Denver metro · Public records and local data

The things people look up when they are not looking at houses

Flood zones, mill levies, permit history, what the metro district costs, which school district an address is actually in, and where the police department publishes its own numbers. Every link here goes to the agency that keeps the record. Nothing on this page is a rating, a score, or my opinion of anywhere.

Public safety records

Police departments publish their own incident data. These are their maps, not a rating, and not a summary. Reported-crime counts move with reporting practices, population and jurisdiction lines, so counts from two different agencies are not directly comparable.

• Denver Police crime mapCity and County of DenverReported offences by location and date, updated regularly.
• Denver crime data downloadDenver Open Data CatalogThe underlying incident file, if you want the raw records rather than a map.
• Aurora Police crime mappingCity of AuroraIncident mapping for Aurora, which spans Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties.
• Jefferson County SheriffJefferson CountySheriff's office reporting and records for unincorporated Jeffco.
• Colorado Crime StatisticsColorado Bureau of InvestigationStatewide reported-offence statistics by agency and year.
• FBI Crime Data ExplorerFederal Bureau of InvestigationNational figures with the same caveats, useful for putting a local number in context.

Sex offender registry

Colorado puts the release of this information with law enforcement, and the Real Estate Commission's mandatory buyer disclosure says so in as many words: "If the presence of a registered sex offender is a matter of concern to Buyer, Buyer understands that Buyer must contact local law enforcement officials regarding obtaining such information." So this section is links to the agencies, and nothing is copied here.

• Colorado sex offender registry searchColorado Bureau of InvestigationThe state's own search. You accept CBI's terms before searching.
• What the registry does and does not tell youColorado Bureau of InvestigationCBI's own educational material. Colorado law requires agencies that post registry information to pair it with this, which is a sound idea regardless.
• Denver Police registered sex offendersCity and County of DenverThe local list for Denver, which is separate from the statewide search.
• National Sex Offender Public WebsiteUnited States Department of JusticeSearches participating state registries at once, for anyone moving in from out of state.

The Colorado sex offender registry includes only those persons who have been required by law to register and who are in compliance with the sex offender registration laws. Persons should not rely solely on the sex offender registry as a safeguard against perpetrators of sexual assault in their communities. The crime for which a person is convicted may not accurately reflect the level of risk.C.R.S. 16-22-110(8)

Schools and school district boundaries

This links to the state and to the districts themselves rather than to a rating aggregator, for two reasons. The composite ratings are somebody's editorial weighting and that weighting changes. And the thing that actually catches buyers out is not a score, it is that attendance boundaries move: the school a listing names is the school it was assigned to when the listing was written. Confirm the assignment with the district for the specific address before it matters to your offer.

• Colorado school and district performanceColorado Department of EducationThe state's own accountability data by school and district.
• SchoolView data centreColorado Department of EducationEnrolment, staffing, finance and outcome files you can download.
• Denver Public SchoolsDPSDistrict site, school finder and enrolment.
• Cherry Creek School DistrictCCSDCovers much of Arapahoe County including parts of Aurora and Centennial.
• Jeffco Public SchoolsJeffcoThe Jefferson County district, one of the largest in the state.
• Douglas County School DistrictDCSDDistrict site and boundary lookup.
• Boulder Valley School DistrictBVSDBoulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Superior and Nederland.
• St Vrain Valley SchoolsSVVSDLongmont, Erie, Frederick, Firestone, Mead and Lyons.
• Adams 12 Five Star SchoolsAdams 12Thornton, Northglenn, Westminster and Broomfield.

What the address actually costs to own

This is the section that changes offers. Two houses on the same street can carry very different annual costs because of a metro district, and the listing will not tell you. Start with the assessor for the assessed value, then the treasurer for the actual tax bill, then check whether a metro district is layered on top.

• Special district lookupColorado Department of Local AffairsEvery local government and special district in the state, with their filings. This is how you find out a metro district exists and what it has borrowed.
• Special districts, explainedColorado Division of Local GovernmentThe state's own plain-English brief for residents on what a special district is, what it can tax you for, and how it is governed. Read this before the filings.
• Local government audit filingsColorado Office of the State AuditorSearchable audited financial submissions for every local government in the state, metro districts included. This is where the borrowing and the repayment schedule actually are.
• Denver property records and assessmentDenver AssessorAssessed value, characteristics and tax history by address.
• Arapahoe County property searchArapahoe County AssessorParcel records, valuation and mill levies.
• Jefferson County property recordsJefferson County AssessorParcel search and assessment data.
• Douglas County property searchDouglas County AssessorParcel records. Worth pairing with the district lookup above, because Douglas County has a lot of metro districts.
• Boulder County property searchBoulder County AssessorParcel records and valuation.
• Adams County property searchAdams County AssessorParcel records and valuation.
• HOA Information and Resource CenterColorado DORAThe state office for HOA questions, including registration records and what an association may and may not do.

Ground, water and fire

Front Range specific. Expansive soils and old coal workings are real and local, and both are cheaper to check now than to discover later.

• Flood map service centreFEMAThe official flood zone for any address, which is what a lender will use.
• Colorado Geological Survey hazard mapsColorado Geological SurveyExpansive and collapsible soils, landslides, rockfall and abandoned coal mine subsidence. The Front Range has all five.
• Wildfire risk viewerColorado State Forest ServiceWildfire hazard by location, including the wildland urban interface.
• Radon in ColoradoCDPHEColorado is a high radon state. This is the state programme and the test kit information.
• Water rights and well recordsColorado Division of Water ResourcesIf a property is on a well, this is the permit and the record of what it may legally be used for.
• Oil and gas location searchColorado Energy and Carbon Management CommissionWells, permits and setbacks by location.

Getting the utilities on and the bins out

The unglamorous list. Everyone needs it in the same week and nobody keeps it.

• Xcel Energy start serviceXcel EnergyGas and electric for most of the metro.
• Denver WaterDenver WaterWater service for Denver and a number of suburban distributors.
• Denver trash, recycling and compostCity and County of DenverCollection day by address, plus large item pickup.
• Colorado driver licence and vehicle registrationColorado DMVThe clock starts when you move. This is the checklist.
• Register to voteColorado Secretary of StateRegistration and address change.

Getting around

• RTD trip planner and system mapRegional Transportation DistrictRail and bus, with the Park-n-Ride locations that decide whether a commute works.
• COtrip road conditions and camerasColorado Department of TransportationLive conditions, closures and cameras. Worth knowing before you commit to a mountain commute.
• Denver bike mapCity and County of DenverBike lanes, trails and the network as built.
• DIA noise and flight tracksDenver International AirportWhere the tracks actually run, which is not always where people assume.

Building, zoning and what is protected

Before you plan a pop-top, an ADU or a fence.

• Denver zoning mapCity and County of DenverThe zone district for any parcel, which decides what can be built.
• Denver permit recordsCity and County of DenverWhat has been permitted at an address, and by whom. Unpermitted work shows up here as an absence.
• Denver landmark and historic districtsDenver Landmark PreservationIf a property is in a district, exterior changes go through review. Find out before you buy the windows.
• National Register listings in ColoradoHistory ColoradoThe nomination documents, which are the best free history ever written about a specific building.

All 48 links on this page were tested on 2026-08-03 and every one of them answered. This page is published identically for every visitor and is not customised based on anything about the reader. It links to public records kept by government agencies. I do not evaluate, rank or characterise any neighbourhood, school or community, and I do not verify third-party data or represent that it is accurate, complete or current. Confirm anything that matters to your decision with the agency that issued it. Robert An, Broker Associate, Compass, Colorado licence #100084328. Equal Housing Opportunity.