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Links to Colorado Counties

Overview of Colorado County Real Estate Departments

Clerk and Recorder

By state constitution, the clerk and recorder is required to be the recorder of deeds and the clerk to the board of county commissioners. By tradition, the clerk and recorder is usually the primary administrative officer of most counties. By law, the clerk and recorder is responsible for carrying out certain state functions. The clerk is the agent of the state Department of Revenue and, among other duties, is charged with the responsibility of administering state laws relating to motor vehicles, certification of automobile titles, and motor vehicle registration. The clerk is also responsible for administering all primary, general, and special elections held in the county, and for registration of voters, publication of notice of elections, appointment of election judges, and printing and distribution of ballots. The clerk and recorder also issues marriage licenses, maintains records and books for the board of commissioners, collects a multitude of license fees and charges required by the state maintains property records, and furnishes deed abstracts upon request.

County Public Trustee

The Colorado General Assembly established the office of the Public Trustee in each county of the state to provide for a system of checks and balances between the borrower and the lender. All deeds of trust given to secure indebtedness on real estate shall name as trustee such Public Trustee who acts as an intermediary between the borrower and the lender.

Unique among the 50 states is the public trustee approach to the borrower/lender relationship. Colorado’s foreclosure statutes, as interpreted by the courts, have provided a reasonably quick and inexpensive process for the lienor to exercise its rights and remedies, while affording the owner of the property a fair opportunity to protect his or her interest.

County Assessor

The county assessor is responsible for valuing real and personal property with the highest standards of professionalism, using the broadest application of proper appraisal methods, techniques and standards available, in order to assure statewide equalization in the valuation of real and personal property. The assessor determines the equitable value of property to ensure that each taxpayer pays only his or her fair share of the taxes while maintaining the principle of local control and providing information to the public so they might acquire a better understanding of the appraisal and assessment process.

The assessor is required to send out a notice of valuation each year to property owners. This notice will reflect a value on property for ad valorem taxes payable to the county.

County Treasurer

The treasurer of each county is responsible for the receipt, custody and disbursement of county funds. The treasurer is the public trustee, except in first and second class counties. The treasurer collects some state taxes and all property taxes - including those for other units of local government. The treasurer collects and disburses school funds belonging to school districts located within the county. The treasurer sends notices of and collects all property taxes for all local governments and disburses receipts for each after charging a statutory collection fee. The treasurer conducts sales of property for delinquent taxes.

County Surveyor

The surveyor's duties are relatively few and relate to: a. settle boundary disputes when directed by a court or when requested by interested parties; and b. create survey markers and monuments, and conduct surveys relating to toll roads and reservoirs.