Households in Fort Collins and Loveland can apply through April 30, 2027 for Colorado’s winter heating help program, the Low-income Energy Assistance Program, known as LEAP. Larimer County says online applications are open from Nov. 1 through April 30. The program pays part of a household’s home heating costs and can also cover repair or replacement of heating equipment that no longer works.
Larimer County does not decide who gets help. Goodwill of Colorado handles the county’s applications, and county Human Services staff can only collect them.
Who can apply in Larimer County
The county’s LEAP page lists the rules. An applicant must be a Colorado resident who pays home heating costs to a utility company or as part of the rent, with household income at or below 60 percent of Colorado’s median income. Renters whose heat is included in the rent can apply.
The county page gives no income table or monthly limits and sends readers to the state’s LEAP site for those figures. It also lists no dollar amounts for the benefit. A household has to check the state table for its size before it counts on qualifying.
The question for a Fort Collins or Loveland household is whether income falls under that 60 percent line and whether the paperwork is already at hand. If so, there is no reason to wait for the coldest weeks, since the program is open until April 30.
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Three ways to get and return the form
The fastest route is Colorado’s PEAK website. Anyone who wants a paper form can call 1-866-HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435), which also takes applications by phone, or pick one up at a Larimer County Human Services office.
Offices are at 1501 Blue Spruce in Fort Collins and 200 Peridot Ave. in Loveland. The county page does not list office phone numbers or hours, so its main line, (970) 498-7000, is the place to ask. County offices will be closed Nov. 11 for Veterans Day.
Finished paper applications can go to any Human Services office or the drop box at 2555 Midpoint Dr. in Fort Collins. They can also be mailed to LEAP, P.O. Box 39200, Colorado Springs, CO 80949, or scanned and emailed to [email protected]. Goodwill of Colorado has a LEAP page of its own.
People who need help filling out the form have a few options. The LEAP help line, 1-866-HEAT-HELP, takes applications by phone. A household that needs an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act can email [email protected] at least seven business days ahead of a visit.
The county says Goodwill of Colorado, not the county, processes the paperwork. That matters for anyone who drops a form at a Human Services desk and then wonders who to call. The county staff collect the form and pass it along, and the help line is the number that answers questions about it.
What the application asks for
The county lists the papers: Social Security numbers and birth dates for everyone in the household, proof of all monthly income such as pay stubs or award letters, and a copy of the latest heating bill. A renter whose heat is in the rent brings the most recent rent receipt instead. Self-employed applicants add receipts for expenses claimed on a profit and loss statement.
The heating bill matters most for renters. A renter who pays for heat through the rent cannot send a utility bill, so the most recent rent receipt takes its place. A household that pays a utility directly sends the latest bill, which shows the account holder and the service address.
Household members born outside the U.S. need lawful presence documents. The county names a naturalization certificate, a born-abroad certificate, a U.S. passport, a permanent resident card or refugee or asylee papers. The application also needs a signature, and an unsigned form is one more reason for a delay.
Because the program pays part of the heating cost, not all of it, the bill does not disappear. The county page says LEAP covers a share and may also cover repair or replacement of inoperable heating equipment. It does not say how the payment is figured or how fast it arrives, and a household with a shutoff notice should say so when it calls the help line.
Applying early also makes sense because the same documents work for the later local programs. A household that has already gathered its income proof and latest heating bill for LEAP can use the same pile when it asks the city utility for payment help.
A broken furnace and other help in the county
A household with a dead furnace has a separate track. The Crisis Intervention Program helps repair or replace a home’s primary heating system and runs year-round, through Energy Outreach Colorado, so it does not wait for the April 30 date.
The county page also points to utility payment help in each city. Fort Collins Utilities and Loveland Water and Power both run assistance programs, and Neighbor to Neighbor lists utility help. Colorado’s weatherization program, which cuts heating costs over the long run, is also listed, as is the Colorado Property Tax/Rent/Heat Credit rebate for low-income seniors and disabled people. The county says that rebate tops out at $660 for property tax and $192 for heat expenses.
Heating a Larimer County home through April?
A Larimer County household that files late or sends an unsigned form can go weeks without help while the heating bills keep coming. Heating aid, a furnace repair and a property tax bill often land in the same winter.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit is a 64-page guide with heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, and it shows how to claim each program. It also includes an application log and renewal calendar so the PEAK filing date and the next renewal are written down.
Get the Larimer County LEAP filing log and renewal calendar kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
