(a) State Board’s Duty. – For purposes of taxation by local taxing units in this State, the Department of Revenue shall allocate the valuations of public service company property among the local taxing units in accordance with the provisions of this section. In no event, however, shall the State Board make an allocation to a taxing unit if, when computed, the valuation for that taxing unit amounts to less than five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(b) System Valuation of Companies Other Than Those Noted in Subsection (c). –

(1) System Property of Railroad Companies. – The appraised valuation of the distributable system property of a railroad shall be allocated for taxation to the local taxing units in accordance with the ratio of the miles of all the company’s tracks in the local taxing unit to the total miles of all the company’s tracks in this State, adjusted to reflect density of traffic in the local taxing unit.

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(2) System Property of Telephone Companies. –

a. The Department of Revenue shall divide each telephone company’s system property in this State into the following two classes and shall determine the original cost of that property and the percentage thereof represented by the property in each of the two classes.

– Class 1: Property located in this State that is identified under the applicable uniform system of accounts as central office equipment, large P.B.X. equipment, motor vehicles, tools and work equipment, office furniture and equipment, materials and supplies, and land and buildings (including towers and other structures).

– Class 2: Property located in this State that does not come within Class 1.

The Department of Revenue shall then apply the percentages obtained in accordance with this subdivision to the appraised valuation of the company’s system property in this State and thereby derive the proportions of appraised valuation to be allocated as Class 1 and Class 2 valuations to local taxing units in accordance with subdivision (b)(2)b, below.

b. Having made the division required by subdivision (b)(2)a, above, the Department of Revenue shall allocate the appraised valuation of the properties in each class among the local taxing units of the State as follows:

– Class 1: The appraised valuations of property in this class shall be allocated among the local taxing units in which such property of the company is situated on January 1 in the proportion that the original cost of such property in the taxing unit bears to the original cost of all such property in this State.

– Class 2: The appraised valuations of property in this class shall be allocated among the local taxing units in which the company operates in the proportion that the miles of the company’s single aerial wire and single wire in cable (including single tube in coaxial cable) in the taxing unit bears to the total of such wire miles of the company in this State.

(3) System Property of Other Companies Appraised by the Department of Revenue. –

a. The provisions of this subdivision govern the allocation of the property of all companies appraised by the Department of Revenue except railroad, telephone, bus line, motor freight carrier, airline companies, mobile telecommunications companies, and tower aggregator companies.

b. The appraised valuation of the system property of such a company is allocated for taxation to the local taxing units in which the company operates in the proportion that the original cost of the taxable system property in the local taxing unit on January 1 bears to the original cost of all the taxable system property in this State. If in any local taxing unit the company owns system property acquired prior to January 1, 1972, for which the original cost cannot be definitely ascertained, the company shall make a reasonable estimate of the original cost of that property, and the Department shall use this estimate for allocation purposes as if it were the actual original cost of the property.

(c) Certain Property of Bus Line, Motor Freight Carrier, and Airline Companies. –

(1) The appraised valuation of a bus line company’s rolling stock is allocated for taxation to each local taxing unit according to the ratio of the company’s scheduled miles during the calendar year preceding January 1 in each unit to the company’s total scheduled miles in this State for the same period. (2) The appraised valuation of the rolling stock (other than locally assigned rolling stock) owned or leased by a motor freight carrier company is allocated for taxation to each local taxing unit in which the company has a terminal according to the ratio of the tons of freight handled in the calendar year preceding January 1 at the company’s terminals within the taxing unit to the total tons of freight handled by the company in this State in the same period. If a North Carolina interstate motor freight carrier company has no terminal outside this State, but has been required to pay ad valorem tax to one or more taxing units outside this State, a reduction is allowed in the North Carolina valuation measured by the ratio of the rolling stock subject to ad valorem taxation outside the State to all of the carrier’s rolling stock.

(3) The appraised valuation of an airline company’s flight equipment is allocated for taxation to each local taxing unit in which an airport used by the company is situated according to the ratio obtained by averaging the following two ratios: the ratio of the company’s ground hours in the taxing unit in the year preceding January 1 to the company’s ground hours in the State in the same period, and the ratio of the company’s gross revenue in the taxing unit in the year preceding January 1 to the company’s gross revenue in the State in the same period.

(4) Repealed by Session Laws 2015-6, s. 2.17(a), effective for taxes imposed for taxable years beginning on or after July 1, 2015.  (1939, c. 310, s. 1610; 1971, c. 806, s. 1; 1973, c. 476, s. 193; c. 1180; 1997-456, s. 27; 2014-3, s. 11.1(e); 2015-6, s. 2.17(a); 2017-204, s. 5.3.)