Property Assessment in the time of COVID-19
Each May, property owners have the opportunity to protest or appeal the value on which their property tax will be based for the upcoming year. Most real property protests are due no later than June 1, 2020, for this year's taxes.
Some categories of self-reported property deadlines have been extended, for details visit the Mesa County Assessor's Office website.
To calculate property tax due in 2021, property is assessed at the hypothetical value of the property, as it existed on January 1, 2020, for what that property would have sold for on June 30, 2018.
To the maximum extent possible, the Mesa County Assessor's Office will process claims remotely, using procedures to provide safety to the public and staff. Protests are being accepted now by email, mail, phone, fax, or drop off, a drop box is located outside the Assessor's Office, 544 Rood Ave. Additionally, interviews may be conducted by email, phone, or video chat.
Because property is appraised on a biennial cycle, unless there have been significant changes to the property since 2019, the values for 2020 will be the same as they were last year. However, tax may be different due to a mill levy change. The value would be the same.
The Assessor's responsibility is to recognize property value. Property tax is the product of the actual value, the assessment rate, and the mill levy. Assessment rates are set in the constitution and statutes, with the residential assessment rate to be determined each cycle by the legislature. Mill levies are set by the various districts, such as the school district, fire district, library district, etc.
In regards to the 2021 reassessment, it will be the value used to determine property tax for the tax year 2021, due in 2022. The Assessor's Office is required to determine values as of June 30, 2020, for these calculations. We are in touch with state officials on how our procedures might be modified to ensure an accurate and fair assessment in the time of COVID-19.
Contact us at the Mesa County Assessor's Office if you think your property value is wrong.
Email: assessor@mesacounty.us
Phone: (970) 244-1610
Mail: Mesa County Assessor's Office
P.O. Box 20,000-5003
Grand Junction, CO 81502-5000
For additional information, visit https://assessor.mesacounty.us/covid-19/.