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Tax Collections

The Buncombe County Tax Department is comprised of Assessment and Collections.

Tax Collections is responsible for collecting all real and personal property taxes assessed within the county, occupancy tax, gross receipts tax, and beer and wine retail license fees.

Property taxes include real estate, vehicle, business personal property and other personal property, such as manufactured homes, untagged vehicles and boats, etc. Collections mails over 150,000 property tax notices and collects property tax totaling more than $310 million each year for Buncombe County and the municipalities within the County's boundaries.


Ways to pay your taxes

Online Service Payment Fees

  • Electronic checks: No Fee
  • VISA Debit: $4.00 per transaction
  • Credit/Debit: 2.40% per transaction
    • Transaction Minimum: $2.00

PLEASE NOTE: It may take up to three (3) business days for credit card and e-check payments initiated online or via telephone to post to outstanding bills.



DISCOVER PROPERTY COLLECTION INFORMATION IN SECONDS...

View unpaid bills by property address. Link to pay your property tax bill, online.


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Payment Plans

In addition to paying your taxes up-front and in-full, you can also prepay your taxes with two of our programs.

Is your tax bill too large to pay all at once? Our Tax Department gives you the option of paying over the course of the year so you don’t have to pay all at once. Being enrolled in a payment plan also ensures you won’t be subject to collection actions, such as payroll or bank garnishments.

Casual Payment Plan

The Casual Payment Plan allows you to send in a predetermined amount every month; it will not be automatically drafted from your bank account. Once you receive your bill you can continue your monthly payments until the bill is paid in full.

If you enrolled in the Casual Payment Plan, you can mail in a check to the Buncombe County Tax Collector with "Prepayment" and your PIN or account number written on the memo line, or drop it in one of our drop boxes located at 35 Woodfin Street and 94 Coxe Avenue.

Note: If you have a bill from 2023, you must finish monthly payments by April, 2024.

Preauthorized Debit Payment Plan

The Preauthorized Debit Plan automatically withdraws a predetermined amount from your bank account every month.

Note: If you have a bill from 2023, you must finish monthly payments by May, 2024.

Both payment plans require you to contact our office.
For more information or to enroll in a payment plan call a County Account Representative at (828) 250-4910 to talk to a Tax Collector to start the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to commonly asked tax questions.

Real Estate

Tax notices (bills) are mailed in early August each year and are due on September 1st. There is, however, a four month grace period that allows you to pay your taxes up to the following January 5 before interest is added. In effect, January 5th is the deadline for paying property taxes.

The owner of the property as of January 1st of the current tax year is responsible for taxes for the entire year, unless the property changes ownership during the tax year. If there is a change of ownership, the owner of record on the following January 6 or date interest begins and any subsequent owner will be held liable for any unpaid real estate taxes.

The Tax Department does not prorate real estate taxes; this should be handled between the buyer and seller at the time of the sale. The Tax Department will attempt to send the bill to the January 1 owner of record as well as any subsequent owners. Tax liens against the property will stay until the taxes are paid in full.

Vehicles

About sixty (60) days before your vehicle registration expires the North Carolina DMV will send a renewal notice to the address on record. This notice lists both vehicle registration fees and property taxes due. Your annual vehicle inspection, registration renewal and vehicle property tax will be due the same month each year. Both the annual tax renewal and property tax will be paid to the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.

You are billed for the vehicle you owned on the date of registration. If you have purchased a new vehicle and transferred your tags from the old vehicle to the new one, then the tax on the old vehicle would be due in full. You would not receive a tax bill on the new vehicle until you renew your registration on the old tag. However, if you sold your vehicle AND turned in the tag to the DMV, you should send a copy of the receipt from DMV to the Tax Department within one (1) year in order to qualify for a release or refund.

North Carolina DMV collects both vehicle registration fees and property taxes. If you have questions regarding your vehicle registration contact the DMV at (919) 814-1779 or visit https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/registration/Pages/tag-tax-together.aspx.

Licensed Motor Vehicles and Trailers are listed automatically when you register or renew your motor vehicle or trailer registration through the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Each month the Department Of Motor Vehicles sends to each County Tax Office a list of every person in the county who has registered a motor vehicle or a trailer. A licensed trailer includes any trailer that requires a registration, such as boat trailers, animal trailers, utility trailers, camping trailers and motor homes. Taxpayers receive a separate tax bill for each licensed motor vehicle or trailer about three (3) months after it is registered.

To access registered motor vehicle property taxes paid to the NC DMV please visit this site:

You will need:

  • your NC Driver's License or NC Identification Card Number,
  • the Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number,
  • I-94 (Arrival/Departure US Customs Form) or Alien Registration Number,
  • and birth date

Once logged in, you will see "Correspondence" on the right side of the window. Under "Correspondence" you will be able to select the year for Vehicle Property Tax Fee paid or as pictured VEH PROP TAX FEE. Select the year desired and all vehicles paid for in that year will pop up with the total taxes paid for each vehicle in that calendar year.

Businesses will not be able to access tax information through the MyDMV Portal.

If you wish to appeal the value of your vehicle, you will need to furnish the following information to the county tax department within thirty (30) days from the billing date:

  1. If recently purchased from a dealer, a copy of the bill of sale.
  2. One appraisal stating the average retail value as of January 1st of the taxing year. This appraisal must be from a licensed vehicle dealer. You need one copy of the Vehicle Appraisal Form for each vehicle that you are appealing.
  3. Mileage reading - odometer statement from the most recent vehicle inspection or vehicle service receipt.
  4. If wrecked, bring an appraisal indicating extent of damage and cost to repair and when the accident took place.

Property Tax Payments

The most convenient way to pay your taxes is to use the self addressed envelope you received with your bill. Also, you may pay your bills in person at the Tax Department on 94 Coxe Avenue or you can use the Tax Bill Drop Box. Our convenient payment drop boxes are located at Weaverville Library, 41 N. Main St and Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St. There will be signs to direct you.

*For more information please visit Property Tax Collections.

Please mail any correspondence relating to the assessment of real estate, motor vehicle values, mobile home valuation, and any other concerns or appeals in value assessment to:

Tax Assessment
155 Hilliard Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801

Please mail any correspondence relating to collections to:

Buncombe County Tax Collections
PO Box 3140
Asheville, NC 28802-3140

Tax Rates

The responsibility of the Tax Department is to value all taxable property in the County. The total value of all the property in the county is called the tax base. Each county agency or department submits an annual operating budget to the county manager. The county manager submits a recommended total budget to the county commissioners for their consideration. In June, the Board of Commissioners reviews the budget, conducting public hearings to get residents' input. By the end of June, the commissioners adopt the budget. The budget is divided by the tax base value to determine a tax rate. The tax rate is based on amounts per each $100 in value. Of course this process is not as simple as it sounds; many laborious hours are spent analyzing the budgets and county programs to arrive at a budget that will provide the most cost efficient services to Buncombe County.

A similar process is completed for each municipality and fire district. The whole process is usually completed by the end of June and the county commissioners and town boards establish new tax rates in July. Once the tax rates are established, taxpayers receive a consolidated tax bill, usually in August, which includes Buncombe County, fire district, Asheville Schools, City of Asheville, Town of Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, or the Town of Woodfin, depending on the location of the property.

Advertisement of Tax Liens

Our priority is to work hand-in-hand with you to pay your bill. We are required by North Carolina law to advertise properties with outstanding taxes due. It is important to note that just because your property has been advertised does not mean the foreclosure process has begun. Foreclosure is an absolute last resort.

If your property has been advertised, you can contact a Tax Department Account Representative and they will work with you to help find payment options and plans that work with your budget. If an advertised property does not get enrolled in a payment plan then foreclosure is a possibility. We want to work with you to prevent this. You can contact our professional Account Representatives at (828) 250-4910.

Note: The amount due for each property reflects payments received in the Tax Department through May 30, 2023.


Advertisement of Tax Liens on Real Property for the Year of 2022 for the following:

County of Buncombe, City of Asheville, Town of Black Mountain, Town of Woodfin, Town of Weaverville, and Town of Montreat.

Under and by virtue of the authority vested in the Tax Collector by Section §105-369 of the North Carolina General Statutes and pursuant to an order by the Board of County Commissioners of Buncombe County dated February 7, 2023, the Tax Collector is hereby advertising tax liens on all unpaid 2022 real estate tax bills as of 5:00 p.m. May 30, 2023.

This advertisement shall contain "the name of the record owner of the parcel as determined as of the date the taxes became delinquent." Taxes became delinquent on January 6, 2023 and notices were properly sent to the owners of record as of that date. Also contained in this advertisement is the property description, parcel identification number and the principal amount of tax due.

The amount advertised will be increased by interest and advertising cost, and the omission of interest and advertising cost from the amount advertised will not constitute a waiver of Buncombe County's claim for those items. If the taxes remain unpaid, the Buncombe County Tax Department may foreclose on the tax lien to satisfy all claims on unpaid taxes.

Jennifer Pike
Tax Collector

Locate & Contact

Property Tax Collections

Contact

Property Tax Collections
P: (828) 250-4910

Physical Address

Tax Collections Division
94 Coxe Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801

Find Parking

Mailing Address

Tax Collections Division
PO Box 3140
Asheville, NC 28802

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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NOTE: Free limited parking is available across the street from the walk-thru entrance of 94 Coxe Avenue.
Enter the visitor parking lot from Hilliard Avenue.