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

Property records are available for Perquimans County with the Register of Deeds located on Church Street and the Tax Department located on Front Street in Hertford. Copies are made per the North Carolina Public Records Law at each office. County books are some of the oldest in the state, dating back to its beginnings as a precinct in 1668, and now span 329 square miles, ¼ of which is water.

Waterfront properties along the Perquimans River and Albemarle Sound typically sell in 30-56 days, although the time varies depending on location property characteristics, and other factors. Historic homes, brick ranches, manufactured homes, and more recent riverfront constructions are all interspersed throughout the stock. The economy is fueled by farming, timber, and in-migration by retirees, and the county has two towns: Hertford and Winfall.

Recent records show the reasons behind the local real estate market, including a median home value of {median_home_value}, a median rent of {median_rent}, a median household income of {median_household_income}, and a median real estate tax rate of {median_real_est_tax} percent of the assessed value of the home.

How to Look Up Perquimans County Property Records

Two free county portals cover almost every property question. The Register of Deeds online search holds recorded documents, including deeds, deeds of trust, and plats, with images of older records available by book and page. The county property search looks up parcels by account, map, name, location, or address, drawing on Tax Department data.

Who Keeps Perquimans 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. Perquimans County splits the work among a few offices:

• The Perquimans County Register of Deeds records deeds, deeds of trust, plats, easements, liens, and powers of attorney. This is the office of legal record for the chain of title. It does not perform title searches or give legal advice, which state law prohibits.

• The Perquimans County Tax Department calculates, creates, and collects all real and personal property taxes for every taxing jurisdiction in the county. It also maintains the records for the county’s land transfer tax.

• The Perquimans County Clerk of Superior Court oversees foreclosure hearings and estate files at the historic 1825 courthouse. Deeds of trust are recorded with the Register of Deeds, but power-of-sale foreclosures run through this office.

How to Search Perquimans County Property Records Online

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

• Start at the county property search. Check ownership and value by looking up a parcel by owner name, address, account, or map. If a search by name fails, search by the last name.

• Take the owner’s name to the Register of Deeds search. To retrieve recorded deeds and deeds of trust, search by last name of grantor or grantee, then first name.

• Identify the current owner on the last deed. Then move back through the earlier deeds and compare the grantors/grantees of the earlier deeds to the grantees of the deed in front of it. Call attention to any missing part of the chain of title.

• Perform the same index for active liens, deeds of trust and restrictive covenants. The excise tax stamp on a deed will also indicate approximately how much the property went for last time.

• Complete with the Tax Department for tax status. A county tax lien becomes a lien on the property on January 1st and remains until the bill is paid off.

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

Elected by the community, the Register of Deeds is responsible for recording in Hertford, Winfall, and all unincorporated areas within the county. On most financed purchases in North Carolina, you will see deeds of trust and not mortgages.

The types of documents recorded are:

• Warranty deeds, special warranty deeds, and quitclaim deeds

• Deeds of trust, cancellations, assignments, and modifications

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

• Easements, powers of attorney, and cemetery records

• Plats and survey maps that have been recorded

Few counties in the world can match the depth of these books. Established as a precinct in 1668, Perquimans has the most ancient deeds in North Carolina, not only for title research, but also for genealogists. The office has its current fee schedule posted online, practices e-recording, and provides free fraud alert notifications for names being monitored.

Tax Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

All parcels in the county are valued by the Tax Department pursuant to the Machinery Act of the N.C. General Statutes, Chapter 105. The reappraisal is required by North Carolina every 8 years, and Perquimans County reappraises every 8 years. The revaluation won't be in effect until January 1, 2024, so values won't change until the early 2030s.

You can use the property search, or call the Tax Department to locate:

• The legal person who owns the property at the time of the assessment

• Account and map numbers assigned to connect county record systems

• The assessed values of the property, including land and building values

• The design of the property, including the acreage, square footage, and the year the property was built

• Any active homestead, disability, or veteran exclusion

The county listing rules dictate that the regular listing period is from January 1 to January 31 annually. Extensions of personal property are available on a timely request up to April 15.

Tax Collector: Tax Bills and Payments

The towns of Hertford and Winfall have bills sent and received by the same department. Perquimans County bills its county on a fiscal year, rather than calendar year, basis, from July 1st to June 30th of each year.

If taxes are not paid in full by January 5, they will be considered delinquent on January 6. After January, the interest rate is 3/4 percent per month, while 2 percent is added for January. Before the deadline, ask the Tax Department about payment options, and make sure the address on your account is up to date to prevent missed bills.

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

A Perquimans County tax bill has two parts: the assessed value set by the Tax Department and the rate set each year by the Board of Commissioners. Multiply the two to get the amount owed. Town rates are added inside Hertford and Winfall. Check the NC Department of Revenue rate tables or the Tax Department for the current figures.

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.

Appealing your value

Begin with an informal review at the Tax Department, providing similar properties and/or corrected property information. If this fails to solve the problem, take an appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review, which meets in the spring. An additional appeal is to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission. No changes to the market after the January 1 valuation date can be taken into consideration.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

The Perquimans County parcel map is included in the county property search system, which also allows searches for name, account, and address. Statewide parcels, imagery, and flood layers are available through NC OneMap for data that is shared across county lines.

Details available include:

• The account and map numbers are shown on the parcel boundaries

• Information about ownership and assessments from the Tax Department records

• Acreage and location information for all farms and shorelines throughout the county

• Statewide flood and imagery layers through NC OneMap

• Data for the Perquimans & Little River and Albemarle Sound shorefronts

Parcel maps are used for taxation; be sure to use recorded deeds, plats, and a licensed survey to make any boundary decision.

Foreclosure and Tax Sales

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

Power-of-sale foreclosure

In most cases, home foreclosures are conducted by the trustee of the deed of trust under a power of sale. The sale is conducted at the Clerk of Superior Court's office in Hertford, and a hearing is held before the Clerk. NCGS 45-21.27 says that the auctioneer may not be the final winner, because a 10-day upset-bid period will allow others to raise the bid.

Property-tax foreclosure

If the taxes are not paid, the county forecloses on the tax lien in accordance with NCGS 105-374 or 105-375 (in rem). There is no tax-lien certificate sale in North Carolina, and no right of redemption after the sale is made. The property is sold by a court-ordered sale, with the property being sold to the bidding buyer, and the sale is also subject to the 10-day upset bid rule.

Costs to Access Property Records

Searching online is free. Fees apply for copies and recordings, and the Register of Deeds posts its current schedule on its county page.

State recording fees are set by NCGS 161-10, and the excise tax by NCGS 105-228.30. It is one of a few northeastern counties that charge a local land transfer tax (LTT), which is also administered by the Tax Department. Both stamps should be budgeted for by the seller

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:

• Ensure that the document is in compliance with the North Carolina format requirements: original signatures, notary acknowledgment, legible margins, and the name of the preparer on the first page of a deed or deed of trust.

• Calculate fees. Recording is $26.00 for the first 15 pages plus $4.00 per page after that. State excise tax is $1.00 per $500 of the price, plus the county land transfer tax.

• Submit in person to 128 N. Church Street, mail to P.O. Box 74 or by an acceptable e-recording vendor. Checks are to be made out to the Perquimans County Register of Deeds.

• Once the document is recorded, the original is returned to the filer, and a digital image is added to the online index.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Perquimans County Property Records Checklist

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