Colorado Porch

Eastern Plains

Kit Carson County

9 Porch Notes tied to Kit Carson County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.

Money and taxes (1)

Money and taxes

Your Kit Carson County tax bill has three moving parts

A property tax bill in Kit Carson County is built from a property's value, a state assessment rate, and the mill levies of the districts that overlap the parcel.

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Water and land (3)

Water and land

Center-pivot circles here are watered from the Ogallala, and that supply is finite

The green irrigation circles across Kit Carson County draw from the High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer, a groundwater supply that recharges slowly.

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Water and land

Out here, your water likely comes from a designated groundwater basin

Much of Kit Carson County sits over a designated groundwater basin, where wells are permitted under a different state process than wells in the rest of Colorado.

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Water and land

The Republican River ties Kit Carson County's water to a three-state agreement

Water in the Republican River basin is shared by Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska under the Republican River Compact, which shapes how much irrigation can happen in this corner of the state.

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Outdoors and wildfire (1)

Outdoors and wildfire

Public bird hunting here runs through walk-in access and state wildlife areas

In Kit Carson County, much public bird hunting happens on Walk-In Access fields and at spots like Flagler Reservoir State Wildlife Area, each with its own rules for who may enter.

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Cars and driving (1)

Cars and driving

On the I-70 plains, it is the weather, not the curves, that can close the road

Kit Carson County's stretch of I-70 is flat and straight, but plains storms, hail, high wind, and blowing snow can make driving here dangerous and can close the highway.

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Local rules (1)

Local rules

Kit Carson County is a statutory county, and most land here is unincorporated

Kit Carson County runs as a statutory county under state law, and outside the towns the county handles land use, so the rules for a parcel depend on who governs it.

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History and culture (2)

History and culture

Burlington keeps a working antique carousel that is a National Historic Landmark

The Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington is an early-1900s wooden carousel the county bought in the 1920s, later named a National Historic Landmark.

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History and culture

Burlington's Old Town Museum is a walkable village of restored plains buildings

The Old Town Museum in Burlington gathers restored turn-of-the-century buildings on one historic site, giving a close look at early life on Colorado's plains.

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