Property tax in Chatham County, North Carolina
In Chatham County, the property tax bill comes from the Chatham County Tax Office, Collections Division. 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 Chatham County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Chatham County, North Carolina is $2,847 a year, which is about 0.64% of the county's median home value of $446,200. That effective rate is lower 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 Chatham County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Chatham County Tax Office, Collections Division. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Chatham County Tax Office, Appraisal Division and Listing Division, 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.
Chatham County sends one combined bill: the county rate plus the rate for the town or fire district you live in, so Siler City, Pittsboro, Goldston, Cary and Apex taxes appear on the county bill rather than a separate town bill. Bills are typically mailed in August; if you have not received one by October 1, call the tax office at 919-542-8260. Paying online by card carries a 2.5% vendor fee ($2.00 minimum), and by e-check $1.25. The county's last countywide reappraisal took effect January 1, 2025, and the next is scheduled for 2029.
When are property taxes due in Chatham County?
For the 2026 bill, Chatham County has one due date: January 5, 2027. North Carolina law makes property taxes due September 1 and lets them be paid at face amount before January 6, so 2026 bills can be paid without interest through January 5, 2027 (a Tuesday); the county calls January 5 the due date. A mailed payment counts as paid on its U.S. Postal Service postmark date. Under state law, interest of 2% is added on January 6, and from February 1 interest of 3/4% a month (or part of a month) is added until the bill is paid. Unpaid real estate taxes can end in a tax foreclosure sale.
From Chatham 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 Chatham County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Chatham County's average effective rate of 0.64% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,856 / year
Property tax in Chatham County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,847 |
| Median home value | $446,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.64% |
| 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 Chatham County compare in North Carolina?
Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Chatham County has the 51st highest effective property-tax rate: 50 rank higher and 49 rank lower. That is near the middle for North Carolina. Nationally, it ranks 2118th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every North Carolina county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Chatham County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Chatham County's 26,591 owner-occupied homes, 45.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 65.9% pay at least $2,000, and 7.8% pay under $800. Another 3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,065 | 7.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 3,563 | 13.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,631 | 9.9% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5,477 | 20.6% |
| $3,000 or more | 12,057 | 45.3% |
| No property tax paid | 798 | 3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,059 and owners without one pay $2,535. 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 Chatham County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,847 is about 2.6% of the median income of Chatham County homeowner households, $110,625 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 80.6% of Chatham 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 Chatham County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,055 in 2015-2019 to $2,847 in 2020-2024, a 38.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 58.4%, from $281,700 to $446,200. 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 Chatham County
Chatham County borders 8 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NC | 0.91% | $4,162 | $459,500 |
| Durham County, NC | 0.79% | $3,092 | $389,400 |
| Lee County, NC | 0.74% | $1,785 | $240,200 |
| Wake County, NC | 0.71% | $3,260 | $461,300 |
| Harnett County, NC | 0.69% | $1,689 | $246,200 |
| Randolph County, NC | 0.67% | $1,324 | $197,100 |
| Chatham County, NC (this county) | 0.64% | $2,847 | $446,200 |
| Alamance County, NC | 0.62% | $1,494 | $241,500 |
| Moore County, NC | 0.53% | $1,849 | $351,400 |
How is a home assessed in Chatham County?
North Carolina assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Chatham County included. How North Carolina assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Chatham 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 Chatham County. North Carolina's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the North Carolina programs, Chatham County runs its own:
- Low Income Tax Relief Program: County assistance of up to $500, and no more than half of the current year's tax bill, for residents who have owned and lived in the home as their primary residence for at least 5 years, are current on their property taxes, and have household earned income at or below 80% of the county's area median income (households receiving Food and Nutrition Services through county Social Services skip the income check).
How to appeal your Chatham County property assessment
In Chatham County you appeal to the Chatham County Board of Equalization and Review. The deadline: For tax year 2026 the board convened April 6, 2026 and adjourned April 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m., after which it accepted no new appeals for 2026. The board meets each spring between the first Monday in April and the first Monday in May, and the meeting dates are advertised in the Chatham News and the Chatham Record. A board decision can be appealed to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission within 30 days after the board mails its decision. 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
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Chatham County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
North Carolina income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what North Carolina actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in Chatham County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Chatham 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.