Frequently Asked Questions

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• A physical address can be applied for as soon as the driveway has been established or flags have been placed exactly where the driveway will be located. Once the address has been assigned, the driveway cannot be moved, as this is a distance measurement for residence or business.
• Vacant land will not receive a physical address.

Before the final inspection is performed on your home or business by the Building Inspections Office reference North Carolina Building Code Section 501.2. Yancey County Addressing Code 1.08(B)

Address number sizes for residential is a minimum height of four inches.

Address number size for business is a minimum of six inches.

Directly on the house and/or business which can be seen from the roadway. If the house and/or business cannot be seen from the roadway, a second set of numbers should be posted at the entrance of the driveway.

If using a mailbox, your address numbers should be posted on both sides of your mailbox.

You have received a change of address because there was an inconsistency in the road range system.

The letter left with you will have your old and new address. You will use this letter to inform all contact that you have such as Post Office, power company, cable, etc.

You will need to notify every one of your new or changed address including but not limited to: Post Office. Cable, Power and Telephone Company. Sewer and Water. Tax Office. Board of Elections and anyone else you do business with.

The Addressing and Mapping Department have a wall map and a map book for a minimal fee each.

You will need to contact the Addressing Department prior to obtaining a Petition to Change the Name of the Road. This petition must include the existing road name, the proposed road name and 80% of those persons owning property adjacent to the said road. The fee to change a road name if approved is $500.00 which is to be paid with the submission of the petition.

Data is pulled for billing around mid-July. Payments can start being made on accounts immediately once bills are in the system. Tax bills are mailed to property owners on or before August 1st of the tax year. If tax bills are paid during the month of August, property owners will receive a 2% discount.

Personal Property

The owner as of January 1st of the current tax year is responsible for taxes for the entire year. Taxable personal property includes but is not limited to business assets, untagged motor vehicles, boats, personal watercraft, untagged campers, untagged trailers, mobile homes, golf carts, recreational vehicles (ATV) and aircraft. 

Real Estate

Real estate taxes are not pro-rated, but are usually handled between the buyer and seller at the time of closing. You should refer to your closing statement to see if provisions for property taxes were made at that time. Most attorneys pro-rate the taxes on real estate on a calendar year basis. Depending on the time of year the closing is processed, taxes may be paid to the Tax Department directly, or the seller may pay the buyer their portion of the taxes. The buyer is then responsible for paying the entire tax bill to the tax office. The tax bill is sent to the owner of record as of January 1st of the tax year. The January 1st owner's name will appear on the tax bill. It is their responsibility to forward the bill to the new owner if there is a change in ownership. If these taxes are not paid, a lien will be placed on the property, and any action will be taken against the current owner.

Of course, no matter how thorough and fair a revaluation may be, there are still instances when only the property owner has all the information necessary for an accurate appraisal. That is why there is a relatively easy appeal process. 

First, complete the Formal Appeal Form (PDF) and return it to the Assessor's Office. Appeals must be submitted prior to the convening of the Board of Equalization and Review which meets between the first Monday in April and the first Monday in May. This will be an appeal to the Yancey County Board of Equalization and Review which is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners.

The Tax Assessor will contact you and will discuss your concerns after reviewing the back-up used during the revaluation of your property. We will make any corrections that are appropriate based on the review or make no changes. It is incumbent upon the appellant to prove that the assigned value is incorrect.

If you are still dissatisfied with your property value after being heard by the Board of Equalization and Review, the next step is to appeal to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission in Raleigh. Very rarely is this step required. From the Property Tax Commission, you may appeal to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and finally to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Again, these appeals are very rare since every effort is made by the Tax department to resolve our issue locally among people who are most familiar with property values in Yancey County.

Revaluation is a systematic, in-depth process using a Computer Aided Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system to reappraise or reassess all real property in the County to the current market value. (Appraised value and assessed value can be used interchangeably in North Carolina because property is required to be assessed at 100% of its appraised value.) The real estate market is one of constant change caused by the freedom we have to buy and sell property. This change can vary greatly depending on a property’s size, type, and location. This can create an inequitable situation in the level of assessment among owners of property and inequity among differing types of property.

The longer this situation exists, the more unjust it becomes. The end result is an unfair tax burden on those properties that have an assessed value close to the actual market value compared to those properties whose assessed value is well below market value. The relationship between assessed, or tax value, and market value is called the sales / assessment ratio.

A countywide revaluation is an enormous and complex task. Yancey County is fortunate to have contracted a qualified and knowledgeable reappraisal team, Pearson Appraisal, to perform Yancey County’s 2024 revaluation. Field inspections are being conducted, sales files are being developed and analyzed, and market trends are being monitored. Contacts are made with property owners, local realtors, building contractors, building suppliers, and home lending institutions, all for the purpose of being as knowledgeable as possible about property values.

Mailing address changes can be made in three different ways:

• By coming into the office and having a member of our staff change your mailing address
• By calling the office and having a member of our staff change your mailing address over the phone
• By filling out a Change of Address Form (PDF) and sending it to our office.

• Cash
• Check
• All major debit and credit cards
  • 1.22% processing fee will be incurred for any debit or credit transactions

Yes, if you have a Durable Power of Attorney and copy. 

Yancey EMS Policy on Interfacility Transports:

Our primary responsibility at Yancey County 911 is to provide emergency response services for 911 calls. We prioritize this function to ensure rapid and effective assistance in critical situations.

We do accept interfacility transports only under certain conditions:

1. Emergency Basis Only:  Interfacility transports are conducted only if the situation qualifies as an emergency.
2. Availability of Units: We will consider interfacility transports only if we have at least 2 of our 3 EMS units available to respond to 911 emergencies.
3. Patient Eligibility: The patient must be a resident of Yancey County.
4. Travel Radius: Our interfacility transport services are available within a 60-mile radius of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH).

It is essential to note that the responsibility for coordinating interfacility transports lies with the transferring and receiving hospitals. Yancey EMS will assist with these transports when possible, but our primary focus remains on emergency 911 responses.

Additionally, Mission Hospital operates its own interfacility transport service, which should be utilized for these types of calls.

Yancey EMS Policy on Discharge Transport to Nursing Home Facilities:

Yancey EMS is committed to providing emergency medical services and interfacility transports under specific conditions. However, we have clear guidelines regarding transport for patients being discharged to nursing home facilities:

1. Medical Necessity: Yancey EMS will only provide ambulance transport for patients being discharged to nursing home facilities if the patient meets the criteria for medical necessity. Specifically, this means the patient must be bed-bound and require medical supervision during transport.
2. Nursing Home Responsibility:  For patients who do not meet the criteria for medical necessity (i.e., those who are not bed-bound), it is the responsibility of the nursing home facility to arrange and provide transportation for their residents who have been discharged from a hospital.

These guidelines are in accordance with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) regulations, which stipulate that the responsibility for non-medical transportation of discharged residents falls to the nursing home facilities.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in ensuring that our resources are used effectively for emergency responses and medically necessary transports.

Yancey EMS will try to accommodate taking residents to scheduled doctor appointments who meet medical necessity for ambulance transport.

- Notice Requirements: Residents must notify Yancey EMS two weeks in advance for appointments outside Yancey County and one week for those within the county.

- Required Documents: Residents Primary Care Provider must fax a valid medical necessity prior to scheduling transport. 

- Availability: There is no guarantee of ambulance availability; emergency calls take priority over scheduled appointments.

- Emergency Status: At least one ambulance must be available for emergency calls before an ambulance can be assigned to a scheduled transport.

- Decision Authority: The on-duty supervisor/director has the final say regarding scheduled transports based on the current status of emergency calls.

For questions, or to schedule a transport, please call Yancey EMS Base. 

Contact EMS MC Billing Company at 1-866-949-9715

Anyone within Yancey County is eligible for our services! YCTA provides non-emergency transportation services to various destinations including: medical, employment, education, shopping, hiking, and airport. A same day shuttle service is also provided from 9:30am – 11:45am, and again from 1pm – 1:45pm within the city limits of Burnsville.

Please call our office at 828-682-6144 at least 24-48 hours before your needed trip in order to be placed on our schedule. To cancel your ride, call our office at least one hour before your scheduled pick up. Otherwise you are marked as a “no show” and are subject to our “no show” policy.

We are at door to door transportation service provider. Therefore, YCTA will come to your residence to pick you up. However, door to door transport is dependent on our ability to get our vehicles to your home safely. For liability reasons, we do NOT enter the home.

Timelines are very important. To ensure all passengers are on time, and wait times are reduced, we request that all out of county appointments be made no earlier than 9:30am and no later than 1:30pm, based on a one-hour appointment. If you are expecting your appointment to last longer than one hour, please inform the scheduler when you schedule your transportation.

The cost for a general trip is based upon the location you are picked up, and the destination you are traveling to. These costs are lower than the cost of driving, and may be free if you meet certain criteria. Prices are per person, and are not reduced if you only travel one way. Payments can be made in cash, or by credit card.

Over half of our fleet is wheelchair accessible. Please let the scheduler know if you require a wheelchair accessible van when you request transportation. An attendant is required if you are in a manual chair and need assistance, or if extra equipment or supplies is needed on the trip. Please inform the scheduler if you are expecting an attendant to accompany you. Both passenger and attendant must be picked up and dropped off together at the same locations.

Use the Public Records Request Form to submit your request and provide as much detailed information as possible. Please email completed forms to info@yanceycountync.gov or bring in person to the Yancey County Manager's Office at 110 Town Square, Room 11, Burnsville, NC 28714.