Frequently Asked Questions

Data is pulled for billing around mid-July. Payments can start being made on accounts immediately once bills are in the system. Tax bills are mailed to property owners on or before August 1st of the tax year. If tax bills are paid during the month of August, property owners will receive a 2% discount.

Personal Property

The owner as of January 1st of the current tax year is responsible for taxes for the entire year. Taxable personal property includes but is not limited to business assets, untagged motor vehicles, boats, personal watercraft, untagged campers, untagged trailers, mobile homes, golf carts, recreational vehicles (ATV) and aircraft. 

Real Estate

Real estate taxes are not pro-rated, but are usually handled between the buyer and seller at the time of closing. You should refer to your closing statement to see if provisions for property taxes were made at that time. Most attorneys pro-rate the taxes on real estate on a calendar year basis. Depending on the time of year the closing is processed, taxes may be paid to the Tax Department directly, or the seller may pay the buyer their portion of the taxes. The buyer is then responsible for paying the entire tax bill to the tax office. The tax bill is sent to the owner of record as of January 1st of the tax year. The January 1st owner's name will appear on the tax bill. It is their responsibility to forward the bill to the new owner if there is a change in ownership. If these taxes are not paid, a lien will be placed on the property, and any action will be taken against the current owner.

Of course, no matter how thorough and fair a revaluation may be, there are still instances when only the property owner has all the information necessary for an accurate appraisal. That is why there is a relatively easy appeal process. 

First, complete the Formal Appeal Form (PDF) and return it to the Assessor's Office. Appeals must be submitted prior to the convening of the Board of Equalization and Review which meets between the first Monday in April and the first Monday in May. This will be an appeal to the Yancey County Board of Equalization and Review which is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.

The Tax Assessor will contact you and will discuss your concerns after reviewing the back-up used during the revaluation of your property. We will make any corrections that are appropriate based on the review or make no changes. It is incumbent upon the appellant to prove that the assigned value is incorrect.

If you are still dissatisfied with your property value after being heard by the Board of Equalization and Review, the next step is to appeal to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission in Raleigh. Very rarely is this step required. From the Property Tax Commission, you may appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and finally to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Again, these appeals are very rare since every effort is made by the Tax department to resolve our issue locally among people who are most familiar with property values in Yancey County.

Revaluation is a systematic, in-depth process using a Computer Aided Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system to reappraise or reassess all real property in the County to the current market value. (Appraised value and assessed value can be used interchangeably in North Carolina because property is required to be assessed at 100% of its appraised value.) The real estate market is one of constant change caused by the freedom we have to buy and sell property. This change can vary greatly depending on a property’s size, type, and location. This can create an inequitable situation in the level of assessment among owners of property and inequity among differing types of property.

The longer this situation exists, the more unjust it becomes. The end result is an unfair tax burden on those properties that have an assessed value close to the actual market value compared to those properties whose assessed value is well below market value. The relationship between assessed, or tax value, and market value is called the sales / assessment ratio.

A countywide revaluation is an enormous and complex task. Yancey County is fortunate to have contracted a qualified and knowledgeable reappraisal team, Pearson Appraisal, to perform Yancey County’s 2024 revaluation. Field inspections are being conducted, sales files are being developed and analyzed, and market trends are being monitored. Contacts are made with property owners, local realtors, building contractors, building suppliers, and home lending institutions, all for the purpose of being as knowledgeable as possible about property values.

Mailing address changes can be made in three different ways:

• By coming into the office and having a member of our staff change your mailing address
• By calling the office and having a member of our staff change your mailing address over the phone
• By filling out a Change of Address Form (PDF) and sending it to our office.