Property tax in Burke County, North Carolina
In Burke County, the property tax bill comes from the Burke County Tax Office, Tax Collections. The 2026 bill is due January 5, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Burke County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Burke County, North Carolina is $1,253 a year, which is about 0.68% of the county's median home value of $185,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical North Carolina county (0.65%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Burke County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Burke County Tax Office, Tax Collections. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Burke County Tax Office, Real Estate Appraisal, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
The county bill also carries town tax for Hildebran, Glen Alpine, Long View, Connelly Springs, Rhodhiss, Valdese and Drexel, and fire district tax. The City of Morganton is not on the county's list of towns it collects for, so Morganton owners should check with the city about city tax. Bills go to the owner even when a mortgage lender escrows the taxes; the lender gets the billing information electronically if it asks. Card payments carry a convenience fee charged by PayPal, and partial payments are accepted. The county's next countywide reappraisal takes effect January 1, 2027.
When are property taxes due in Burke County?
For the 2026 bill, Burke County has one due date: January 5, 2027. Taxes are due September 1 each year, and payment without interest may be made through January 5; for 2026 bills that is January 5, 2027, a Tuesday. If January 5 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the county extends the deadline to the next business day. Bills are mailed in July. The county gives a 1% discount on bills paid in July and August, so that discount has ended for 2026 bills. Mailed payments count by the U.S. Postal Service postmark date, not a metered postmark. Taxes not paid in full by January 5 are charged 2% interest on January 6, plus 0.75% on the first day of each month after that until paid. Real estate taxes still unpaid after February 28 are advertised in the local newspaper, usually on the second Sunday in March, with a $5.00 fee for each property advertised. If the taxes are unpaid on January 6 after a sale, the owner as of that date becomes responsible for them.
From Burke County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Burke County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Burke County's average effective rate of 0.68% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,261 / year
Property tax in Burke County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,253 |
| Median home value | $185,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.68% |
| Typical North Carolina county rate | 0.65% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Burke County compare in North Carolina?
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Burke County has the 42nd highest effective property-tax rate: 41 rank higher and 58 rank lower. That is near the middle for North Carolina. Nationally, it ranks 1968th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every North Carolina county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Burke County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Burke County's 27,054 owner-occupied homes, 10.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 23.3% pay at least $2,000, and 26.9% pay under $800. Another 3.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 7,274 | 26.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 8,720 | 32.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 3,732 | 13.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,582 | 13.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,742 | 10.1% |
| No property tax paid | 1,004 | 3.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,382 and owners without one pay $1,070. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Burke County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,253 is about 1.9% of the median income of Burke County homeowner households, $67,247 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 74.5% of Burke County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Burke County?
Yes. The median bill went from $960 in 2015-2019 to $1,253 in 2020-2024, a 30.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 53.6%, from $120,700 to $185,400. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Burke County
Burke County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke County, NC (this county) | 0.68% | $1,253 | $185,400 |
| Cleveland County, NC | 0.64% | $1,286 | $200,000 |
| Caldwell County, NC | 0.6% | $1,150 | $192,200 |
| Catawba County, NC | 0.58% | $1,407 | $241,600 |
| Lincoln County, NC | 0.58% | $1,856 | $321,000 |
| Rutherford County, NC | 0.58% | $1,178 | $201,800 |
| McDowell County, NC | 0.53% | $911 | $171,100 |
| Avery County, NC | 0.38% | $1,010 | $265,800 |
How is a home assessed in Burke County?
North Carolina assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Burke County included. How North Carolina assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Burke County?
No. North Carolina has no general homestead exemption; relief is targeted to older and disabled owners and to disabled veterans. That is the North Carolina rule, and it applies in Burke County. North Carolina's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Burke County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the North Carolina ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Burke County property assessment
In Burke County you appeal to the Burke County Board of Equalization and Review. The deadline: Values change for 2027 because Burke County's next countywide reappraisal takes effect January 1, 2027. The county says it will accept appeals of 2027 values from January 2, 2027 through March 31, 2027, by hand delivery or mail, not email or fax. State law lets an owner request a hearing in writing or in person until the Board of Equalization and Review adjourns, which in a reappraisal year can be as late as December 1, so the county's March 31 date is earlier than the legal deadline. The county has not posted its 2027 meeting or adjournment dates. The board's decision can be appealed to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How North Carolina's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
North Carolina rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the North Carolina page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Burke County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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North Carolina income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what North Carolina actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Burke County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Burke County, North Carolina: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.