Guilford County sends revaluation appeal decisions, homeowners must respond now

Guilford County homeowners who challenged their 2026 revaluation are now getting Notices of Decision, and the next move carries real tax consequences. Of the more than 10,000 appeals filed countywide, 3,292 have been completed, 1,759 assessed values were lowered, 33 were increased, and 1,451 property owners still had not responded.

The county says the choice is straightforward. If a taxpayer accepts the appraiser’s recommendation, no hearing is needed. If the taxpayer rejects it, the appeal moves to the Guilford County Board of Equalization and Review. If the homeowner does nothing, the valuation stays in place and the appeal goes nowhere. Tax Director Ben Chavis has said the county wants residents to respond so the process keeps moving instead of stalling.

The deadline to file a formal appeal remains May 15, 2026 at 5 p.m. EST, and the county is telling residents to check both email and mail closely. Homeowners who filed online should look for the notice online. Those who filed by mail should watch their physical mailbox, and anyone who used email should check the spam folder as well.

The stakes are high because the 2026 reappraisal takes effect Jan. 1, 2026 and will show up on tax bills mailed in July. North Carolina requires real estate to be assessed at 100% of market value as of the last reappraisal date, and Guilford County says the process uses county maps, aerial photography, street-level images, sales analysis and field visits. The county has divided Guilford County into about 2,500 appraisal neighborhoods, and residential values are based on comparable sales.

The revaluation covers residential, commercial and industrial land and structures, but not personal property such as motor vehicles and boats, which are adjusted separately each year. The Board of Equalization and Review is a local citizen board appointed by the Guilford County commissioners, and under North Carolina law it can lower, leave unchanged or raise an appealed property’s assessed value.

County officials said in late February that more than 2,600 homeowners had already appealed within a week of notices going out. WFMY reported about 4,900 appeals during the 2022 reappraisal cycle, and county officials later said the 2026 appeal volume represented about 2.6 percent of residential properties. The message for homeowners is plain: the Notice of Decision is not paperwork to set aside, because it can determine whether the new value lowers, holds or raises the bill that arrives in July.