Bertie County, NC Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

The Register of Deeds and the Tax/Mapping Office maintain property records in Bertie County. The Register of Deeds operates from the courthouse at 108 Dundee, and the Tax/Mapping Office is adjacent at 106 Dundee. Both make copies available under the North Carolina Public Records Law. The books span the county's colonial roots, when it was established as a precinct in 1722, and encompass 741 square miles, one of the largest in eastern North Carolina.

The homes in this area are some of the most sought-after in the state, with some sold in as few as 30 to 56 days. The housing market includes old town homes, farm homes, manufactured homes, and waterfront homes along the Cashie and Roanoke rivers in Windsor. The economy is supported by row-crop farming, woodlands, and recreation along Albemarle Sound in eight small towns.

Recent records show the underlying reasons behind the local real estate market, including the median home value of {median_home_value}, median rent of {median_rent}, median household income of {median_household_income}, and a median real estate tax rate of {median_real_est_tax} (credited as a percentage of the property value).

How to Look Up Bertie County Property Records

Two county resources address nearly all questions about properties in Bertie County. The Register of Deeds has a county page that includes a Real Property Search, which can be done by instrument number, book and page, recording date, grantor or grantee, or property. Ownership, values, parcel maps, and bills are all taken care of in one place: the Tax/Mapping Office.

Who Keeps Bertie County Property Records

North Carolina property records sit at the county level, and the North Carolina Public Records Law at NCGS Chapter 132 makes them open to any member of the public. Bertie County splits the work among a few offices:

The Bertie County Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, plats, and liens in the historic courthouse. It is the office of legal record for the chain of title and does not perform title searches or give legal advice, which state law prohibits.

The Bertie County Tax/Mapping Office combines the assessor, collector, and mapping roles. It lists and appraises property, maintains the parcel maps, and collects the bills.

The Bertie County Clerk of Superior Court oversees foreclosure hearings and estate files at the courthouse. Deeds of trust are recorded with the Register of Deeds, but power-of-sale foreclosures run through this office.

How to Search Bertie County Property Records Online

A complete search usually means checking two or three county resources in this order:

• Contact the Tax/Mapping Office to verify parcel, owner, and assessed value in person, on the phone, or via the county mapping tools.

• On the Register of Deeds page, click the Open Real Property Search link. Use the "Search by grantor or grantee," "instrument number," "recording date," or "book and page" options.

• If the transaction is older than that, refer to the Old Index Books and the Non-Indexed Deed Images for documents that were recorded before 1971. Using the index book and page number to look up an image is faster.

• Check the most recent deed to confirm the current owner, then trace back through the previous deeds, making sure that every grantor matches the grantee before. The same index for liens and restrictive covenants should be used.

• Finish with the Tax/Mapping Office to confirm the tax status. A county tax lien attaches to the property on January 1 and stays until the bill is paid in full.

Register of Deeds: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

The Record of Deeds is the recording authority for Windsor and eight other towns in the county and is overseen by an elected official. Deeds of trust, not mortgages, are used in North Carolina, which is why this is the security instrument you'll find on most financed purchases.

The following types of documents have been documented:

• Warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, and quitclaim deeds; deeds of trust, cancellations, assignments, and modifications

• Judgment liens, mechanic’s liens, state and federal tax liens

• Restrictive covenants, powers of attorney, and easements

• Maps, recorded plats, and survey maps

Bertie's books are deep. In 1722, the county was established as a precinct from old Chowan, and the colonial deeds books are still available. Book copying is done by staff - ask, but do not pull books apart. E-recording is allowed for current filings.

Tax Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

Every parcel in the county is valued by the Tax/Mapping Office. North Carolina has a reappraisal mandate of no more than eight years. The last revaluation of Bertie County was on 1st January 2020, with the next due on 1st January 2028 according to the NCDOR schedule.

To find the current valuation, call the office with:

• The name and address of the current owner (or lessee) of any parcel.

• The parcel number which connects the County record systems.

• Evaluated the property value for the home, land, and building.

• Acreage, square footage, and year constructed

• Any active homestead, disability, veteran, or present use exclusion.

Farmland dominates the books here, and much of it is enrolled in present-use value. Personal property such as untagged vehicles, single-wide mobile homes, and boats is listed each January.

Tax Collector: Tax Bills and Payments

The same office receives the billings. Bertie County adheres to the State's normal taxing schedule. Bills will be sent in the late summer, and unpaid taxes will be considered delinquent by the 6th of January - they must be paid in full by the 5th of that month. Interest is 2 percent for the first month of January, and then three-quarters of one percent for each month following.

When you call the Tax/Mapping Office (106 Dundee Street), be ready to pay and have your questions about the account, as well as the parcel number, handy.

Property Tax in Bertie County: Rates, Exemptions, and Appeals

There are two components to a Bertie County tax bill: the assessed value and the rate as determined by the Board of Commissioners annually. Multiply the two to find the amount due. The county rate is among the highest in the state, as listed in recent NCDOR tables, at 93 cents per $100. This is the algebra of a narrow rural tax base, in which small amounts of tax mean that taxes must be raised to pay for the same schools and services. Rates are charged in the incorporated towns.

Homestead and relief programs

North Carolina offers three statutory relief programs, and an owner may take only one. Each is filed with the county on Form AV-9 by June 1, and they matter more here than in most counties given the rate.

Appealing your value

Start the appealing process with an informal review through the Tax/Mapping Office, where you submit comparable sales or corrected property details. If that does not resolve it, appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review, which convenes each spring. A further appeal goes to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission. Market changes after the January 1 valuation date cannot be considered.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Tax/Mapping Office keeps maps and tax records of the properties in Bertie County, so parcel mapping is kept with the Tax/Mapping Office. The state conducts mapping for data that spans county boundaries through NC OneMap, while the state's flood mapping program maps the river corridors.

Details available include:

• Ownership and acreage of parcels

• Assessment information related to the parcel record

• Roadway, Cashie and Roanoke River, and Albemarle Sound frontage base layers

• Statewide imagery and flood layers through NC OneMap

• The town and district boundaries reference data can be found at the link below.

There are flood layers in this county. The maps and insurance rates should be considered before purchasing close to the water in Windsor and the Cashie lowlands, as they have flooded many times in the past.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

North Carolina handles foreclosure differently from many states, and two paths matter for property research.

Power-of-sale foreclosure

Typically, most home foreclosures are conducted via a power of sale by the trustee who holds a deed of trust on behalf of the lender. A hearing is conducted before the Clerk of Superior Court, and the sale is held at the courthouse in Windsor. NCGS 45-21.27 provides for a period of 10 days after auction for others to submit the next bid, which will not constitute the final winning bid.

Property-tax foreclosure

The county repossesses the tax lien if taxes are not paid by the methods provided for in NCGS 105-374 or 105-375 (in rem). There is no right of redemption after the sale is confirmed, and North Carolina does not offer tax-lien certificates. It is a sale of the property itself, with buyers bidding on it at the sale, which will also be conducted under the 10-day upset-bid rule.

Costs to Access Property Records

Searching online is free. Fees apply when you need a copy or are recording a new document, and note that deeds and deeds of trust carry different recording fees.

Recording fees are set by NCGS 161-10, and the excise tax is set by NCGS 105-228.30. Confirm the current schedule with the Register of Deeds before filing.

How to Record a Document

NCGS Chapter 47 governs the form of any instrument that conveys an interest in real property. The four-step process:

• Use white 8.5' x 11' or 8.5' x 14' paper; 1/2" margins, except for a clean 3" top margin on the first page. Printed on one side, black ink, 10 or larger points.

• Use the following format: Title below the top margin, original signatures and notary acknowledgment, and the name of the preparer. On the front page, include a return name and address as well as the grantee's mailing address.

• Calculate fees. The first 15 pages of a deed are $26.00, and the first 35 pages of a deed of trust are $64.00. A conveyance is also subject to a $1.00 per $500 excise tax.

• Submit in person to 108 Dundee Street, P.O. Box 340, or e-record it in person. After recording, the original goes back to the filer and the image becomes part of the index.

FAQs

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