Colorado Police Officer Home Loans: CHFA Champions & Down Payment Assistance for Law Enforcement

Law enforcement has a dedicated path: Colorado Champions

Created by SB26-053 and effective August 12, 2026, the Colorado Champions Home Loan Program is the dedicated CHFA initiative for Colorado first responders and their households. For police officers, the two changes that matter: income eligibility rises to 110% of standard CHFA limits, and the program pairs with existing down payment assistance — a grant up to $25,000 or 3% of the first mortgage with no repayment, or a deferred second mortgage up to $25,000 or 4% with no monthly payment.

Champions does not create a new loan product. It expands eligibility inside CHFA’s existing first mortgage and DPA programs, which means officers still work with a CHFA participating lender, still need a 620+ credit score, still contribute at least $1,000, and still complete homebuyer education.

• Colorado Champions Home Loan Program — Timeline, eligibility & sign up for updates

Who qualifies: peace officers, corrections, dispatch & more

SB26-053 uses a broad peace officer definition. Sworn patrol officers qualify — Fort Collins Police, Loveland Police, Greeley Police, Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies, Weld County Sheriff’s deputies — and so do corrections officers, 911 emergency communications specialists, wildlife officers, port of entry officers, firefighters, and EMTs/paramedics. Household members of qualifying first responders qualify too.

In Northern Colorado, that covers the officers and deputies who protect communities from Fort Collins to Johnstown, plus the dispatch centers serving Larimer and Weld counties. When full guidelines launch, departments and dispatchers across the region will have a pathway to buy in the communities they serve.

What assistance police officers can get

Champions pairs the 110% income threshold with CHFA’s existing down payment assistance. Eligible officers can access a DPA grant up to $25,000 or 3% of the first mortgage (no repayment required) on qualifying programs like SmartStep Plus, or a deferred second mortgage up to $25,000 or 4% with zero monthly payments, repaid only when you sell, refinance, pay off the loan, or move out.

Because income limits are the usual barrier for officer households, the 110% threshold is the headline feature — more law enforcement families will clear the cap in Larimer and Weld counties under Champions than under standard CHFA limits.

• 110% of standard CHFA income limits
• DPA grant up to $25,000 or 3% (no repayment)
• Deferred second mortgage up to $25,000 or 4%
• Standard CHFA requirements still apply

• CHFA Down Payment Assistance Guide — Full program comparison & how DPA works

What officers should do while Champions finalizes

The law is effective now, but CHFA anticipates full program implementation in late 2026 — final guidelines and lender availability are still being developed. Do not wait to prepare. Many officer households already qualify under existing CHFA programs today, and the steps are identical: take a CHFA-approved homebuyer education class, check your credit, save the $1,000 contribution, and get pre-approved with a participating lender.

SAA Homes can help you time the home search around the program’s rollout — understand current options now, and position to take advantage of the 110% income threshold the moment your lender can originate it. Sign up for updates on the Champions page to know when guidelines land.

• Sign up for Champions program updates
• Complete CHFA homebuyer education early
• Check credit and save the $1,000 contribution
• Talk to a CHFA participating lender about current programs
• Search homes within county purchase price limits

• Colorado Home Buyers Guide — Buyer representation & program hub
• First responders blog — How Champions works for police, fire & EMS

How SAA Homes helps law enforcement buyers

Adam and Mandi Schwartz represent buyers and sellers across all 27 Northern Colorado communities we serve. For law enforcement families, that means help finding homes within CHFA purchase price limits, coordinating with participating lenders, and writing competitive offers around shift schedules and family timelines.

Call (970) 999-1407 to talk through the Champions program — what is available now, what is coming — and start the search in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, or Greeley.

• Contact SAA Homes — Adam and Mandi Schwartz — (970) 999-1407
• Fort Collins homes for sale — Neighborhoods & homes for sale