Closing costs by state
Closing costs in Colorado
Closing costs in Colorado run about 2% to 5% of the price for a buyer, made of lender fees, title and settlement, recording, prepaid interest and escrow reserves; on a $400,000 home the worked example below comes to $10,055. Colorado charges a state transfer tax of $0.01 per $100 of consideration over $500 (state documentary fee, C.R.S. § 39-13-102), about 0.01% of the price, and who pays it is negotiated in the contract. TABOR bars new transfer taxes, but twelve pre-1992 home-rule resort towns keep theirs: Aspen 1.5%, Vail 1%, Telluride 3%, Breckenridge 1%, Crested Butte 3%, Avon 2%, Ophir 4%, and Frisco, Gypsum, Minturn, Snowmass Village and Winter Park 1%.
Last verified ·Sources:colorado.public.law·thetaborfoundation.org
The rules
What Colorado does differently
- State transfer tax
- $0.01 per $100 of consideration over $500 (state documentary fee, C.R.S. § 39-13-102) (about 0.01% of the price at $400,000).
- Who pays it
- Negotiated in the contract.
- County and city add-ons
- TABOR bars new transfer taxes, but twelve pre-1992 home-rule resort towns keep theirs: Aspen 1.5%, Vail 1%, Telluride 3%, Breckenridge 1%, Crested Butte 3%, Avon 2%, Ophir 4%, and Frisco, Gypsum, Minturn, Snowmass Village and Winter Park 1%.
- Attorney at closing
- Colorado does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Owner’s title policy
- The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Colorado; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- Notes
- $40 on a $400,000 sale. The fee falls on whoever presents the deed for recording; the buyer most often pays it by custom. Title companies conduct closings.
- colorado.public.law — “one cent for each one hundred dollars, or major fraction thereof”
- thetaborfoundation.org — “statewide prohibition on the creation of new transfer taxes or the increase of existing transfer taxes”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in Colorado, 20% down
Loan of $320,000 at 6.5%, closing on the 15th. Lender, title and recording figures are typical line items used for illustration, the same on every state page; the transfer tax and the owner’s policy side follow Colorado’s rules above. Not a quote: the calculator takes your own figures.
Buyer pays
| Loan origination, 1% of the loan | $3,200 |
| Appraisal | $550 |
| Title and settlement services | $1,800 |
| Lender’s title policy | $900 |
| Recording | $150 |
| Prepaid interest, 15 days at 6.5% | $855 |
| Escrow reserve, 3 months of tax at 1.1% | $1,100 |
| First year of homeowners insurance | $1,500 |
| Total (2.514% of price) | $10,055 |
Seller pays
| Commission, 5% | $20,000 |
| Title and escrow fees | $2,000 |
| Owner’s title policy (estimate) | $1,500 |
| Prorated property tax | $1,500 |
| Transfer tax, seller’s share (0.01%) | $40 |
| Total | $25,040 |
Questions
What people ask about Colorado
- Who pays the transfer tax in Colorado?
- Colorado charges a state transfer tax of $0.01 per $100 of consideration over $500 (state documentary fee, C.R.S. § 39-13-102), about 0.01% of the price, and who pays it is negotiated in the contract. TABOR bars new transfer taxes, but twelve pre-1992 home-rule resort towns keep theirs: Aspen 1.5%, Vail 1%, Telluride 3%, Breckenridge 1%, Crested Butte 3%, Avon 2%, Ophir 4%, and Frisco, Gypsum, Minturn, Snowmass Village and Winter Park 1%.
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in Colorado?
- Colorado does not require an attorney at closing; a title or escrow company usually conducts it, and an attorney is optional.
- Who pays for the owner’s title policy in Colorado?
- The seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in Colorado; the buyer pays for the lender’s policy.
- How much are seller closing costs in Colorado?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $25,040 for the seller, including $40 of transfer tax, before the mortgage payoff and any concessions or repairs. The seller net sheet calculator shows the walk-away figure.
Last reviewed September 8, 2026 by the EstatePass editorial team. Formulas and program limits are checked against the published rules; figures on this page are arithmetic, not market statistics.
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