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Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

Can owning cattle in Colorado lower your property taxes?

Cassis Tingley, The Colorado Sun
yes

Land used for raising cattle generally qualifies for a slightly lower assessment rate than nonagricultural land, resulting in lower property taxes. 

Under Colorado’s tax code, ranches and farms are assessed at 25% of their actual value, compared to 26% for most nonagricultural land. 

To qualify for the lower rate, ranches and farms must have been used for those purposes for at least two years, and have been classified or eligible to be classified as agricultural land for 10 years before the assessment year. The lower rate also applies to some parcels subject to forest management or conservation easements. Colorado has roughly 30 million acres of farmland, covering just under half of the state. Cattle is the No. 1 agricultural commodity in Colorado with $4.4 billion in in-state sales in 2022.

In 2020, Colorado farmers and ranchers paid about $129 million in property taxes, Stateline reported.

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