North Carolina Law states that all taxable real property shall be listed in the name of the owner as of the first day of January each year. If you receive a bill for real property that you sold on or after January 1st of the current year, please forward a copy of the tax bill to the current owner. It is our policy to notify the new owner as soon as possible after the property “changes hands” and you can assist in this process by sending the tax bill to the current owner in a timely manner.

Property taxes are due and payable the first of September of the current year and are past due on January 6th of the following year. After January 6th, interest accrues at a rate of 2% and increases by 3/4 of 1% per month until paid.

The property tax bill will always be sent to the owner of the property even if you have an escrow account with a mortgage company for this property. The escrow companies or their agent will request tax information and will be notified electronically. The Tax Office depends on the mortgage company to determine what bills they require for payment. If you received the bill and you think the mortgage company should pay this bill, please contact your mortgage company.

Partial payments may be made from the time you receive your tax bill until January 6th of the following year without accruing interest. After January 6th, the unpaid balance is subject to interest and penalties.

Requests for tax releases and refunds may be submitted to the Tax Collector for review by the Town Council. Grounds for release or refund are as follows:

If the Town Council feels that the request for release or refund meets one of these stipulations, the request will be approved. If the request for release or refund does not meet any of these stipulations, the Town cannot legally approve the request.