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A Message From
The Assessor |
By definition, the Assessor's duties are to "discover, identify and list" property. The records of the Assessor are "Public" and the Assessor is considered to be the "Custodian" of these records. The availability of information regarding Real Property on this site complies with 24-72-203(II) C.R.S., which states: Custodian shall "...Take such measures as are necessary to assist the public in locating any specific public records sought and to ensure public access to the public records without unreasonable delay or unreasonable cost. Such measures may include, without limitation, the availability of viewing stations for public records kept on microfiche; the provision of portable disk copies of computer files; or direct electronic access via on-line bulletin boards or other means."
A message from your County Assessor regarding the availability of property records on the El Paso County Assessor's web-site:
Representatives from banks, mortgage and title companies, fee appraisers, as well as individual taxpayers have all benefited from the availability of on-line property information without the hassle of having to find available parking. Standing in long lines and waiting for "the next available customer service representative" on the phone have almost become a "thing of the past." Additionally, the option to view parcel maps has aided many different emergency agencies when they have a need to pinpoint the specific location of a property.
While walk-in and call-in information requests will always be available to the public, the addition of our on-line database has resulted in a timesaving benefit to the public as well as a tremendous time and cost saving tool to the Assessor's staff. Staff members whose primary responsibility was to assist the public in locating information are now able to include other duties in their daily functions, increasing the efficiency of our office, while cutting costs.
The individual homeowner may ensure the accuracy of their property inventory (i.e., correct number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.) thereby lessening the need (in many cases) for an on-site inspection by Assessor personnel. An on-line "Sales Comparison" listing allows the taxpayer to view other properties similar to their own that have sold. This feature enables the owner to compare the market value placed on their property, for ad valorem taxation purposes, to the value placed on similar properties, ensuring a fair and equitable valuation.
The issue of privacy has always been of concern to our office. Information deemed by statute to be "Public Record" has been included in the Assessor's Property Search database, while records considered by statute to be confidential have, of course, been blocked from public view.
We look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of El Paso County in the most up-to-date, efficient, and friendliest atmosphere possible.
Sincerely,
Mark Lowderman
El Paso County Assessor