On Thursday, Oct. 16, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners adopted the schedules, standards, and rules to be used in the next scheduled reappraisal of real property in Guilford County. Those are now open to examination in the office of the Tax Department pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 105-317.

While those rules will determine how houses and businesses are valued in Guilford County, the really important information will come next June when the Guilford County Board of Commissioners decides whether or not to lower the tax rate so that property tax bills don’t skyrocket with the increased tax values.

Based on information collected so far, the assessed value of the average home in Guilford County will be an estimated 50 percent higher than the price of an average home after the 2022 reevaluation.

According to information provided by the Guilford County Tax Department, based on property sales, in June of 2023, the average home in the county sold for over $371,000; in June of 2024, that number was $377,000 plus – and, in June of this year, the average price tag had grown to $415,000.

So, if the commissioners keep the tax rate the same or only reduce it a little, you might want to think about turning that planned family vacation into a nice little staycation.

The county also gave notice this week that a copy of that Schedule of Values and the Present Use Schedule of Values, standards and rules are posted online at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/government/departments-and-agencies/tax-department/2026-reappraisaland are also on file in the office of the Guilford County Tax Assessor’s Office at 400 W. Market St., located on the second floor, for public inspection, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

As the Rhino Times reported last month, some of that information is protected business materials provided by a consultant, which makes it basically exempt from public records law – so you can see it, in a room while being watched by a county employee, but you cannot copy it or duplicate it in any way.

The top-secret part of the schedule of values, however, only applies to the commercial side of the revaluation.  It doesn’t apply to the residential side.

The county’s property reappraisal calendar is filled with key dates that property owners might want to circle.

The process kicked off this fall. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, county staff presented the schedule of values – the formulas and standards used to calculate property values – to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. From there, the county invited the public to weigh in. On Thursday, Oct. 2, a public hearing was held, and two weeks later, on Thursday, Oct.16, the board adopted the schedule.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. For those who don’t approve the numbers being used, there’s still a chance to appeal: The last day to challenge the schedule of values to the NC Property Tax Commission is November 16.

Fast forward to next year, and that’s when property owners really start seeing and feeling the impact of the new reval. In February, residential property owners will get their new notices in the mail, followed in March by commercial property notices.

May 15 is the last day for appeals of those individual value notices.

Once the values are locked in, the county commissioners’ budget process takes over. In June, the Board of Commissioners – and municipalities – will set their tax rates.

In early July, property tax bills – with the new assessments baked in – will be mailed out.

That’s not quite the finish line either. Final market reviews by the Tax Department continue through January 2026 to make sure everything checks out. In 2022, they didn’t: The county’s property values came in as assessed too low so Guilford County, like a lot of other counties in North Carolina, had to hold a new revaluation earlier than planned.  Guilford County was supposed to have its next reval in 2027, but state law forced the county to have the 2026 revaluation because of those low county assessments when compared to actual market values of the homes that sold at that time.

The reappraisal is always a massive undertaking. With an $800 million-plus and always growing county budget hanging on the results, the stakes are high. For homeowners and businesses alike, keeping an eye on the timeline and the actions of the commissioners is a good way to avoid surprises when those nasty bills hit the mailbox next summer.

Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston told the Rhino Times this week that it’s too early to know what the board will do in regard to the tax rate. He said that will depend on how the numbers for needs and revenues come in next year.  In the past, the Democratic-led board has shown no mercy to Guilford County property owners.

Once again, there’s still time to take issue with the methodology and formulas being used to assess values. The official notice sent out by the county this week states: “A property owner who asserts that the schedules, standards, and rules are invalid may take exception to the order adopting the Schedule of Values and the Present Use Schedule of Values by appealing therefrom to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission at P.O. Box 871, Raleigh, NC 27602, within thirty days of the date when the notice of the order adopting the schedules standards, and rules was first published. The final date that these schedules may be appealed is November 16, 2025.”

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