Board of Equalization and Review

The Board of Equalization and Review is a local citizen review board that hears property tax appeals from property owners in Guilford County. North Carolina law sets forth guidelines that govern the operation of the Board of Equalization and Review.

The Board of Equalization and Review is the first step in the formal appeals process. Under North Carolina Law, each county must have an Equalization and Review Board to hear appeals of property values. North Carolina law gives the Equalization and Review Board the authority to change the value of taxable property. The Board may decide to lower, leave as is, or raise the assessed value of any property that is appealed. 

The five (5) members and three (3) alternate members of the Board of Equalization and Review are appointed by the Guilford County Commissioners. 

Board members should be residents of Guilford County with knowledge and experience in real estate, personal property, and taxation issues. They should be willing to listen objectively and make decisions on property tax appeals while following guidelines established by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

North Carolina law requires that real estate be assessed at 100% of market value as of the last reappraisal date (2022). The Board makes its decisions on appeals strictly based upon value. Comparable properties that have sold in your area close to the last reappraisal date would be considered good evidence.

Invalid Reasons to Appeal:

• Amount of value increase
• Amount of increase in tax bill
• Taxpayer’s inability to pay the taxes

Board members hear evidence presented by the county and by taxpayers. Properties involved in forced sales (foreclosures) are not considered to be qualified, comparable sales. Board members will evaluate whether each appealed property was accurately and equitably assessed based on 2022 market values.

All appeals must be filed between January 1 and May 16 of any given tax year and must be made in writing.

The Board can only make a change in value based on evidence of value. The best evidence of value is the selling price of properties like yours which have sold on the open market close to the January 2022 appraisal date. An appraisal dated for 2021 is good evidence. The 2022 cost of constructing a building and depreciating the value based on age is good evidence.

The comment “My basement floods when it rains” states a condition of the house which will reduce the value, but it does not indicate how much. The comment “My basement floods when it rains, and a contractor has estimated a cost of $3,600 to waterproof it” is a statement which gives the Board evidence about the amount of value change.

The Board will consider your evidence of the value, but by law, the Board can only make changes in value that are supported by evidence of the true market value as of January 2022. The owner of the property must give evidence to show that the value is not the true market value.

The five (5) members of the Board of Equalization and Review and the Clerk to the Board will conduct the hearing. An appraiser will be there to present the county’s position on the appeal. Property owners are allowed to represent themselves at the Board of Equalization and Review or they may send an attorney, or they may grant power of attorney to a representative.

A hearing before the Board of Equalization and Review is the first step in the formal appeal process. In hearings involving “valuation” the county’s appraisal is presumed to be correct. For a property owner to prevail, they must carry the burden of proof.

Due to limited time and scheduling, the property owner is encouraged to bring a copy of all evidence in written form. An appraiser from the tax office will review the property prior to the hearing. An appraiser will present his recommendation to the Board at the hearing. After all the evidence is presented, the Board will consider all the evidence and decide.

You will be notified of the Board’s decision in writing within approximately two (2) weeks of the date of your hearing. Information will be enclosed explaining your options should you not agree with the decision of the Board. By state law, the decision of the Board is only for the current calendar year and cannot be retroactive.

The Board of Equalization and Review’s schedule varies according to the number of appeals. It usually begins hearing appeals in the summer.