Colorado submitted the maximum 91 census tracts for Opportunity Zone 2.0 designation on September 28, 2026, out of 362 eligible, according to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). In an October 3 report, The Colorado Sun quoted a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis's office saying the state expects Treasury to act on the list by the end of November. OEDIT says 28 of the 91 tracts are rural, 35 are outside the Front Range and 89 overlap a state Enterprise Zone. It also says Colorado's first-round zones drew more than $3.2 billion of investment through 2024, and that the second round could top $4 billion. The tracts are nominations, not designated zones, until Treasury certifies them. Certified zones take effect January 1, 2027.
The filing. OEDIT announced on September 28, 2026 that Colorado submitted the maximum of 91 census tracts for federal Opportunity Zone designation. The U.S. Treasury identified 362 Colorado tracts as eligible and invited the state to submit up to 25%, or 91. OEDIT's map of the nominated OZ 2.0 tracts shows the slate. Until Treasury certifies them, the 91 are nominations, not designated Opportunity Zones.
What's new: the certification timeline. In an October 3 report, The Colorado Sun quoted a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis's office saying the state anticipates Treasury will act on Colorado's list by the end of November. That is the first timing estimate we have seen from Colorado. Idaho is the only state on our tracker that has announced Treasury certification so far. Massachusetts says it expects certification “later this fall.”
How the tracts were picked. According to OEDIT, its Business Funding & Incentives division ran a months-long process that included more than 100 stakeholder meetings, six statewide webinars, four regional in-person convenings and a public survey. The review favored spreading tracts across the state, including rural areas and regions outside the Front Range, and lining up with existing local economic efforts. Polis told The Colorado Sun that the state looked for places where investors were already weighing projects but needed capital. He said each nominated tract has several prospective projects, such as a healthcare complex, warehouses or housing.
Where the 91 tracts are. OEDIT says 28 tracts (about 31%) are in rural communities, compared with 28% of Colorado's eligible tracts. Another 35 (about 38%) are outside the Front Range. The release also says 89 of the 91 overlap an Enterprise Zone, 47 include transit-oriented communities and 33 overlap a Rural Jump-Start Zone. Ten are in Coal Transition Communities, 10 include a Creative District, 7 include an Innovation Hub and 6 include a Main Street Community. Our Colorado zone page lists every eligible tract by county.
Local reaction. In the OEDIT release, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said every eligible neighborhood on the Mile High Line was selected. Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade welcomed several proposed designations in Colorado Springs and El Paso County. The Grand Junction Economic Partnership said three of Mesa County's six priority zones made the list. Cañon City named census tract 08043978300, which includes the Four Mile Ranch and Holy Cross Abbey areas.
The OZ 1.0 record the state is citing. OEDIT says Colorado's first-round zones drew more than $3.2 billion of investment through the end of 2024, or $534 per resident. It says the state ranked second nationally for the number of zones that received investment and eighth for total capital raised. By OEDIT's count, 94% of Colorado's original zones got investment, including 95% of rural zones, and the state estimates the second round could exceed $4 billion. The Colorado Sun notes that critics say the program mainly benefits wealthy investors and projects that would have gone ahead anyway.
For investors. For QOF investments made after December 31, 2026, the deferred gain gets a basis step-up of 10% after five years, or 30% for a qualified rural opportunity fund, as IRS Notice 2026-55 restates. That gives Colorado's 28 rural nominations more weight. Polis described the same 10%/30% split to The Colorado Sun. Our guide to investing in Opportunity Zones starting January 1, 2027 covers the rules for investments made once the new zones take effect.
Where Colorado fits. Colorado is one of 10 states, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a filing confirmed by an official source on our OZ 2.0 nomination tracker. Together they account for 1,299 nominated tracts by their own counts. States that have not filed may still use the single 30-day extension under IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14, which runs through October 28, 2026. Read the deadline wrap for the full filing picture.
Original reporting by Sarah Whitfield for Opportunity Zone Invest, an independent OZ 2.0 research site. Facts are drawn from the primary sources cited above per our editorial standards. Nothing here is tax, legal, or investment advice.
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