Guide
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.
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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 10,439,388 residents as of the 2020 census. 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.
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Court records and filings
North Carolina court records are maintained by the North Carolina Judicial Branch. Superior Courts handle felony criminal cases and major civil matters. District Courts handle misdemeanors, traffic, juvenile, and family law cases.
Case records are searchable online through the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts portal at nccourts.gov.
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Criminal records and background checks
North Carolina criminal records are maintained by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), which serves as the central repository for Criminal History Record Information (CHRI). A fingerprint-based background check costs $14 via money order or certified check. The NC Judicial Branch provides free criminal background searches through public access computers at court locations. Court records are searchable through the NC Courts online system. The SBI operates the NC Sex Offender Registry. The Department of Adult Correction provides an offender search for prison offenders, probationers, and parolees.
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Vital records
Certified copies of North Carolina birth and death certificates are issued by North Carolina Vital Records, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Marriage records are also kept by the local office that issued the license, and divorce records by the court that granted the divorce.
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Property and asset records
Deeds and mortgages in North Carolina are recorded at the county level, and property taxes are handled by county or local offices. Business and UCC filings are kept by the state, bankruptcy cases are federal court records, and the state runs a free search for unclaimed property.
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Government records and agencies
NC.gov lists the state's organizations, and the North Carolina General Statutes are online from the General Assembly.
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Driving and vehicle records
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles keeps driving records and issues vehicle titles.
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Expungements and record clearing
North Carolina calls it expunction. A judge decides each petition, and the process can take several months for record checks and a hearing. Once an expunction is granted, the clerk and other agencies destroy the case files, so keep your copy of the order; private websites must be contacted directly.
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Genealogy and historical research
For family history, start with the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina.
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Missing children resources
The N.C. Center for Missing Persons is the state clearinghouse for missing children and adults and issues the state's alerts.
- NC Center for Missing PersonsNorth Carolina State Highway Patrol
- NamUsU.S. Justice Department database of missing and unidentified people
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