Colorado Code
Part 5 - Special Rules
§ 39-22-522. Credit Against Tax - Conservation Easements - Definition

(2.5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section and the requirements of section 12-15-106, for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2011, a taxpayer conveying a conservation easement and claiming a credit pursuant to this section shall, in addition to any other requirements of this section and the requirements of section 12-15-106, submit a claim for the credit to the division of conservation in the department of regulatory agencies. The division shall issue a certificate for the claims received in the order submitted. After certificates have been issued for credits that exceed an aggregate of twenty-two million dollars for all taxpayers for the 2011 and 2012 calendar years, thirty-four million dollars for the 2013 calendar year, and forty-five million dollars for each calendar year thereafter, any claims that exceed the amount allowed for a specified calendar year shall be placed on a wait list in the order submitted and a certificate shall be issued for use of the credit in the next year for which the division has not issued credit certificates in excess of the amounts specified in this subsection (2.5); except that no more than fifteen million dollars in claims shall be placed on the wait list in any given calendar year. The division shall not issue credit certificates that exceed twenty-two million dollars in each of the 2011 and 2012 calendar years, thirty-four million dollars for the 2013 calendar year, and forty-five million dollars for each calendar year thereafter. No claim for a credit is allowed for any income tax year commencing on or after January 1, 2011, unless a certificate has been issued by the division. If all other requirements under section 12-15-106 and this section are met, the right to claim the credit is vested in the taxpayer at the time a credit certificate is issued.
(2.7) Notwithstanding any other provision, for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2014, no claim for a credit shall be allowed unless a tax credit certificate is issued by the division of real estate prior to May 30, 2018, or by the division of conservation on or after May 30, 2018, in accordance with sections 12-15-105 and 12-15-106 and, for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2014, but prior to January 1, 2022, the taxpayer files the tax credit certificate with the income tax return filed with the department of revenue.

(3.3) The appraisal for a conservation easement in gross donated prior to January 1, 2014, and for which a credit is claimed shall be a qualified appraisal from a qualified appraiser, as those terms are defined in section 170 (f)(11) of the internal revenue code. The appraisal shall be in conformance with the uniform standards of professional appraisal practice promulgated by the appraisal standards board of the appraisal foundation and any other provision of law. The appraiser shall hold a valid license as a certified general appraiser in accordance with the provisions of part 6 of article 10 of title 12. If there is a final determination, other than by settlement of the taxpayer, that an appraisal submitted in connection with a claim for a credit pursuant to this section is a substantial or gross valuation misstatement as such misstatements are defined in section 1219 of the federal "Pension Protection Act of 2006", Pub.L. 109-280, the department shall submit a complaint regarding the misstatement to the board of real estate appraisers for disciplinary action in accordance with the provisions of part 6 of article 10 of title 12.

(3.7) If the gain on the sale of a conservation easement in gross for which a credit is claimed pursuant to this section would not have been a long-term capital gain, as defined under the internal revenue code, if, at the time of the donation, the taxpayer had sold the conservation easement at its fair market value, then the value of the conservation easement in gross for the purpose of calculating the amount of the credit shall be reduced to the taxpayer's tax basis in the conservation easement in gross. The tax basis of a taxpayer in a conservation easement shall be determined and allocated pursuant to sections 170 (e) and 170 (h) of the internal revenue code, as amended, and any federal regulations promulgated in connection with such sections. This subsection (3.7) shall be applied in a manner that is consistent with the tax treatment of qualified conservation contributions under the internal revenue code and the federal regulations promulgated under the internal revenue code.
(3.8) Repealed.

(II.5) For a conservation easement in gross created in accordance with article 30.5 of title 38 that is donated on or after January 1, 2015, but prior to January 1, 2021, to a governmental entity or a charitable organization described in section 38-30.5-104 (2), the credit provided for in subsection (2) of this section shall be an amount equal to seventy-five percent of the first one hundred thousand dollars of the fair market value of the donated portion of such conservation easement in gross when created, and fifty percent of all amounts of the donation in excess of one hundred thousand dollars; except that in no case shall the credit exceed five million dollars per donation. Credits shall be issued in increments of no more than one million five hundred thousand dollars per year. Credits for easements donated in a prior year shall be eligible for tax credit certificates in subsequent years in order of application and before new applications and those credit applications, if any, on the wait list.
(II.7) For a conservation easement in gross created in accordance with article 30.5 of title 38 that is donated on or after January 1, 2021, to a governmental entity or a charitable organization described in section 38-30.5-104 (2), the credit provided for in subsection (2) of this section is an amount equal to ninety percent of the fair market value of the donated portion of such conservation easement in gross when created; except that in no case shall the credit exceed five million dollars per donation. Credits shall be issued in increments of no more than one million five hundred thousand dollars per year. Credits for easements donated in a prior year are eligible for tax credit certificates in subsequent years in order of application and before new applications and those credit applications, if any, on the wait list.

Source: L. 99: Entire section added, p. 976, § 1, effective August 4. L. 2000: (4), (5), and (6) amended and (7) and (8) added, p. 894, § 1, effective August 2. L. 2001: (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5)(b)(III) amended, p. 395, § 6, effective August 8; (1), (2), (3), (4), (5)(b)(III), (6), (7)(a), (7)(b) amended and (7)(e) and (7)(f) added, p. 901, § 1, effective January 1, 2003. L. 2002: (2) amended and (9) added, p. 510, § 1, effective August 7; (2) amended and (9) added, p. 511, § 2, effective January 1, 2003. L. 2005: (3.5), (7)(g), (7)(h), (7)(i), and (7)(j) added, pp. 1479, 1480, §§ 1, 2, effective June 7. L. 2006: (4) amended, p. 822, § 1, effective August 7. L. 2007: (3), (3.5), and (7)(i) amended and (3.3), (10), and (11) added, p. 1228, § 3, effective August 3. L. 2008: (3)(b), (3)(e), IP(3)(f), (3)(f)(I), (3.3), and (3.5) amended and (3.7) added, p. 2316, § 8, effective July 1. L. 2010: (2.5) added, (HB 10-1197), ch. 175, p. 635, § 4, effective August 11. L. 2011: (2.5) amended, (HB 11-1300), ch. 193, p. 753, § 4, effective May 19. L. 2013: (2), (2.5), IP(3), (3.3), (3.5), (6), (10), and (11) amended and (2.7) and (3.6) added, (SB 13-221), ch. 251, p. 1330, § 9, effective August 7; (2.5) amended, (HB 13-1183), ch. 252, p. 1338, § 2, effective August 7. L. 2014: (4)(a)(III) amended, (SB 14-019), ch. 10, p. 99, § 6, effective February 27; (2.5), (2.7), (3)(e), IP(3)(f), (3.3), (3.5), (3.6)(a)(I), and (3.6)(b) amended, (SB 14-117), ch. 385, p. 1919, § 8, effective July 1. L. 2015: (4)(a)(II) amended and (4)(a)(II.5) added, (SB 15-206), ch. 272, p. 1086, § 1, effective June 4. L. 2017: IP(3)(f) amended and (3)(f)(I) repealed, (SB 17-294), ch. 264, p. 1414, § 108, effective May 25. L. 2018: (2.5), (2.7), IP(3)(f), (3.5), (3.6)(a)(I), (3.6)(b), and (7)(g) amended and (3.8) added, (HB 18-1291), ch. 273, p. 1689, § 6, effective May 29. L. 2019: (2.7), (3.3), and (4)(a)(II.5) amended and (3.8) repealed, (HB 19-1264), ch. 420, p. 3678, § 8, effective June 30; (2.5), (2.7), IP(3)(f), (3.3), (3.5), (3.6)(a)(I), and (3.6)(b) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1729, § 255, effective October 1. L. 2021: (1), (2.7), (3.5)(b), (3.6), (4)(a)(II.5), (4)(b), (5)(b)(III), (6), IP(7), (7)(i), and (7)(j) amended, (4)(a)(II.7) and (7.5) added, and (7)(d), (10), and (11) repealed, (HB 21-1233), ch. 385, p. 2578, § 4, effective June 30.

Cross references: (1) For the legislative declaration contained in the 2001 act amending subsections (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5)(b)(III), see section 1 of chapter 133, Session Laws of Colorado 2001.
(2) For the legislative declaration contained in the 2008 act amending subsections (3)(b), (3)(e), the introductory portion to subsection (3)(f), subsections (3)(f)(I), (3.3), and (3.5) and enacting subsection (3.7), see section 1 of chapter 448, Session Laws of Colorado 2008.
(3) For the legislative declaration in the 2013 act amending subsections (2), (2.5), the introductory portion to subsection (3), and subsections (3.3), (6), (10), and (11) and adding subsections (2.7) and (3.6), see section 1 of chapter 251, Session Laws of Colorado 2013.