When Guilford County property owners get their new tax values on Jan. 1, 2026, most will see figures well above what’s now on their annual bills.

The Tax Department predicts property values will rise about 48 percent on average for Guilford County property owners, and homes, in particular, could climb closer to 50 percent.

That mirrors statewide trends. The 18 counties that revalued effective Jan. 1, 2025, saw an average increase of around 61 percent. Even counties on four-year cycles – those last revalued in 2021 – still averaged greater than 52 percent.

The range was dramatic: Surry County rose about 25 percent. Durham, Johnston and Dare topped 70 percent. Cumberland had the highest jump – 88 percent.

Long gaps between revaluations produced very sharp increases while shorter cycles still saw significant but smaller jumps.

Guilford County revalues property every five years – more frequent than the state-law-allowed maximum of eight years. The last revaluation in 2022 produced a roughly 25 percent rise in residential values on average.

 Guilford County was forced by state law to do a new revaluation a year earlier than planned because the assessed values in the 2022 revaluation came in more than 20 percent lower than actual real-market selling values that were tracked after the new revaluation.

After that 2022 revaluation, the Board of Commissioners didn’t lower the tax rate to a revenue-neutral level; they held the rate at 73.05 cents per $100, which brought in an estimated $92 million extra a year in additional revenue without a formal rate increase.

For fiscal year 2025-2026, the tax rate again remains unchanged at 73.05 cents as adopted in the recent budget.

Home values in Guilford County rose about 30 percent between the 2017 and 2022 revaluations.

This long-term upward pressure, combined with the steep statewide increases, means Guilford homeowners should get ready for values roughly half again as high as the current ones.

Higher assessed values don’t guarantee higher tax bills – local governments can lower rates to compensate.  However, history shows that often doesn’t happen. Guilford kept the rate steady in 2022. If the same thing happens in 2026, higher values plus unchanged rates will mean much larger tax bills than current ones.

Property owners will have the right to contest their values – first informally.

If not resolved, they may present their case formally to the Board of Equalization and Review – which usually begins hearing cases in April. If left unhappy after that, owners may appeal to the state’s Property Tax Commission and even eventually to the state’s superior courts.

Inside Guilford County, Greensboro and High Point rely on county values but set their own rates. Some municipalities have occasionally adjusted rates in response to revaluation. That means that residents of the city may see different results depending on where they live.

Looking at other counties in the state provides useful context. For example, Wake County moved to a four-year reval cycle in 2016. Mecklenburg also revalues every four years – shorter than the state’s eight-year requirement – and in its last round median residential values rose by about 48 percent.

Market forces driving these gains are clear – in-migration, limited housing stock and high construction costs – and they impact residential, commercial and industrial parcels alike.

Appeals also matter.

In Alamance County after the 2023 revaluation, roughly 6 percent of taxable parcels were appealed. The Guilford County Tax Department typically sees fewer than that but appeals are more common when increases surprise homeowners.

To explain, “revenue-neutral” means setting the new tax rate low enough so that the total revenue remains the same despite higher valuations. Guilford County leaders opted not to do that in 2022. Encouraging appeals and offering information was their main outreach to area property owners.

State law requires revaluations at least every eight years — but many counties do it more often to smooth changes. Guilford’s five-year schedule helps moderate spikes, but values still climbed steeply last time.

In summary: Guilford’s revaluation every five years – a 25 percent increase in 2022 – leaves homeowners bracing for a sharp second jump in 2026.

Here’s a list of the results of the increases and the last time the county held a revaluation before 2025 (The ones that are best estimates):

Cumberland – 88% (2017)

Durham – 75.22% (2019)

Dare – 73% (2020)

Lenoir – 73% (2017)

Johnston – 70.6% (2019)

New Hanover – 67% (2021)

Jackson – 60–70% (2021)

Union – 60.05% (2021)

Forsyth – 55–57% (2021)

Caldwell – 56% (2021)

Cleveland – 55% (2021)

Person – 54% (2021)

Transylvania – 54% (2021)

Davie – 51.07% (2021)

Wayne – 50–55% (2019)

Orange – 49.5% (2021)

Chatham – 40–50% (2021)

Stanly – 30–40% (2021)

Surry – 25% (2021)

Averages:

All counties: 61%

2021 counties only: 52.4%

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