deedplatState guides / North Carolina / Durham County
Durham County property data
Where Durham County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, from Durham to every town around it.
- 2Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Durham County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Durham County Register of Deeds. Real estate documents can be searched online on the Register's Self Service Web, with some older books, such as historical mortgage, condo and plat books, kept on site.
Owners and values
Durham County Tax Administration (Real Estate Appraisal). Owner, value and parcel details are free on the county's online Real Property Record Search, and tax bills have their own free search.
Tax sales
Durham County Tax Administration (Tax Collector, foreclosure). The Tax Collector posts the delinquent taxpayer list and the properties set for tax foreclosure auction, with notices, minimum bids and sale updates, free online.
Foreclosure sales
Durham County Clerk of Superior Court (mortgage foreclosures). Deed of trust foreclosures go through a hearing before the Clerk of Superior Court and are then auctioned at the courthouse after published notice.
Parcel maps
Durham Maps (City of Durham and Durham County GIS). The joint city and county map site is free and shows parcels, zoning and aerials, and can export owner mailing lists and parcel records to CSV.
How property is sold here
Durham County follows North Carolina's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the North Carolina guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
North Carolina does not sell tax lien certificates; Durham County forecloses on the property itself in court and sells it at public auction. Sales are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 12:00 pm in the lobby of the Durham County Judicial Building, 510 Dillard Street, run by a court-appointed Commissioner, and you must be there in person to bid. Notices run in the newspaper for two weeks, are posted at the courthouse for at least 20 days, and are listed on the Tax Administration foreclosure page; the high bidder pays a 10% deposit and the sale stays open 10 days for upset bids.
Foreclosure sales
Mortgage foreclosures in North Carolina are mostly power of sale proceedings: after a hearing before the Clerk of Superior Court, a trustee auctions the property at the courthouse. Each sale then stays open for 10 days for upset bids filed with the Clerk.
Assessed values
Durham County's current values come from a general reappraisal that took effect January 1, 2025, and state law requires a new one at least every eight years.
Transfer tax
North Carolina charges an excise tax on deeds of $2 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.2%), paid when the deed is recorded with the Durham County Register of Deeds, and the City of Durham does not add its own transfer tax.
Worth knowing
Durham's 2025 reappraisal brought large value jumps after strong growth from 2019 to 2025, and the county reports an unusually high number of appeals.
Worth knowing
Tax foreclosures here are filed for both the City of Durham and Durham County, and once a property is assigned to an attorney all payoffs must go through that attorney.
Worth knowing
Owners can redeem a tax foreclosure property even after the auction, up until the court confirms the sale and the Commissioner's deed is delivered.
Every town in Durham County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Chapel Hill town
- Durham city
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Durham County?
Deeds are recorded by the Durham County Register of Deeds in Durham. Most real estate documents can be searched online through the Register's Self Service Web.
When is the Durham County tax sale?
Durham County holds tax foreclosure auctions on the second Tuesday of every month at noon in the lobby of the Judicial Building at 510 Dillard Street. Bidders must attend in person and pay a 10% deposit if they win.
How do I find who owns a property in Durham County?
Use the free Real Property Record Search from Durham County Tax Administration, or click a parcel on the Durham Maps site. Recorded deeds at the Register of Deeds show the full chain of title.
Are Durham County property records online?
Yes. Deeds are on the Register of Deeds Self Service Web, owner and value data are on the county's Real Property Record Search, and parcel maps are free on Durham Maps.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
- dconc.gov/Tax-Administration/Payment-Options-and-Collections/Foreclosure
- dconc.gov/Register-of-Deeds/Real-Estate-Records/Online-Public-Records-Search
- rodweb.dconc.gov/web/user/disclaimer
- dconc.gov/Register-of-Deeds/Real-Estate-Records/Fee-Schedule
- dconc.gov/Tax-Administration
- dconc.gov/Tax-Administration/Real-Property/Reappraisal
- dconc.gov/Tax-Administration/Real-Property/Real-Property-Database/Land-Record-GIS
- dconc.gov/Public-Information1/Documents/Publications/FAQ---Understanding-Durham-Countys-Ta
- maps.durhamnc.gov/
Every parcel in Durham County, on one map
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