\n(a) Payment of Taxes on Share of One Cotenant. – Any one of several tenants in common or joint tenants (other than copartners) of real property may pay that portion of the taxes, interest, and costs that are a lien upon his undivided share of the property and thereby release the tax lien from his share. Thereafter, in any partition sale of the property the share of the joint owner who has paid his portion of the taxes shall be set apart free from the tax lien, and his share of the proceeds of any sale shall not be diminished by disbursements to pay any taxes, interest, or costs. In the event the tax lien is foreclosed and the property is sold for failure to pay taxes, the share of any joint owner who has paid his portion of the taxes shall be excepted from the advertisement and sale.\n(b) Payment of Entire Amount of Taxes by One Cotenant. – Any one of several tenants in common or joint tenants (other than copartners) of real property may pay the entire amount of the taxes, interest, and costs constituting a lien on the property, and any amount so paid that is in excess of his share of the taxes, interest, and rs) of real property may pay the entire amount of the taxes, interest, and costs constituting a lien on the property, and any amount so paid that is in excess of his share of the taxes, interest, and costs and that was not paid through agreement with or on behalf of the other joint owners shall constitute a lien in his favor upon the shares of the other joint owners. Such a lien may be enforced in a proceeding for actual partition, a proceeding for partition and sale, or by any other appropriate judicial proceeding. (1901, c. 558, ss. 13, 14, 47; Rev., s. 2860; C.S., s. 7983; 1971, c. 806, s. 1.)
North Carolina Legal Code