North Carolina levies a state "excise tax" (its legal name for the transfer tax) under N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 105, Article 8E (§105-228.30 et seq.) at a flat rate of $1.00 per $500 (or fractional part thereof) of the sale price/value conveyed — effectively 0.2% of the sale price. Example: a $400,000 home = $800 in state excise tax. This is a modest rate compared to many other states and there is no graduated "mansion tax" bracket at the state level.
Buyer closing costs typically run roughly 2%-5% of the purchase price (excluding down payment), commonly cited around 2%-3% for loan/settlement fees. Seller closing costs (excluding agent commissions) typically run around 1%-3% of sale price; once the ~5-6% real estate commission is added, total seller-side costs commonly land around 7%-9% of the sale price.
Who typically pays: By statute the "transferor" (seller) is responsible for the state excise/transfer tax, and it must be paid to the Register of Deeds before the deed can be recorded — though like most closing costs it is technically negotiable between parties in the purchase contract. Local convention in NC also has sellers typically paying for the owner's title insurance policy and (unusually, compared to most states) the lender's title insurance policy as well. North Carolina is an "attorney state" — state bar rules require a licensed NC attorney (not just a title company) to conduct/supervise the closing and provide the title opinion, and closing attorney fees are typically paid by the buyer (or split, depending on who selects/hires the attorney) as part of buyer closing costs. Buyers generally cover their own loan origination/lender fees, appraisal, home inspection, and recording fees.
Seven counties are statutorily authorized to levy an additional local land transfer tax of up to 1% ($1 per $100 of sale price), on top of the state's 0.2% rate, subject to a local voter referendum: Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Washington counties — all in the rural northeastern/Outer Banks region of the state. No other NC counties (including major metro counties like Wake, Mecklenburg, Durham, Guilford, or Buncombe) currently levy this local transfer tax, so for the vast majority of NC transactions only the 0.2% state excise tax applies. There is no state-level graduated "mansion tax" on high-value transfers in NC. Sources: N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 105, Article 8E (ncleg.net); NC Association of Realtors / Register of Deeds practice; HomeLight; ListWithClever; RealEstateWitch; Rocket Mortgage; Matheson Law Firm; Keller Williams Asheville — cross-checked, figures were consistent across independent sources as of the search date.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.