North Carolina House Committee Officially Recommends Levy Limit Constitutional Amendment

This week, the North Carolina House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform formally recommended a state constitutional amendment to place reasonable limits on local property tax hikes.

The proposed amendment would require the General Assembly to enact property tax levy limits, preventing local governments from increasing property taxes beyond a certain threshold. These limits are tied to population and inflation. If passed by the General Assembly this session, the amendment would be placed on the statewide November 3, 2026 ballot for voter approval.

House Speaker Destin Hall said, “Property tax hikes are overburdening North Carolina families, who are footing the bill while some local governments take in far more than inflation and population growth can justify. I applaud the House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform for pursuing real reforms like the constitutional amendment on levy limits, which would ease this burden so North Carolinians can keep more of their hard-earned money.”

The House pointed to analysis from the John Lock Foundation that revealed that nine of North Carolian ten most populus counties collected nearly $3 billion more in property taxes over the past decade than what inflation and population growth would justify. Recent statewide public polling shows overwhelming support for reform, with 76.8% of respondents saying property taxes are a burden on their household budget and 73.2% backing a constitutional amendment to limit local increases, consistent with the House’s proposal.