Stein Signs One-Year Pause on 2026 Property Reappraisals

Overview

• Gov. Josh Stein signed Senate Bill 889 Friday, creating a one-year moratorium that requires counties with reappraisals effective Jan. 1, 2026 to delay using those new valuations until the 2027-28 fiscal year.
• The law applies only to a small, specific set of counties and lawmakers narrowed the list during debates, so reporting shows different counts and evolving lists of affected jurisdictions.
• County leaders and local Democratic lawmakers warn the freeze will reduce local revenue and could force cuts to public schools and rural fire districts, with one lawmaker estimating a $58 million shortfall for Guilford County Schools.
• Senate leader Phil Berger originally proposed the measure as a temporary, one-year stopgap designed to give the General Assembly time to craft broader property tax reforms.
• Stein also signed HB1123, an omnibus UNC capital bill, and he urged the Senate to pass SB474, a separate measure pending in the Rules Committee that would exempt hurricane-affected counties such as Buncombe.