deedplatState guides / North Carolina / Wake County
Wake County property data
Where Wake County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Raleigh and Cary.
- 13Cities and towns
- 460,000Parcels
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Wake County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Wake County Register of Deeds. Deeds, plats and other recorded documents, some going back to 1785, can be searched free online in the Wake County Consolidated Real Property Index.
Owners and values
Wake County Department of Tax Administration. The free Real Estate property search shows owner, assessed value and parcel details for every property, and bulk property data files can be downloaded.
Tax sales
Wake County Department of Tax Administration, Foreclosures. Properties in the tax foreclosure process are listed free by town on the Tax Administration foreclosures page, with the amount due and sale date when it is set.
Foreclosure sales
Wake County Clerk of Superior Court, Special Proceedings Division. The Clerk's Special Proceedings Division keeps the list of mortgage (deed of trust) foreclosures, and the county's foreclosures page links to the state court directory for it; upset bids are filed with the Clerk.
Parcel maps
Wake County GIS (iMAPS). The free iMAPS interactive map shows parcels across Wake County, and GIS data is also offered through the county's Open Data Portal.
How property is sold here
Wake 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; Wake County forecloses on the property itself and sells it at public auction. The Tax Administration dockets a foreclosure judgment, and the Sheriff's Office holds the auction about four months later inside the Salisbury Street entrance of the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh, with notice in The News & Observer and on the courthouse bulletin board 20 days before. Sale dates are set case by case and posted on the Tax Administration foreclosures page, and the winning bidder must pay a 10% cash deposit.
Foreclosure sales
Mortgage foreclosures in North Carolina are power of sale proceedings before the Clerk of Superior Court, and the property is then auctioned at the courthouse. In Wake County the Clerk's Special Proceedings Division keeps the list of scheduled deed of trust foreclosures, and every sale stays open for 10 days for upset bids.
Assessed values
Wake County's current values took effect January 1, 2024, the next revaluation takes effect January 1, 2027, and after that values will be updated every two years.
Transfer tax
North Carolina charges an excise tax on deeds of $2 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.2%), collected by the Register of Deeds, and Raleigh and Cary do not add a city transfer tax.
Worth knowing
Every Wake County foreclosure sale, tax or mortgage, stays open for 10 days after the auction; an upset bid must beat the current bid by at least 5% or $750, whichever is more, and is filed with the Clerk of Superior Court.
Worth knowing
Wake County is revaluing all of its roughly 460,000 parcels for January 1, 2027, with value notices going out by January 22, 2027, and will move to a two-year cycle after that.
Worth knowing
The Tax Administration does not track winning bids or upset bids after an auction, so bid status has to be checked with the Clerk of Superior Court.
Every town in Wake County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Angier town
- Apex town
- Cary town
- Fuquay-Varina town
- Garner town
- Holly Springs town
- Knightdale town
- Morrisville town
- Raleigh city
- Rolesville town
- Wake Forest town
- Wendell town
- Zebulon town
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Wake County?
Deeds are recorded by the Wake County Register of Deeds in Raleigh. Its Consolidated Real Property Index can be searched free online, with some records going back to 1785.
When is the Wake County tax sale?
Wake County does not hold a single yearly tax sale. The Sheriff auctions each tax foreclosure about four months after the judgment is docketed, and sale dates are posted on the Tax Administration foreclosures page and in The News & Observer 20 days ahead.
How do I find who owns a property in Wake County?
Use the Wake County Department of Tax Administration's free Real Estate property search, which shows the owner and assessed value for each parcel.
Are Wake County property records online?
Yes. Recorded documents, owner and value data, tax foreclosure lists and parcel maps are all free online.
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.
- wake.gov/departments-government/register-deeds
- wake.gov/departments-government/register-deeds/recording-and-real-estate
- wake.gov/departments-government/register-deeds/recording-and-real-estate/recording-and-doc
- rodrecords.wake.gov/web/user/disclaimer
- wake.gov/departments-government/tax-administration
- wake.gov/departments-government/tax-administration/real-estate/foreclosures
- wake.gov/departments-government/tax-administration/real-estate/revaluation-2027
- services.wake.gov/realestate/
- wake.gov/departments-government/geographic-information-services-gis
Every parcel in Wake County, on one map
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