Except as provided below, an owner claiming an exemption or exclusion from property taxes must file an application for the exemption or exclusion annually during the listing period.
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If an assessor denies an application for exemption or exclusion, the assessor must notify the owner of the decision and the owner may appeal the decision to the board of equalization and review or the board of county commissioners, as appropriate, and from the county board to the Property Tax Commission. If the notice of denial covers property located within a municipality, the assessor shall send a copy of the notice and a copy of the application to the governing body of the municipality. The municipal governing body shall then advise the owner whether it will adopt the decision of the county board or require the owner to file a separate appeal with the municipal governing body. In the event the owner is required to appeal to the municipal governing body and that body renders an adverse decision, the owner may appeal to the Property Tax Commission. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the governing body of a municipality from denying an application which has been approved by the assessor or by the county board provided the owner's rights to notice and hearing are not abridged. Applications handled separately by a municipality shall be filed in the office of the person designated by the governing body, or in the absence of such designation, in the office of the chief fiscal officer of the municipality.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-282.1