Guilford County Mails Commercial Property Values Ahead of May Appeals Deadline

About 15,030 commercial and industrial property reappraisal notices began landing in Guilford County mailboxes this week, a month after residential assessments triggered more than 2,900 appeals and what the High Point Enterprise described as a public backlash over sharply higher valuations.

The mailings are part of Guilford County's 2026 countywide reappraisal, which assigned new market values to roughly 220,000 parcels effective January 1. The county's online appeal portal opened alongside the commercial notices, and the deadline to challenge any valuation is May 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST.

The reappraisal arrived a year ahead of Guilford's typical five-year cycle. Pandemic-era price spikes pushed the countywide sales ratio below the state-mandated floor of 85 percent of market sales prices, triggering the early and full revaluation, according to Tax Director Ben Chavis. County tax officials had projected overall property values would rise roughly 40 to 45 percent on average compared to the 2022 reappraisal, with housing among the sectors seeing the steepest increases.

What that means in practice varies sharply depending on whether elected leaders adjust tax rates. A property at 100 G Wafco Lane illustrates the range: its assessed value rose from $136,000 to $215,100. At the current combined rate of 1.4130, the annual tax bill would climb from $1,904 to $3,039, an increase of $1,135 per year. A moderate rate reduction to a combined rate of roughly 1.0000 would narrow that increase to about $247 annually. At a revenue-neutral combined rate near 0.8500, the bill would actually fall by an estimated $76 per year. Final rates will be set by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and Greensboro City Council in June 2026.

Guilford County, Greensboro, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, and other municipalities each have the authority to lower their tax rates in response to the higher assessed values. A separate legislative track is also in play. "This reopens the opportunity to do something," Blust said, noting that the legislature returns to session April 21. If a select committee moves quickly, a revenue-neutral budgeting requirement could take effect before the new fiscal year begins.

To be eligible for an appeal, a property's assessed value must be substantially higher or lower than its market value, or inequitable compared to similar properties. Owners can file an informal appeal through the county's website at guilfordcountync.gov, searching for "Tax Department, appeal revaluation," or by emailing taxreval@guilfordcountync.gov. The county's Parcel Value Review Tool and Parcel Verify Tool allow owners to examine comparable sales and review how appraisers reached their figures, with each parcel linked to its GIS mapping record and property record card.

Chavis said tax bills are due September 1, 2026, and become delinquent in January 2027. The Tax Department conducts reappraisals entirely in-house, using comparable sales, aerial photography, street-level images, field visits, and sales analysis. In-person assistance is available at 301 W. Market St. in Greensboro, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.