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

Two offices in Haywood County can help with your search for property information. The first office is the Haywood County Register of Deeds, while the second is the County Assessor's Office. Between these two offices, property records of about 52,000 parcels within the county are recorded and maintained.

The average number of days for a property to sell in Haywood County is between 57-63 days, which is slightly above the state average of 50-60 days. This relatively slow rate of property sales may be a result of the economy being driven principally by tourism, manufacturing, and healthcare. High income results in increased housing costs. Much of the housing inventory revolves around single-family detached homes built with heavy timber, symbolic of their historic Appalachian style.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of {median_home_value} and median rent of {median_rent}, alongside a median household income of {median_household_income} and a median real estate tax rate of {median_real_est_tax}, expressed as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Haywood County Property Records

There are a few ways to research most property-related inquiries in Haywood County, almost all of which are available for free.

Who Keeps Haywood County Property Records

Under the North Carolina Public Records Law, NCGS Chapter 132, the county government is responsible for maintaining property records. This responsibility is distributed between a few government agencies in Haywood County.

• The Haywood County Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, plats, easements, liens, and restrictive covenants. According to the law, this office is only responsible for the chain of title but does not provide title searches or legal opinions.

• The Haywood County Assessor’s Office is responsible for the appraisal of all properties and the collection of taxes, which are due by January 1. This office also issues tax bills and maintains the assessed value of each parcel.

• The Haywood County Clerk of Superior Court handles foreclosure docketing and oversees estate filings. Deeds of trust are recorded with the Register of Deeds, while power-of-sale foreclosures are processed in the Clerk's office.

How to Search Haywood County Property Records Online

A property search typically involves accessing a few county websites in succession, beginning with the Register of Deeds.

1. Visit the Register of Deeds Search Real Estate portal to look for deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and restrictive covenants by entering a grantor or grantee name, recording date, or document type.

2. Having identified the current owner on the most recent deed, cross-reference it with earlier conveyances to ensure there are no discrepancies in the chain of title.

3. Next, use the same portal to look up active liens, deeds of trust, and other encumbrances. A tax stamp on the deed specifies the amount of the excise tax due upon purchase, which can be used to estimate the property’s selling price.

4. Finally, find the assessed value and confirm the tax details with the Haywood County Tax Collection department databases, which include all liens, exemptions, and special features of a parcel. A tax lien remains attached to a property from January 1 to the moment it is paid in full.

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

The Register of Deeds, an elected official, is responsible for recording instruments affecting title in all cities and unincorporated areas within Haywood County. Unlike some other states, North Carolina utilizes deeds of trust instead of mortgages, which are presented to the Register for recording.

Document types recorded by the Register include:

• Warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, and quitclaim deeds

• Deeds of trust, releases, assignments, and modifications

• Judgment, mechanic's, and tax liens, including state and federal tax liens

• Easements, restrictive covenants, and powers of attorney

• Subdivision plats, condominium plats, and highway maps

The Search Real Estate portal gives access to real estate records dated back to 1986. However, digital images of older grantor/grantee indexes date as far back as 1808.

Tax Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Haywood Assessor’s Office conducts a property appraisal every four years, compared to the eight-year cycle established by state law. The most recent update was performed on January 1, 2024, with the next appraisal due in 2028.

Use the Mapping portal to find:

• The current and former legal owner of a parcel

• Boundary lines, floodplains, zoning, and other restrictions

• Assessed value, land value, and building value

• Other characteristics such as square footage, year built, and lot size

Tax parcels are listed in the county's public records using a permanent listing system. New owners are not required to report their acquisition of a property unless improvements have been made to the property.

Tax Collector: Tax Bills and Payments

The Haywood County Tax Collector’s duty involves levying property taxes and collecting payments on behalf of the county. The fiscal year in Haywood County begins on July 1 and ends on June 30, which means that a tax bill received in July 2025 will be due on September 1, 2025.

Delinquency occurs on the January 6th immediately following the billing period, which triggers additional costs. Specifically, 2% interest is added to the overdue amount from January, plus another 0.75% for each subsequent month until the balance is paid in full.

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

The tax rate in Haywood County is $0.5130 per $100 of the assessed value, which is applied to calculate the annual tax bill. Municipalities and special taxing districts levy additional assessments, depending on the services they provide within the area.

Homestead and relief programs

North Carolina provides three statutory relief programs, and an owner may take only one. Each is filed with the county on Form AV-9 by June 1.

Appealing your value

To appeal a tax bill, a taxpayer must first contact the Haywood County Tax Assessor to discuss the disagreement. In most cases, informal talks and a submission of supporting documentation are sufficient to adjust the incorrect value. However, if the issue persists, the case can be taken before the Board of Equalization and Review, which only meets at specific times as scheduled by the Tax Assessor. If not satisfied, take the case before the North Carolina Property Tax Commission.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Haywood County GIS is the official GIS mapping system for researching parcels and ownership information within the county. This resource is frequently used by homeowners, buyers, and real-estate agents to analyze parcel details and market trends. For countywide research, consult the NC Onemap. The following layers are available for review:

• Aerial imagery with regular updates

• Parcels with PIN, ownership, and tax details

• Tax districts and assessed values

• Floodplain and soil information

• Jurisdiction, voting districts, zoning, and deed/plat links

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

North Carolina typically recognizes two types of foreclosures, differentiated from each other based on whether the deed of trust or mortgage was executed to secure the purchase of the property. In either case, a county court is involved to initiate the request for property repossession.

Power-of-sale foreclosure

Home foreclosure deeds of trust occur in the courthouse and are carried out by the trustee and are before the Clerk of the Superior Court, with all interested parties being able to attend the hearing. The sale is subject to a ten-day upset-bid period before closing, and the winning bid is tentative until expiration of the period in accordance with NCGS 45-21.27.

Property-tax foreclosure

A tax-sale (tax-lien) foreclosure may be commenced either by the county pursuant to NCGS 105-374 or in rem pursuant to NCGS 105-375. Tax-lien certificates cannot be negotiated in the state; in addition, there is no redemption period. This implies that bidders will compete against each other for the property at the time of the court-appointed sale that follows the 10-day upset-bid period.

Costs to Access Property Records

Most property searches are available for free online, while payment is required for printing or recording.

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 prescribes requirements for recording any instrument that purports to convey an interest in a property. Below are the four steps to be taken to record a deed.

1. Make sure the document meets the following general requirements for recording: include original signatures, notary acknowledgment, margins, and notation of the address of the grantee on the first page.

2. Determine the costs associated with the recording. The filing fees are $26.00 for the first fifteen pages of the document and $4.00 for each additional page. In addition, there is an excise tax, which amounts to $1 for every $500 of the sale price, paid by the seller at settlement.

3. Submit in person to the County Register of Deeds at 215 N. Main Street, Suite 213, Waynesville or through an approved e-recording vendor.

4. Obtain the recorded document. It is returned to the submitter along with an image that is uploaded into the database for electronic retrieval within a few days.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Haywood County Property Records Checklist

This checklist contains quick links to websites that will help in property research in the county.

Key Contacts and Official Portals