WHO HAS TO LIST PROPERTY?

All owners of property subject to ad valorem taxation shall list their property annually.

WHAT DO I LIST?

The taxpayer is responsible for listing two types of property if they own these types:

Personal Property - is property that is not permanently affixed to real property. Such items to be listed by residential taxpayers are non-tagged motor vehicles, trailers with multi-year plates, vehicles with IRP plates, vehicles with 3-month plates, mobile homes, boats, boat motors and aircrafts. Business personal property to be listed by businesses includes all property used in connection with the production of income which has not been classified as real property.

Real Property - is land and also buildings, structures, improvements, and permanent fixtures thereon, and all the rights and privileges belonging or in any wise appertaining thereto. Taxable real property shall be listed in the name of the January 1st owner, and it shall be the owner’s duty to list it. However, in Randolph County, the County Commissioners have adopted a permanent listing system whereby all real property is listed automatically for the taxpayers once a deed is recorded with the Register of Deeds office. Any changes made to building must be reported during the listing period. The tax bill is always generated for the January 1st owner of the real property and/or any of the aforementioned personal property.

WHEN DO I LIST?

The period during which property is to be listed for taxation each year shall begin on the first business day of the month of January and shall continue through the month of January. Individual extensions of time to list personal property shall be granted upon written request and for good cause shown. The extension request must be filed no later than the ending date of the regular listing period and shall not be granted to extend beyond April 15th. Failure to list personal property within the regular listing period shall result in a late penalty of ten (10%) percent.

Taxpayers needing to file a business personal property return can complete all sections of the form and return it during the month of January, or by April 15th with an extension or file the listing electronically.

WHERE DO I LIST?

The Randolph County Tax Department, during the 1st week in January, mails listing forms to taxpayers that have taxable personal property in the county. If a taxpayer does not receive a listing form and has personal property subject to taxation, the taxpayer should request one from this department. After receiving the form, the taxpayer should complete all sections and return it during the month of January.

AUTHORITY TO REVIEW LISTING

After a listing of property has been carefully reviewed, the assessor may require any person operating a business enterprise in the county to submit a detailed inventory, statement of assets and liabilities, or other similar information pertinent to the discovery or appraisal of property taxable in the county. (NC General Statute 105-296(h)). This is done to insure that the taxpayer has properly listed all taxable assets.

FAILURE TO LIST

It shall be the duty of the assessor of Randolph County to insure that all property subject to taxation is listed. When property is discovered that the taxpayer failed to list, the assessor has the authority to list it for the current year and the previous years (up to 5 yrs.) for which the property went unlisted. A penalty of ten (10%) percent shall be added to the bill for every year that the property went unlisted.

HOW MUCH TAX WILL I PAY?

This is determined by 3 basic elements:

1.  the value of the property
2.  the tax rate for a particular jurisdiction
3.  where is property’s physical location

Value - North Carolina General Statutes require all property, real and personal, to be appraised or valued at its market value; that is, the price estimated in terms of money that the property would change hands for, between a willing and financially able buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or to sell and both having reasonable knowledge of all the uses to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used.

Tax Rate - if property is located in more than one jurisdiction, not only is there a Randolph County tax, but also there may be a fire tax, or school tax on the property within those districts.

    The amount of tax then is determined by the following method:

    Value of the property x county rate = county tax  

    Value of the property x municipal rate = municipal tax

    Value of the property x fire district rate = fire district tax

    Value of the property x school district rate = school district tax

Property could possibly be located in all these districts and these four district taxes shall be added together to determine the total tax due on a property.

HOW WILL I BE BILLED?

It takes several months to process all the listings that come into the tax department in January. After this is complete and the rates are set, a tax bill is normally mailed during the month of July. If a taxpayer failed to get a bill and knows that they should have received one, contact the tax department.

WHEN DOES MY BILL BECOME DUE?

The tax bill that is mailed does not become due until September 1st. There is a discount of 2% offered for early payment of the bill from July through the month of August.

IF I AM BILLED INCORRECTLY

Contact the tax department immediately to notify us of the error.

HOW DO I APPEAL?

The valuation of your personal property should be appealed within 30 days from the date of the notice on the bill. The burden of proof will remain with the taxpayer. The valuation of your real property will need to be appealed prior to the adjournment of the Randolph County Board of Equalization and Review. A request to be heard by the Equalization and Review Board should be mailed during January or February. Any appeals of real property value cannot be heard after this adjournment date.

WHAT IF I DO NOT PAY ON TIME?

If your taxes become due on September 1, and remain unpaid in January following this date, the tax department may be forced to use certain remedies in order to collect the taxes. These remedies include but are not limited to: garnishment of employee’s wages, attachment of banking accounts, or even foreclosure proceedings against real property to satisfy the taxes that are past due.