Exhibit 32.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

         Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the
undersigned Chief Executive Officer of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. (the "Company")
hereby certifies that the Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarterly
period ended June 30, 2003, accompanying this certification, fully complies with
the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 and that information contained in the periodic report fairly presents, in
all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the
Company.

Date: August 14, 2003.                         /s/ Larry A. Mizel
                                              -----------------------------
                                                   Larry A. Mizel
                                                   Chief Executive Officer

The foregoing certification is being furnished solely pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 1350 of Title 18, United
States Code, and is not being filed as part of the Form 10-Q or as a separate
disclosure document.