Frequently Asked Questions

Taxes due on the notice are for the coming year and cover the same period as the vehicle registration.

No. You cannot renew your vehicle’s registration, whether it is leased or owned, unless the total taxes and registration fees on the vehicle are paid in full.

Yes; the information does not carry over to our computer each year.

Vehicle property taxes paid to the NC DMV at the time of registration are not available on the County’s website. To obtain a statement of the property taxes paid for your vehicle, go to the NC DMV website or call them at 919-814-1779.

Personal property is assessed at fair market value as of January 1st each year.

Your property tax amount will be included on the new combined notice along with your county and municipality tax rates.

The new form combines information about your vehicle registration renewal fee and your vehicle property taxes. The new Tag and Tax System allows you to make one payment for both registration renewal and vehicle property tax.

Yes, If you choose not to pay the vehicle property tax at the time you register your newly purchased vehicle. You will receive a Limited Registration sticker, which is good for 60 days. You must pay the property tax before the 60 days is up. You can pay at your local license plate agency, by mail, or online with the DMV online tool, especially for limited registration tax payments.

Yes. State law requires that interest be charged on late vehicle property tax payments and on late registration renewals.

Vincent Valuations

Note: Please call the Pender County Assessors office for more information at 910-259-1221.

After a vehicle owner has received their combined notice and the owner disagrees with the value or vehicle tax location, they should contact the County Tax Office in which the vehicle resides. The owner has 30 days to appeal from the due date, which is the 15th day of the month following the registration renewal action or similarly on a new registration.

No. Vehicle property taxes on leased motor vehicles must be paid in full at the time of renewal. A copy of the combined tag and tax notice will now be sent to the vehicle lessee rather than the leasing company.

An owner can apply for a refund of taxes paid when a motor vehicle is sold or registered out of state. The refund will be calculated on any full calendar months remaining in the registration period after the license plate is surrendered to the NC Division of Motor Vehicles. Any municipal vehicle tax assessed in accordance with NC General Statute 20-97 is not subject to proration or refund. Within one year of surrendering the license plates, the owner must present the following to the county tax office: (1) Proof of plate surrender to NC DMV (DMV Form FS20); and (2) a Copy of the Bill of Sale or the new state’s registration.

Your vehicle tax will be due at the same time you renew your registration. North Carolina law now requires that your vehicle property tax be paid in order to renew the vehicle.

If the previous tag was transferred, you will not receive a bill for the new vehicle until renewing the tag on that vehicle.

NC Division of Motor Vehicles
P.O. Box 29620
Raleigh, NC 27626-0620

Subsection A

Outside of a revaluation year, below are the reasons for a change in value. Taken from subsection (a) of NC G.S. 105-287:

(1) Correct a clerical or mathematical error.

(2) Correct an appraisal error resulting from a misapplication of the schedules, standards, and

rules used in the county's most recent general reappraisal or horizontal adjustment.

(2a) Recognize an increase or decrease in the value of the property resulting from a

conservation or preservation agreement subject to Article 4 of Chapter 121 of the General

Statutes, the Conservation and Historic Preservation Agreements Act.

(2b) Recognize an increase or decrease in the value of the property resulting from a physical

change to the land or to the improvements on the land, other than a change listed in subsection

(b) of this section.

(2c) Recognize an increase or decrease in the value of the property resulting from a change in

the legally permitted use of the property.

(3) Recognize an increase or decrease in the value of the property resulting from a factor other than one listed in subsection (b).

Subsection B

And along with that, below are the reasons listed in subsection (b) of NC G.S. 105-287 of why Assessed Values May Not Change, again outside of a revaluation year:

(1) Normal, physical depreciation of improvements;

(2) Inflation, deflation, or other economic changes affecting the county in general; or

(3) Betterments to the property made by:

a. Repainting buildings or other structures;

b. Terracing or other methods of soil conservation;

c. Landscape gardening;

d. Protecting forests against fire; or

e. Impounding water on marshland for non commercial purposes to preserve or enhance the natural habitat of wildlife.

Assessed Value and the Tax Rate

The assessor's office doesn't determine the total amount of taxes collected. The assessor's primary responsibility is to find the market value of your property, so that you may pay only your fair share of the taxes.

The amount of tax you pay is determined by a tax rate applied to your property's assessed value. The tax rate is determined by all the taxing agencies-city and/or county, fire districts, and others --and depends on what is needed to provide all the services you enjoy.

Active duty non-resident military personnel may be exempt from North Carolina motor vehicle property tax. To qualify for an exemption, you must present a copy of your Leave & Earnings Statement (LES) to the county tax office. The statement should be for the month and year in which you register the vehicle and must include your Estimated Time of Separation (ETS) date and a home of record other than North Carolina. Military spouses may also qualify for exemption if their home of record is the same as the service member’s. In addition to providing a copy of the LES as described above, spouses must provide a copy of their military ID card and a copy of their out of state driver’s license, voter registration card or most current state tax return. If the vehicle is owned by a leasing company and leased to military personnel, the exemption cannot be applied and the taxes must be paid. 3293-36

No. If you have paid your vehicle property tax for the year and then transferred the license plate to another vehicle, you will not be eligible for a refund of the taxes paid. The registered motor vehicle to which the plates are transferred will not be taxed until its current registration is renewed.

Yes. The cost of your annual vehicle registration renewal will remain the same. The notice will increase to reflect your vehicle property tax amount.