McDowell County has a tax rate of $0.578 per $100 of assessed value. This ranks McDowell County 76th of 100 counties in North Carolina for County property tax rates. The average County tax rate in North Carolina is $0.666 per $100 of assessed value. County tax rates can be skewed by the number of municipalities within the County providing services that are otherwise absorbed by the County in more rural areas.
The assessed value of your real property is also taxed by other municipalities in addition to the County. Most towns and cities raise revenues by applying a property tax rate. These monies are typically used to support police and fire and other services that may be provided by the city or town. The following is a chart showing the tax rates for the municipalities in McDowell County.
Municipality-Based Property Tax Rates of Lincoln County
| Municipality Name | Assessed value ($/$100) |
| MARION | 0.5100 |
| OLD FORT | 0.3200 |
Unincorporated County Properties (Tax Rates)
Unincorporated areas of the county typically must pay for fire and police service in addition to trash pickup. Some counties have additional taxes on unincorporated areas of the county to fund these services. The following chart are additional taxes levied in McDowell County.
| Fire District Name | Assessed value ($/$100) |
| PARKWAY / WOODLAWN | 0.0800 |
| COUNTY-WIDE | 0.0200 |
| APPLE MOUNTAIN | 0.0700 |
| ASHFORD / NORTH COVE | 0.0600 |
| CROOKED CREEK | 0.0800 |
| DYSARTSVILLE | 0.0600 |
| GLENWOOD | 0.0850 |
| HANKINS / NORTIIFORK | 0.0800 |
| HIGH ROCK ACRES aka BLACK MOUNTAIN | 0.0800 |
| LONG TOWN | 0.1500 |
| MARION AREA | 0.0933 |
| NEBO | 0.0700 |
| OLD FORT | 0.0900 |
| OLD FORT-CITY | 0.0600 |
| PLEASANT GARDENS | 0.0800 |
| SUGAR HILL / MONTFORD COVE | 0.0900 |
| WOODLAWN / SEVIER | 0.1100 |
If you want to appeal your property, I recommend engaging a consultant with expertise in property valuation and mass appraisal methodology. Neither a lawyer nor an appraisal is necessary for the informal appeal process. You can sign up for a free analysis at www.sbpta.com. We disqualify between 50% to 75% of submittals as the County has applied their schedule of values equitably and the assessed value is fair. Again, nobody is perfect, and it takes a valuation expert to best solve this issue and ensure your taxation is fair and equitable.
