases the product. "Agriculture", for the purposes of this subsection (1.1), means farming, ranching, animal husbandry, and horticulture.
(1.3) "Agricultural equipment which is used on the farm or ranch in the production of agricultural products":
(2.5) "Bed and breakfast" means an overnight lodging establishment, whether owned by a natural person or any legal entity, that is a residential dwelling unit or an appurtenance thereto, in which the innkeeper resides, or that is a building designed but not necessarily occupied as a single family residence that is next to, or directly across the street from, the innkeeper's residence, and in either circumstance, in which:
(3.1) "Commercial lodging area" means a guest room or a private or shared bathroom within a bed and breakfast that is offered for the exclusive use of paying guests on a nightly or weekly basis. Classification of a guest room or a bathroom as a "commercial lodging area" shall be based on whether at any time during a year such rooms are offered by an innkeeper as nightly or weekly lodging to guests for a fee. Classification shall not be based on the number of days that such rooms are actually occupied by paying guests.
(3.2) "Conservation purpose" means any of the following purposes as set forth in section 170 (h) of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended:
(3.5) "Farm" means a parcel of land which is used to produce agricultural products that originate from the land's productivity for the primary purpose of obtaining a monetary profit.
(3.7) "Fee simple estate" means the largest possible estate allowed by law, an estate that has potentially infinite duration.
(4.3) "Forest land" means land of which at least ten percent is stocked by forest trees of any size and includes land that formerly had such tree cover and that will be naturally or artificially regenerated. "Forest land" includes roadside, streamside, and shelterbelt strips of timber which have a crown width of at least one hundred twenty feet. "Forest land" includes unimproved roads and trails, streams, and clearings which are less than one hundred twenty feet wide.
(4.4) "Forest management plan" means an agreement which includes a plan to aid the owner of forest land in increasing the health, vigor, and beauty of such forest land through use of forest management practices and which has been either executed between the owner of forest land and the Colorado state forest service or executed between the owner of forest land and a professional forester and has been reviewed and has received a favorable recommendation from the Colorado state forest service. The Colorado forest service shall annually inspect each parcel of land subject to a forest management plan to determine if the terms and conditions of such plan are being complied with and shall report by March 1 of each year to the assessor in each affected county the legal descriptions of the properties and the names of their owners that are eligible for the agricultural classification. The report shall also contain the legal descriptions of those properties and the names of their owners that no longer qualify for the agricultural classification because of noncompliance with their forest management plans. No property shall be entitled to the agricultural classification unless the legal description and the name of the owner appear on the report submitted by the Colorado state forest service. The Colorado state forest service shall charge a fee for the inspection of each parcel of land in such amount for the reasonable costs incurred by the Colorado state forest service in conducting such inspections. Such fee shall be paid by the owner of such land prior to such inspection. Any fees collected pursuant to this subsection (4.4) shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly.
(4.5) "Forest management practices" means practices accepted by professional foresters which control forest establishment, composition, density, and growth for the purpose of producing forest products and associated amenities following sound business methods and technical forestry principles.
(4.6) "Forest trees" means woody plants which have a well-developed stem or stems, which are usually more than twelve feet in height at maturity, and which have a generally well-defined crown.
(5.6) "Hotels and motels" as defined in subsection (5.5) of this section shall not include bed and breakfasts.
(6.3) "Improvements" means all structures, buildings, fixtures, fences, and water rights erected upon or affixed to land, whether or not title to such land has been acquired.
(6.8) "Independently owned residential solar electric generation facility" means personal property that:
(7.1) "Innkeeper" means the owner, operator, or manager of a bed and breakfast.
(7.2) "Inventories of merchandise and materials and supplies which are held for consumption by a business or are held primarily for sale" means those classes of personal property which are held primarily for sale by a business, farm, or ranch, including components of personal property to be held for sale, or which are held for consumption by a business, farm, or ranch, or which are rented for thirty days or less. For the purposes of this subsection (7.2), "personal property rented for thirty days or less" means personal property rented for thirty days or less which can be returned at the option of the person renting the property, in a transaction on which the sales or use tax is actually collected before being finally sold, whether or not such personal property is subject to depreciation. It is the purpose of the general assembly to exempt "personal property rented for thirty days or less" from property tax because of the similarity of such property to inventories of merchandise held by retail stores. Further, the general assembly intends this exemption to encompass a transaction under a rental agreement in which the customer pays rent in order to use an item for a brief period of time; it is not intended to encompass an equipment lease contract covering a specific period of time and which includes financial penalties for early cancellation. Except for "personal property rented for thirty days or less", the term "inventories of merchandise and materials and supplies which are held for consumption by a business or are held primarily for sale" does not include personal property which is held for rent or lease or is subject to an allowance for depreciation. For property tax years commencing on or after January 1, 1984, the term does include inventory which is owned by and which is in the possession of the manufacturer of such inventory unless:
(7.5) Repealed.
(7.7) "Livestock" includes all animals.
(7.8) "Manufactured home" means any preconstructed building unit or combination of preconstructed building units that:
(7.9) "Minerals in place" means, without exception, metallic and nonmetallic mineral substances of every kind while in the ground.
(8.3) "Modular home" means any preconstructed factory-built building that:
(8.4) "Natural cause" means fire, explosion, flood, tornado, action of the elements, act of war or terror, or similar cause beyond the control of and not caused by the party holding title to the property destroyed.
(8.5) "Not for private gain or corporate profit" means the ownership and use of property whereby no person with any connection to the owner thereof shall receive any pecuniary benefit except for reasonable compensation for services rendered and any excess income over expenses derived from the operation or use of the property and all proceeds from the sale of the property of the owner shall be devoted to the furthering of any exempt purpose.
(8.7) "Perpetual conservation easement" means a conservation easement in gross, as described in article 30.5 of title 38, C.R.S., that qualifies as a perpetual conservation restriction pursuant to section 170 (h) of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended, and any regulations issued thereunder.
(12.1) Repealed.
(12.3) and (12.4) Repealed.
(12.5) "Professional forester" means any person who has received a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited school of forestry.
(13.2) "Qualified organization" means a qualified organization as defined in section 170 (h)(3) of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended.
(13.5) "Ranch" means a parcel of land which is used for grazing livestock for the primary purpose of obtaining a monetary profit. For the purposes of this subsection (13.5), "livestock" means domestic animals which are used for food for human or animal consumption, breeding, draft, or profit.
(14.3) "Residential improvements" means a building, or that portion of a building, designed for use predominantly as a place of residency by a person, a family, or families. The term includes buildings, structures, fixtures, fences, amenities, and water rights that are an integral part of the residential use. The term also includes a manufactured home as defined in subsection (7.8) of this section, a mobile home as defined in subsection (8) of this section, and a modular home as defined in subsection (8.3) of this section.
(14.5) "Residential real property" means residential land and residential improvements but does not include hotels and motels as defined in subsection (5.5) of this section.
Source: L. 64: R&RE, p. 674, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 137-1-1. L. 65: p. 1095, § 1. L. 67: p. 945, § 1. L. 70: p. 379, § 8. L. 73: p. 237, § 17. L. 75: (8) repealed, p. 1473, § 30, effective July 18. L. 77: (7.5), (12.3), and (12.4) added, p. 1728, § 1, effective June 20; (8) RC&RE, p. 1740, § 1, effective January 1, 1978. L. 78: (12.1) added, p. 467, § 1, effective July 1. L. 79: (12.1) amended, p. 1400, § 1, effective March 13; (12.1)(a) amended, p. 1059, § 9, effective June 20; (12.1) repealed, p. 1456, § 4, effective July 1, 1981. L. 80: (18) added, p. 711, § 1, effective April 16. L. 81: (12.1)(d) R&RE, p. 1872, § 4, effective June 29; (12.1)(a)(II) amended, § 5, effective July 1. L. 83: (15) repealed, p. 1485, § 11, effective April 22; (1.1), (1.3), (1.6), (3.5), (5.5), (7.2), (7.8), (13.5), and (14.3) to (14.5) added, (5) repealed, and (12.3)(b) amended, pp. 1486, 1488, §§ 1, 6, 4, effective June 1. L. 84: (7.2) amended, p. 983, § 1, effective May 8. L. 85: IP(7.2) amended and (7.9) added, pp. 1215, 1210, §§ 1, 2, effective May 9. L. 87: (1.3) amended, p. 1382, § 1, effective May 8; (7.5), (12.3), and (12.4) repealed, p. 1304, § 1, effective May 20. L. 88: (4) and (11) amended and (12.1) repealed, pp. 1269, 1275, §§ 4, 14, effective May 29. L. 89: (15.5) added, p. 1482, § 3, effective April 23. L. 90: (1.6)(a) amended, (4.3) to (4.6) and (12.5) added, p. 1706, § 1, effective April 16; (9) amended, p. 450, § 26, effective April 18; (1.6)(a) and (13.5) amended and (8.5) added, pp. 1695, 1703, 1701, §§ 16, 37, 33, effective June 9. L. 91: IP(7.2) amended, p. 1980, § 1, effective April 20; (8) amended, p. 1394, § 2, effective April 27. L. 92: (4) amended, p. 2216, § 3, effective June 2. L. 94: (8) and (14.3) amended, p. 2568, § 86, effective January 1, 1995. L. 95: IP(1.6)(a) amended and (1.6)(a)(III), (3.2), (8.7), and (13.2) added, pp. 173, 174, §§ 1, 2, effective April 7. L. 97: (1.1) and (1.6) amended, p. 509, § 1, effective April 24. L. 98: (11) amended, p. 1276, § 1, effective June 1. L. 99: (15.5) amended, p. 1299, § 1, effective June 3. L. 2000: (15.5)(a)(II) amended, p. 1499, § 1, effective August 2. L. 2001: (2) and (17) amended, p. 268, § 14, effective November 15. L. 2002: (5.5) amended, p. 1939, § 1, effective August 7; (2.5), (3.1), (5.6), and (7.1) added, (5.5)(a)(IV) repealed, and (14.4) amended, pp. 1671, 1673, §§ 1, 3, effective January 1, 2003. L. 2004: (1.6)(a)(I) amended, p. 1208, § 86, effective August 4. L. 2008: (14.3) amended, p. 1914, § 129, effective August 5. L. 2009: (7.7) and (8.3) added and (7.8), (8), and (14.3) amended, (SB-040), ch. 9, p. 70, § 12, effective July 1; (8.5) amended, (SB 09-042), ch. 176, p. 779, § 1, effective August 5. L. 2010: (1.1) amended, (SB 10-177), ch. 392, p. 1861, § 1, effective August 11; (1.6)(a)(III) amended, (HB 10-1197), ch. 175, p. 634, § 1, effective August 11; (6.3) and (6.8) added and (7) and (11) amended, (HB10-1267), ch. 425, p. 2198, § 1, effective August 11. L. 2011: (8.4) added and (14.4) amended, (HB 11-1042), ch. 138, p. 479, § 1, effective May 4; (1.6)(d) added, (HB 11-1043), ch. 266, p. 1213, § 23, effective July 1; (1.6)(a)(I) and (14.4) amended, (HB 11-1146), ch. 166, p. 571, § 1, effective January 1, 2012. L. 2013: (14.4)(a) amended, (HB 13-1300), ch. 316, p. 1699, § 116, effective August 7. L. 2014: (8.5) amended, (HB 14-1349), ch. 230, p. 854, § 4, effective May 17; (1.6)(b) amended, (SB 14-043), ch. 53, p. 248, § 1, effective August 6. L. 2016: (14.4)(b)(II)(A) amended, (SB 16-012), ch. 66, p. 169, § 1, effective April 5. L. 2017: IP, (1.1), and (1.3) amended, (SB 17-302), ch. 311, p. 1675, § 1, effective June 2. L. 2018: (14.4)(c) added, (HB 18-1283), ch. 270, p. 1665, § 1, effective August 8. L. 2019: (5.5)(c)(VIII) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1727, § 249, effective October 1. L. 2020: (17) amended, (HB 20-1077), ch. 80, p. 324, § 5, effective September 14. L. 2021: (3.7) added, (HB 21-1312), ch. 299, p. 1791, § 3, effective July 1; (14.4)(a) amended, (HB 21-1061), ch. 63, p. 252, § 1, effective September 7.
Cross references: (1) For the creation of the property tax administrator, see § 39-2-101.
(2) For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1312, see section 1 of chapter 299, Session Laws of Colorado 2021.
Structure Colorado Code
Article 1 - General Provisions
§ 39-1-101. Legislative Declaration
§ 39-1-101.5. Legislative Declaration - Taxpayer Rights
§ 39-1-103. Actual Value Determined - When
§ 39-1-103.5. Restrictions on Information
§ 39-1-104. Valuation for Assessment - Definitions
§ 39-1-104.2. Adjustment of Residential Rate - Legislative Declaration - Definitions
§ 39-1-104.5. Severed Mineral Interest - Placement on Tax Roll
§ 39-1-106. Partial Interests Not Subject to Separate Tax
§ 39-1-108. Payment of Taxes - Grantor and Grantee
§ 39-1-109. Taxes Paid by Mortgagee - Effect
§ 39-1-110. Notice - Formation of Political Subdivision - Boundary Change of Special District
§ 39-1-111. Taxes Levied by Board of County Commissioners
§ 39-1-111.5. Temporary Property Tax Credits and Temporary Mill Levy Rate Reductions
§ 39-1-112. Taxes Available - When
§ 39-1-113. Abatement and Refund of Taxes
§ 39-1-114. Who May Administer Oath
§ 39-1-115. Records Prima Facie Evidence
§ 39-1-116. Penalty for Divulging Confidential Information
§ 39-1-116. Penalty for Divulging Confidential Information
§ 39-1-117. Prior Actions Not Affected
§ 39-1-118. Repeal of Law Levying State Property Tax - Disposition of Funds
§ 39-1-119. Funds Held for Payment of Taxes - Refund - Reduction and Increase of Amounts - Penalty
§ 39-1-120. Filing - When Deemed to Have Been Made
§ 39-1-123. Property Tax Reimbursement - Property Destroyed by Natural Cause