Costilla County Property Records Parcels, Taxes, Deeds, Maps

How to Look Up Land in Costilla County

Costilla County in the San Luis Valley has many vacant lots in large subdivisions, and many owners live far away. All the county offices are in San Luis. The Assessor values the land and runs the property search and GIS map. The Treasurer bills and collects taxes. The Clerk and Recorder records deeds.

The official links are below, then a step by step guide: find your account, read the Assessor record and tax statement, check for unpaid taxes, find the deed, and use the maps. The last part explains Colorado's actual value and assessed value, and why neither is a sale price.

Step 1: Find your account number

Open the Assessor's property search and search by owner name. Lots in the big subdivisions rarely have a street address. Your tax statement also lists the account number.

If you know the subdivision, block and lot but not the account, open the county GIS property search and click the lot. Write the account number down. The Treasurer and any buyer will ask for it.

• Search the last name only if a full name search fails.
• Subdivisions here can have several units with repeating lot numbers. Match the unit and block too.
• The Assessor's office is open Monday to Thursday. Call (719) 937-7670 for help.

Step 2: Read the Assessor record

The record shows the owner and mailing address, the account and parcel numbers, the legal description, the land size, the property class and the actual and assessed values. It may also show the reception number of the last deed.

Owners who live far away should check the mailing address first. Tax statements and any treasurer's deed notices go there. Then compare the legal description with your deed, including the unit, block and lot.

Step 3: Read the tax statement and check for unpaid taxes

Colorado taxes are paid a year behind. Statements go out in January for the prior year. You can pay half by the last day of February and half by June 15, or the full amount by April 30. Late amounts add 1 percent interest a month.

Look up your account in the Treasurer statement lookup and check every year. If taxes stay unpaid, the Treasurer sells a tax lien at the yearly sale. You still own the land and can redeem by paying taxes, interest and costs. The Treasurer gives exact redemption amounts. Redemptions need certified funds or cash.

• The Treasurer's page says that, after a state law change (Senate Bill 26-144) took effect June 1, 2026, the office will not accept new applications for treasurer's deeds until further notice. Check with the Treasurer for the current status.
• Our Costilla County back taxes guide covers the timeline and the 2026 change.

Step 4: Find the deed and confirm ownership

Deeds are recorded by the Clerk and Recorder in San Luis. The Clerk and Recorder's page links an online document search at icounty.org for records from 1997 to 2020. For other years, send a written request to the Clerk and Recorder with the book and page or reception number, or call (719) 937-7671.

The grantee on the most recent deed owns the lot. Many lots here were bought decades ago and have passed through estates. If the owner of record died, heirs may need a probate or another legal step before they can sell.

Step 5: Use the maps for access, flood zones and wetlands

The county GIS property search shows lot lines on aerial photos. Use it to see whether a road reaches your lot.

For flood zones, use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. For wetlands, the National Wetlands Inventory mapper gives a first look. It is a planning map, not a legal wetland line. For zoning, camping and building rules, contact Planning and Zoning.

Actual value, assessed value and market value

The Assessor sets an actual value, which is Colorado's term for market value. Assessed value is the actual value times an assessment rate set under state law, so it is a fraction of actual value. The tax is the assessed value times the mill levy for your tax area.

Real property is revalued every odd-numbered year, using sales from an earlier data period. Notices of valuation go out by May 1, and on the standard schedule you can protest to the Assessor by June 8. The actual value is not a sale price. In subdivisions with thousands of similar lots, prices depend on access, power, whether a well permit is possible, and what nearby lots have sold for.

Selling your Costilla County land

Our Costilla County land guide covers prices, access and building rules. Our back taxes guide covers selling when taxes are owed or a lien was sold.

EasyLotBuyer makes a cash offer within 24 hours, charges no fees or commissions, pays the closing costs and can close in as few as 7 days. We buy lots with back taxes, liens, title problems or no road access, and from heirs. Back taxes are paid at closing from the sale. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm dates, amounts and rules with the county office.