Aurora CO Property Tax Rate: What Owners Pay by County
Aurora's property tax bill depends on which county your home sits in and on the local levies that apply. Aurora's effective rate is 0.67%, and the steps below show how to estimate your own bill.
Your Aurora CO property tax rate averages an effective 0.67% of a home's value [1]. That is higher than Colorado's state median of 0.50%, but well below the national median of 1.02% [1]. Comparing the three figures shows where Aurora stands against both the state and the country. For a closer look, read Is Aurora, CO a Good Place to Live? Costs and Trade-Offs.
The rate also depends on which county your home is in. Aurora spans parts of Adams and Arapahoe counties, and the figures differ between them [2][3]. Check which county your address falls in before you use any county-level number.
The effective rate is total tax divided by home value, so it is a percentage of what you own, not a mill rate. This article explains how the county split affects your bill, what changes the rate from year to year, and how to estimate an annual tax for your home.
Which charges change your Aurora property tax bill?
Each piece moves the bill for a different reason.
Factor | What it means | Source example |
|---|---|---|
County and city tax rates | The local rates that apply to your address | Local rates for the address |
The three factors combine in every bill. A lower levy or a lower assessment rate reduces the bill, but each is set in a different place, so a change in one does not signal a change in the others.
The mill levy
The mill levy is the factor that has changed most recently. Arapahoe County reduced its mill levy by more than 29%, from 15.821 mills in 2024 to 11.2 mills [3]. For you, a lower levy shrinks the bill even when your home's value stays the same.
The residential assessment rate
For property tax year 2025, residential property is assessed at 7.05% for schools and 6.25% for local governments [4]. The same home value therefore produces two different taxable amounts, one for schools and one for local governments.
County and city rates
County and city rates are the local layer added on top of the levy and the assessment rate for your address. Because they depend on where your home sits, two homes of equal value can carry different bills when they fall in different jurisdictions. Your bill reflects the combination of all the rates that apply to your own parcel.
How much would you pay at different home values?
The bill rises in step with value, so you can run the same multiplication on each price you are considering and see the gap in annual cost.
Reading the state chart example
It shows how county and city rates turn into a bill, but it is one example, not a standard figure for Aurora.
Confirm which jurisdiction that row applies to before you use it. Each county and city sets its own rates, so a row from a different place would give you a bill that does not match your address.
Running your own numbers
Start with the value you want to test and multiply it by the effective rate. Doing this for two homes shows the difference in annual cost before you compare mortgage payments.
Treat the result as a planning figure. Your actual bill depends on the county and city rates that apply to your address, and one chart row cannot give you those for every property.
Are there other costs on top of the tax rate?
The effective rate is useful for comparing Colorado with other states, but it is not the number printed on your bill. Your bill is built from the local levies that apply to your address and from your home's assessed value, so two homes at the same effective rate can owe different amounts.
Local levies add up to your bill
Each county sets its own property tax rate, and the rate you pay depends on where your home sits. Arapahoe County calls its rate its mill levy, and that levy is one of the charges that make up your bill [3]. A county levy is a rate applied to assessed value, not a flat fee, so a higher assessed value means a higher tax at the same levy.
Cities and special districts can add their own rates on top of the county figure. For that reason, use the rates that apply to your exact address rather than a regional average. Your county's tax information should show which levies apply to a given parcel.
Assessed value is not your purchase price
Assessed value is set by the county assessor, and it is a different figure from the price you paid for the home. Your tax is calculated on the assessed value, so an assessor's valuation can raise or lower your bill even if your purchase price stays the same.
Each year the assessor sends a notice for your property. Read that notice for your address and compare the assessed value with the tax it produces. If the value looks wrong, the notice explains how to ask for a review.
Where to find current figures
Colorado publishes assessment rates in a yearly chart, so the rate that applies to you depends on the tax year [2]. Use the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and your county assessor as the official sources for current figures. Their published rates and notices will show the numbers that actually apply to your property.
What can lower your Aurora property tax?
Your annual bill is set by the county's mill levy and your home's assessed value, so these are the two things to compare over time. Start by looking at how the levy changes from year to year, not just at a single rate.
Track the mill levy year to year
Arapahoe County's levy fell sharply in 2024 [3]. Because levies change, a rate that looked high in one year may be lower the next. Pull the levy for each budget year from your county's website and list them in a simple table. That shows you the trend before you compare your bill with a neighbor's.
Ask your assessor about exemptions and value
Call or email your county assessor and ask which residential exemptions you may qualify for. An exemption reduces the value that gets taxed, so it can lower your bill even when the levy stays the same. Ask whether your assessed value matches recent sales of similar homes nearby. If it looks high, ask the assessor how to request a review.
Suppose two homes have the same assessed value. The one in the area with the lower levy will have the smaller bill, so the levy matters as much as the price.
Compare with the state median if you are moving within Colorado
If you already own in Colorado and are relocating within the state, compare Aurora's effective rate with the state median before you decide. Aurora's effective rate is higher than the state median of 0.50% [1]. If the town you are considering has a rate closer to the median, your yearly tax will be lower for a home of the same value.
Compare full annual costs, not rates alone. Multiply each town's effective rate by the value of the homes you are considering, then set those figures side by side with the housing prices in each area. For more detail, see Aurora CO vs Denver: Housing Costs, Space and Commute Compared.
How do you estimate your own Aurora bill?
To estimate your own bill, multiply your home's assessed value by the effective rate, or by the current county and city rates for your address. Aurora's effective rate of 0.67% is a useful starting point [1]. Treat it as a typical estimate, not a guarantee for any single property, because your county, your city and your assessed value all change the result.
Your next step is to find the current levy figures for your address on your county's official site. Levies change from year to year, so a figure from last year may already be out of date [3]. Once you have the current rate, repeat the multiplication and compare the result with the amount on your tax notice.