January 20, 2006

DIGITAL PICTURES: MECKLENBURG COUNTY RECORDING PROPERTIES FOR PUBLIC RECORD

Charlotte, NC - In its continuing effort to assess and document all Mecklenburg County properties, the Tax Assessor's office will in February continue taking digital pictures of properties.

Most properties already have a digital picture posted with its information on Mecklenburg County's online "Real Estate Lookup" system, available through the Web site http://tax.charmeck.org. In early February, a contractor will begin taking digital pictures of completed 2004 construction or renovation projects.

Mobile Video Services, Inc. will photograph residential and commercial properties during a period of several months. The pictures are taken using a digital camera mounted inside a white van marked Mecklenburg County Video Imaging Project. The camera will be operated from inside the vehicle and will not require interface with individual properties.

The pictures are taken from public rights-of-way and are considered part of the property's public record, along with the owner, address, tax value, sales price, etc. As a result, requests to remove the image cannot be honored. Anyone with general questions about the project or a technical problem with their property's image can call 704-336-6348.

The goal is to eventually possess a digital image of every residence and business in Mecklenburg County, which will improve the County’s property appraisal process and real estate records system. The visual property records also help homeowners and businesses in substantiating insurance losses.

The video imaging is an ongoing project conducted by the Property Assessment and Land Records Management division of Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Agency.