Pittsboro, NC – Chatham County property owners can expect to receive their 2021 property tax bills by late August, according to Chatham County Tax Administrator Jenny Williams. Taxes are due by September 1, 2021, and the deadline to pay 2021 property taxes without penalty is January 5, 2022.
The fiscal year 2021-2022 county tax rate decreased from $0.67 to $0.665 per $100 of value. Circle City, Hope and Bennett fire districts requested and received a small increase in their tax levy for properties served by those districts.
Williams said that it is important for taxpayers to carefully review their bills after receiving them. If they identify problems or do not receive their tax bills by August 30, they should contact the Chatham County Tax Office as soon as possible at (919) 542-8250 or (919) 542-8260.
In some cases, taxpayers will receive one bill covering both real estate and personal property (such as a boat or mobile home), while some will receive separate bills for different types of properties. The bill will not include motor vehicles, which are billed separately by the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as part of vehicle registration renewals. However, there are some exceptions billed as personal property.
Solid Waste Fees
For residents living outside incorporated towns that offer municipal waste collection, the county property tax bill includes the county’s annual Solid Waste Fee. The county allows an exemption from the fee when a residence is not habitable, or it has been vacant for more than two years.
To be eligible for the solid waste fee exemption, taxpayers must file an application with Chatham County Solid Waste and Recycling by January 5. Waste fees will not be waived if applications are received after this date. For residents living in the Town of Goldston a solid waste service fee of $90 per household will be included in the county property tax bill.
Appeals and Personal Property
The deadline to appeal real estate property tax values has already passed, but taxpayers may appeal the value, location or taxability of personal property within 30 days of the date posted on the tax bill. Personal property includes airplanes, boats and motors, mobile homes, unlicensed vehicles, or business personal property.
“It is important for people to know that deadlines to appeal real and personal property values are set by state law and are not negotiable at the county level,” Williams said.
Taxpayers are billed for any personal property they owned as of January 1, 2021. “If you owned a boat on January 1 of this year and sold it the next month, you still owe the full year of personal property taxes for that boat,” said Williams.
Real estate property taxes also are billed based on January 1, 2021, ownership. However, if the property is sold a few months later, the attorney handling the closing usually requires the seller to pay a prorated share of taxes, with the buyer paying the remaining balance. “We strongly encourage the seller to send the property’s 2021 tax bill to the new owners immediately to avoid problems with delinquent taxes,” Williams said.
Payment Methods
The Tax Office offers several methods to pay taxes, including the chance to pay in installments. The public can pay taxes in partial payments by either mailing them to P.O. Box 697, Pittsboro, NC 27312 or by visiting the Tax Office in Pittsboro at 192 West Street. If making a partial payment, residents should include their tax ID account number found on their tax bill on all payments.
“It is very important for customers wishing to pay in installments to begin as soon as they receive their tax bill and not wait until December or when the bill becomes past due,” said Williams. “The Tax Collector’s staff will begin reviewing accounts in January and will begin enforcement procedures at that time.”
For more information on tax payment options, including payment by credit card, e-check or bank draft, residents may contact the Tax Collections Office at (919) 542-8260 or visit: paytaxes.us/nc_chatham.