Douglas County assessor processing record number of appeals

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Homeowners around the Denver metro area checked a notice from their county assessors this spring and saw that their home value — as calculated for property tax purposes — had jumped by shocking amounts.

Driven by a costly real-estate market, those home values have spiked since the last time homeowners received notices of value two years ago. In Douglas County, residential properties saw increases between 30% and 60%, with a median of 47%.

Property owners in Douglas County responded by ling the highest number of appeals the county has seen in history, according to Toby Damisch, who heads Douglas County’s property valuation o ce. In appeals, owners argue their property value should be lower.

And for Douglas County, “it’s the highest percentage of appeals in recent history,” said Damisch, the county assessor.

As of early June, his o ce had received about 28,000 appeals, but Damisch expects the number to total