In 2023, Mecklenburg County homeowners opened revaluation notices showing residential values up an average of 58%. Commercial property rose an average of 41%. Homes outran the rest of the tax base, and homeowners picked up a larger share of the bill.
The first look at 2027 runs the other way. On Sept. 1, 2026, the County Assessor's office told commissioners that after an initial review of 428,506 parcels, the median residential increase was about 15% and the median commercial increase about 30%. A tax bill depends on how a property's value moves compared with the rest of the tax base. In this preliminary round, the typical home is rising more slowly than the typical commercial parcel it shares that base with.
Your Share of the Base Sets the Bill
Property tax is assessed value times the rate. A revaluation updates every assessment in the county at once, so every number changes together. Mecklenburg's revaluation page says rates are adjusted after a revaluation to keep it revenue-neutral, unless elected officials choose otherwise.
A revenue-neutral rate brings in roughly the same total revenue from the larger base. As WFAE explained in May, when values across the base rise sharply, reaching revenue neutrality takes a vote to lower the rate.
That makes the growth of residential values compared with commercial values a major factor for homeowners. A simplified example with round, hypothetical numbers shows how:
Picture a tax base where values rise 20% overall. A revenue-neutral rate would fall by about one-sixth to collect the same total. A home whose value rose 15% would face a rate cut larger than its own increase, and its bill would come out slightly lower. A home whose value rose 30% would see a higher bill at the same lower rate.
The state's revenue-neutral formula has more parts than this example. The 15% and 30% figures are medians, the change for the typical parcel in each class. How much of the bill shifts depends on how the total value of each class grows. If commercial property as a whole climbs faster than homes as a whole, a revenue-neutral rate moves more of the bill onto commercial property.
2023 Ran the Other Way
The two revaluations side by side:
| 2023 revaluation | 2027 revaluation, preliminary | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential change | About 58% average, per WFAE and the City of Charlotte | About 15% median, per the County |
| Commercial change | About 41% average per WFAE, 42% per the City | About 30% median, per the County |
| Which grew faster | Homes | The typical commercial parcel |
| Effect under a revenue-neutral rate | More of the bill moved onto homes | More of the bill moves onto commercial property if class totals follow the medians |
In 2023, the gap inside the residential class mattered too. WFAE reported that the median home's value rose 59%. Homes in the bottom third nearly doubled on average, and homes in the top third rose nearly 50%. For owners of higher-value homes, a smaller-than-median increase was a relative advantage.
The 2027 presentation includes a slide on the median residential increase by price range. The County has made clear these are first-pass numbers. Staff are spending the rest of 2026 on more reviews, and appraisers will look at every neighborhood again before values are final. The 15% and 30% figures show direction. A homeowner's own notice will show where their property ended up.
The Lower Rate Takes a Vote
All of this only helps homeowners if elected officials adopt a revenue-neutral rate, and state law does not require them to. Local governments have to calculate the revenue-neutral figure and tell residents what it is. Then each board sets its own rate.
Mecklenburg's last revaluation shows both choices. In 2023, the County's revenue-neutral rate was 45.71 cents per $100 of value, and commissioners adopted 47.31 cents, 1.60 cents higher. The City of Charlotte adopted 26.04 cents, exactly its revenue-neutral rate.
Statewide, rates above revenue-neutral are common. UNC School of Government tax expert Chris McLaughlin found that 23 of the 29 counties that revalued in 2025 adopted rates above it, as WFAE reported. WFAE pointed out that this is how a local government can cut its tax rate while bills still go up.
The current rate isn't a guide either. The County adopted 49.27 cents per $100 for fiscal year 2026–27, unchanged, in a budget that took effect July 1, 2026, on the existing values. The rate applied to 2027 values will be set in spring 2027, and the bills will arrive that summer.
This week's statewide ballot also carried a constitutional amendment titled "Constitutional amendment requiring limits on property tax increases by local governments." The amendment doesn't set a cap. That is left to the General Assembly. McLaughlin told NC Local, in a story republished by WFAE, that the legislature might act "next year. It might be 10 years from now." Either way the vote went, it doesn't change how 2027 values are set, and it doesn't decide the rate commissioners and council members choose next spring.
Country Clubs Are Valued a Different Way
Many of the region's most expensive homes sit next to private golf courses, and those courses are appraised by a separate method. In 2023, WFAE's BizWorthy segment noted that Quail Hollow Club's tax value fell from $13.5 million to just under $10 million. Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger explained that golf courses have few comparable sales, so the assessor uses an income-based approach that values a club as a club, not as land that could hold large homes.
For 2027, the County has changed its approach to this category. The assessor's Sept. 1 presentation says the 2023 revaluation "highlighted the need for deeper golf-industry expertise." The County hired CBRE Appraisal Valuation & Advisory Services, a specialist with more than 25 years appraising golf and leisure properties, to appraise a sample of Mecklenburg courses and advise on the method County appraisers will apply to the rest. Golf courses are commercial property. If their values move, the 30% commercial figure moves with them, and so does the revenue-neutral rate that applies to the homes around them.
The Calendar From Here
The legal process for 2027 is already moving:
- Through Nov. 10, 2026. The appeal period on the 2027 Schedule of Values, the County's official appraisal manual, runs until this date.
- Jan. 1, 2027. This is the market-value date the 2027 values are tied to.
- Early 2027. Notices of value are mailed and online property records are updated. The County hasn't announced a specific mailing day.
- 30 days from the notice date. This is the window for requesting an informal review.
- After notices are mailed. Formal appeals to the Board of Equalization and Review can be filed, under the deadline printed on the notice. The May 4, 2026 date on the County's appeals page applies to the current cycle, not to 2027.
- Spring 2027. The County, the City of Charlotte and town boards set rates. Bills follow in summer.
Because the 30-day informal review window starts on the date printed on each notice, an owner who sets the envelope aside for a few weeks loses most of that time.
Questions Owners Are Asking
Will a 15% increase raise my tax bill?
It depends on two things that aren't settled yet: your property's final value compared with the overall tax base, and the rate elected officials adopt in spring 2027. Under a revenue-neutral rate, a home that rose less than the base as a whole would generally owe less. Under a higher rate, it could owe more.
Does the Jan. 1, 2027 date matter if I'm buying or selling now?
That's the date the County ties its 2027 market values to. For the initial values, County appraisers analyzed about 56,000 recent qualified sales.
Where can I review the County's methods?
The 2027 Schedule of Values and the assessor's Sept. 1 presentation are both public, and the Schedule of Values is also available for inspection at the Assessor's Office, 3205 Freedom Drive, Charlotte.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm deadlines, appeal options and what they mean for your property with the County Assessor's Office or your own tax professional.
When your 2027 notice arrives, the next question is whether the County's figure matches what your home would sell for. At Bryn Rose Real Estate, we can help you check your new assessed value against recent sales of comparable homes before your 30-day informal review window closes. Let's Connect.
