Billing and Payment

Real Estate

Due Date. Tax bills for real estate are mailed to Cabarrus County property owners in July of each year. Taxes on real estate are due on September 1 and are payable through January 5 without interest. If January 5 falls on a holiday, a Saturday, or a Sunday, the payment period is extended to the next business day.

Mortgage Escrow Accounts. If your mortgage company requests your tax bill due to an escrow account, your bill will be mailed to your mortgage company, and you will receive a copy of the tax notice.

Property Transfers. Ownership of real property is established as of January 1 of the tax year. Therefore, real estate tax notices are sent to the January 1 owner. If the property was transferred after January 1, please forward the tax notice to the new owner or contact our office so we can notify them of the taxes due. Normally, at the time of closing, the property taxes are generally prorated with the seller paying their share to the buyer. In this case, the new owner is responsible for payment of the current year property tax. Cabarrus County also sends tax notices to the owner/owners who have purchased property during the year if the taxes remain unpaid late in the year. If the taxes become delinquent, enforced collections can be taken against the owner of record as of the delinquent date, January 6. The property would also be subject to foreclosure proceedings once the tax lien has been advertised in March. If you have questions concerning the closing procedures for a recent real estate purchase, please refer to the settlement statement you received at closing or contact the attorney who handled the transaction.

Personal Property

Personal property taxes are due on September 1 and are payable through January 5 without interest. If January 5 falls on a holiday, a Saturday, or a Sunday, the payment period is extended to the next business day.

Motor Vehicles

Registered motor vehicle bills are mailed during the third month following your vehicle registration or renewal. The tax is due on the first day of the following month, and interest begins one month later.

If taxes are not paid in full by the block date which appears on the bill (eight months following registration or renewal), the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will not mail your renewal notice. If this occurs, you must provide DMV with a paid tax receipt from us in order to renew your vehicle registration.

How Are Taxes Calculated?

There are currently twenty-four tax jurisdictions within Cabarrus County, including seven cities or towns and sixteen fire districts in addition to the county itself. The tax rates for these districts are set based on the budget necessary to provide services to the residents within the district. These taxes support schools, roads, police/sheriff/fire protection and other services that a taxpayer receives from the local government.

Example 1. To calculate the tax on your home, let's assume it has a taxable value of $125,000 and is located within the City of Kannapolis. The City of Kannapolis' ($0.53) and Cabarrus County's ($0.56) combined tax rates for 2002 are $1.09 per hundred dollars of assessed value.

To calculate the tax, multiply the assessed value by the tax rate and divide by 100: $125,000 (assessed value) x 1.09(tax rate) / 100 = $1,362.50

Example 2. To calculate the tax on your home if you live in a fire district, let's assume it has a taxable value of $150,000 and is located in the Odell Fire District. Odell's rate ($0.03) and Cabarrus County's rate ($0.56) combine for a 2002 rate of $0.59 per hundred dollars of assessed value.

To calculate the tax, multiply the assessed value by the tax rate and divide by 100:
$150,000 (assessed value) x 0.59 (tax rate) / 100 = $885.00

Delinquent Taxes

All property taxes paid after the due date are delinquent and subject to interest. Interest accrues at the rate of five percent (5%) for registered motor vehicles and two percent (2%) for all other property for the first calendar month or any fraction thereof and three-fourths of one percent (3/4%) for each subsequent month or fraction thereof until paid.

North Carolina General Statutes require advertisement of tax liens on real estate. If property taxes remain unpaid, the name(s) of the property owner as of the date the taxes became delinquent and amounts owed for each parcel are advertised in the local newspaper, usually in late April. Although we do not wish to embarrass taxpayers by doing this, it is mandatory since it is the first step in the foreclosure procedures.

In addition to foreclosure on real estate, there are other alternatives available to the tax office to enforce collections. These can begin as soon as a tax falls delinquent. They include garnishment of wages, attachment of bank accounts or rents, and levy on personal property. We do accept partial payments on accounts prior to the due date. To avoid enforcement of collections, the bill must be paid in full by the delinquent date. If you are unable to have the bill paid in full by the delinquent date, please contact our office as soon as possible to establish a plan to resolve the tax debt. For your convenience, we also accept full or partial payments prior to issuing annual tax bills.