Buncombe County reappraisals pause heads to governor for final approval

Buncombe County homeowners facing steep new property values could get a one-year reprieve on the tax hit, but the pause would also delay county revenue and leave the fairness fight over fast-rising neighborhoods unresolved. Senate Bill 889, the Property Tax Reappraisal Moratorium, passed both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly on June 10 and now goes to Gov. Josh Stein.

The measure would apply to counties that completed a general reappraisal effective Jan. 1, 2026, and would require them to use the previous schedule of values for the taxable year beginning July 1, 2026, instead of the new 2026 values. Senate analysis says the language was narrowed to counties with populations of 15,000 or more, and it preserved some taxpayers’ ability to appeal in 2027 if they missed the 2026 window.

For Buncombe, the stakes are immediate. County rules require reappraisals at least every eight years, but Buncombe has been on a four-year cycle. The last countywide reappraisal took effect Jan. 1, 2021, the next was first scheduled for Jan. 1, 2025, and after Tropical Storm Helene, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners delayed it to Jan. 1, 2026. The county began mailing updated value notices in February, and homeowners can appeal those assessments.

If the moratorium becomes law, the clearest winners would be owners in Buncombe’s fastest-rising areas, where the new assessments threaten the biggest tax shock. Local reporting has found some properties up 50% to more than 300%, including former Asheville Mayor Lou Bissette’s home in Grove Park/Town Mountain, which rose from $970,100 to nearly $1.7 million, a 75% increase. A pause would hold those bills closer to the old values for another year, while the county would collect less than it would under the new schedule.

The move would also reopen old arguments about fairness. Buncombe’s 2021 reappraisal drew complaints about equity and racial disparities, especially in Shiloh, where one home’s taxable value reportedly jumped 44%. Supporters of the moratorium say it would soften the blow of inflation and housing costs. Critics are likely to see a delay that leaves some neighborhoods waiting longer for a reset while others continue paying based on values that have already raced ahead.

Whether Stein signs the bill or not, the decision will shape how quickly Buncombe turns the county’s latest housing surge into tax bills, and how evenly that burden lands across the county.