Property tax in Transylvania County, North Carolina

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Transylvania County, North Carolina is $1,674 a year, which is about 0.45% of the county's median home value of $373,600. 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.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Transylvania County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Transylvania County's average effective rate of 0.45% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,681 / year

Property tax in Transylvania County at a glance

Transylvania County, North Carolina property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,674
Median home value	$373,600
Effective tax rate	0.45%
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 Transylvania County compare in North Carolina?

Among North Carolina's 100 counties, Transylvania County has the 93rd highest effective property-tax rate: 92 rank higher and 7 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2798th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every North Carolina county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Transylvania County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Transylvania County's 10,889 owner-occupied homes, 18.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 39% pay at least $2,000, and 17.7% pay under $800. Another 2.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Transylvania County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	1,928	17.7%
$800 to $1,499	2,822	25.9%
$1,500 to $1,999	1,662	15.3%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,250	20.7%
$3,000 or more	1,996	18.3%
No property tax paid	231	2.1%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,747 and owners without one pay $1,596. That is within 10% either way, so in Transylvania County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Transylvania County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,674 is about 2.1% of the median income of Transylvania County homeowner households, $78,664 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 74.7% of Transylvania 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 Transylvania County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,198 in 2015-2019 to $1,674 in 2020-2024, a 39.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 68.4%, from $221,900 to $373,600. 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 Transylvania County

Transylvania County borders 7 counties, 3 of them across the state line.

Transylvania County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Buncombe County, NC	0.57%	$2,222	$391,800
Haywood County, NC	0.57%	$1,583	$279,200
Henderson County, NC	0.52%	$1,810	$351,400
Greenville County, SC	0.51%	$1,512	$299,000
Transylvania County, NC (this county)	0.45%	$1,674	$373,600
Oconee County, SC	0.38%	$899	$237,100
Pickens County, SC	0.37%	$866	$231,900
Jackson County, NC	0.34%	$976	$284,700

How is a home assessed in Transylvania County?

North Carolina assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Transylvania County included. How North Carolina assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Transylvania 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 Transylvania County. North Carolina's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Transylvania County?

A single annual bill, due September 1. You can pay without interest through January 5; anything paid on or after January 6 is delinquent and accrues interest.

That is the North Carolina rule. Transylvania County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Transylvania County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County Board of Equalization and Review, then the Property Tax Commission. The filing deadline is typically before the county board adjourns (varies by county). That is the North Carolina rule; Transylvania County sets the exact dates and forms. The North Carolina appeal process step by step.

North Carolina rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the North Carolina page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Transylvania 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.