About North Carolina Public Records

About North Carolina public records

The North Carolina government has over 240 state agencies operating and serving the public which include law enforcement and various administrative functions. As a right to review state, many records are made available to the public ranging from criminal history background checks to real estate information, vital records, registered and recorded documents. North Carolina has moved forward with many services becoming available online through its individual agency websites.

State background and court information

North Carolina, nick named the "Tar Heel State" or the "Old North State", is the tenth most populous state in the U.S. with nearly ten million residents. It is the twenty eight largest state with just under fifty thousand square miles of territory in the South Atlantic Division of the United states according to the U.S. Census. North Carolina gained statehood in 1789, the state's population has grown from just under four hundred thousand to nearly ten million residents as of 2013. Approximately 2/3 of North Carolinian are white, one fifth black and under ten percent Hispanic.

The state is governed by the typical three branch government, comprised of the Executive (agencies, elected officials and offices), Judicial (state's court system) and Legislative (state assembly, senate and representatives). The North Carolina General Assembly contains the state's House of Representatives with 120 members who serve a term of two years with a Speaker of the House and a 50 member Senate also serving 2 year terms with the Lieutenant Governor as the president. The House meets on the second Wednesday of January following the election to elect officers. The state's capital is Raleigh and the location of the capitol building and governor's offices.

There are three sections of North Carolina, Mountain, Piedmont and Coast (also referred to as Atlantic Coastal Pains). The mountains along the West side of the state include Asheville, Appalachian Mountains, foothills, high country, smoky mountains, Cherokee and other national parks. The central is the Piedmont region with urban areas in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Durham and the triangle. The Coastal region has over three hundred miles of barrier island beaches, historic sites and Cape Hatteras. Although Raleigh is the state's capital, Charlotte is the state's largest city by population.

North Carolina's supreme court is the highest court in the state with mandatory jurisdiction in civil, capital criminal, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, disciplinary interlocutory decision cases and discretionary jurisdiction in civil, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, advisory opinions for the executive and legislature, original proceeding, and interlocutory decision cases.

The state's second highest is the court of appeals with mandatory jurisdiction in civil, noncapital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, disciplinary, original proceeding cases and discretionary jurisdiction in civil, non capital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, original proceeding, and interlocutory decision cases.

Superior courts with 109 judges have jurisdiction in tort, contract, real property rights (over $10,000/no max), miscellaneous civil cases and has exclusive estate, and administrative agency appeals jurisdiction. Superior court's criminal division hears felony, misdemeanor, criminal appeals cases and has jury trials.

District courts have jurisdiction over tort, contract, real property rights ($0/$10,000), exclusive small claims up to $4,000, mental health, miscellaneous civil and exclusive domestic relations jurisdiction. Criminal district courts have jurisdiction over felony, misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, and traffic/other violation cases, exclusive juvenile jurisdiction, handle preliminary hearings and use jury trials in civil cases only.

Vital records

Statewide North Carolina vital records. Search births, marriage records and death certificates. Divorces filed with courts. State vital records offices. Link to the agencies in North Carolina and order vital records. Many records are public information available to the public from private and government entities. You can use information to verify your records. Look up vital statistics and free vital searches in North Carolina to conduct research online. Department of health and human services, finding old records, register of deeds, state archives newspaper digitization project, manuscript and archives reference system, court system, birth certificates before 1913, marriage records prior to 1962, death certificates prior to 1930 and divorce records prior to 1958.

Property and asset records

Search for assets in North Carolina and obtain records of property, business ownership, professional license verification and other personal or corporate assets. Find bankruptcies, liens, UCC judgment filings and find out about information that can effect a person's or company's asset. See the status of a business and verify ownership, DBA, status, activity and whether the corporation or business filed in North Carolina owns property, vehicles, real estate and more. Unclaimed property and asset search from official government databases open to the public.

Government records and agencies

Access North Carolina government agencies and obtain information on executive branches, legislative branches and jucidial branches within state jurisdiction. Link below to the state government agencies as well as state government information and services. Other state government resources such as codified state law, voters registration and other state government departments

Driving and vehicle records

Free and easy to use direct official North Carolina government links to driver license and registration sources. Register your vehicle, get your tags, obtain the history of a vehicle. Online forms and processing from your computer anywhere. You can also see the status of your applications at anytime online without having to call the clerk. Locations, hours and office information are also available online.

Expungements and record clearing

Expunge your criminal past of felonies, misdemeanors, D.U.I convictions and more in the state of North Carolina. Get information regarding expungements and begin to erase your previous North Carolina criminal records statewide as well as nationwide. Some records can contain inaccurate or erroneous information that can be amended. Both juvenile and adult cases that can be corrected and begin your search for employment without a tainted past showing.

Genealogy and historical research

North Carolina genealogy related links and topics. Individual state search of your ancestors, start a family tree, browse census records and more online. State Library of North Carolina genealogical services.

Missing children resources

The state of North Carolina has a host of law enforcement, criminal justice and other public agencies at it's disposal when a child is reported missing. The North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety is the primary law enforcement resource in the search and recovery of missing children. The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons is part of that agency and serves as the clearinghouse for information regarding missing children and adults and is charged with issuing Amber Alerts. Amber Alert is the North Carolina Child Alert Notification System, a statewide system to quickly disseminate information regarding abducted children. The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons also provides support and information for families dealing with missing children. There are a multitude of internet resources to assist with missing children searches, including various search databases, websites which offer lists, photos, and details of children currently missing in North Carolina, and a current map of the origins of missing children in North Carolina.