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.
Search North Carolina official online criminal records sources.
- North Carolina Criminal Records
Search for felony or misdemeanor criminal charges by requesting records from the North Carolina state repository.- North Carolina DPS Background Checks
Department of public safety criminal records search.- Federal Bureau of Investigation Charlotte Office
Criminal background checks, name checks, official records.- North Carolina Inmates and Offenders Search
Find the location and release information of individuals incarcerated with the NC Dept. of Corrections.- North Carolina Crime Laboratory Documentation
Legislative mandated reports, audit reports and accreditation certificates for the Raleigh, Triad Regional and Western Regional Laboratories.- North Carolina Sex Offenders
Search the NC Dept. of Justice database of registered offenders by name or location.- North Carolina Public and Criminal Record Expungements
Information and resources to assist in expunging criminal records state and nationwide.
Access arrest records directly from North Carolina law enforcement agencies individually. Request information of incidents, charges and details from state and local police departments. Records division contact information and requirements to order official reports.
- North Carolina State Highway Patrol
Law enforcement, traffic, criminal investigations and more- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Licenses, permits, information and more- North Carolina Attorney General
Civil, criminal and appellate courts- North Carolina State Capitol Police
Law enforcement, investigations, reports and more- North Carolina County Sheriff Arrest Reports
Directory to county Sheriff offices and reports in North Carolina.- North Carolina Public Safety Department
Review criminal history records and more.
- North Carolina Vital Records
Request birth and death certificates, marriage records and divorce filings in North Carolina.- North Carolina Asset Search
Search government agencies open to the public to find assets of companies, corporations, or individuals.- North Carolina Driving Records
Access online forms from the state DMV to request a drivers license, complete registration and more.- North Carolina Death Row
Information from the NC Dept. of Corrections about NC death row inmates.- North Carolina Genealogy Records
Browse state archives, historical records, and online databases, search North Carolina census records to find info about ancestors, family tree and more.- North Carolina Judgments and Liens
Find judgments, liens and UCC filings of any individual in North Carolina.- North Carolina Lawyer Lookup
Verify an attorney's licensing status with the State Bar.- North Carolina Missing Children
Search North Carolina missing and exploited kids.- North Carolina Property Records
Obtain property tax info by contacting the NC Association of County Commissioners.- North Carolina Unclaimed Property
Search property and claim status by individual name or business through the NC State Treasurer.- North Carolina Land Records
Search deeds, mortgage documents and more.- North Carolina Statewide Business Search
Obtain business, corporate and company information.- North Carolina Statewide Business Licenses
Information on obtaining a business license.- North Carolina Elections and Voter Information
Voter data statewide.- North Carolina Business Forms
Free downloadable forms from the business services division.- North Carolina Employment Security Commission
Employment services, unemployment insurance, and labor market information.- North Carolina Tax Information
State tax links and resources.- Search For State Employees
Employee name search.- Search North Carolina Law
Lookup North Carolina codes and laws.- Directory of North Carolina Agencies
Contact any agency statewide.- Search for State Financial Institutions
Financial institution information.- North Carolina Census Information
Census bureau quick facts and information.- North Carolina Hurricane Preparedness
Information and preparation for hurricane emergencies.- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Help and information for senior citizens.- North Carolina Education and Schools
North Carolina Department of Education.- North Carolina Parks and Recreation
Information on state parks.- North Carolina Airports
Find an airports in North Carolina.- North Carolina State Library
Services for the public, teachers, students and libraries.- North Carolina State Records Requests
Guidelines and information for public records.- North Carolina Energy Office
Providing information on saving energy and becoming energy efficient.- Department of State Fire Marshal
Information to protect the property and resources of North Carolina.- North Carolina Visitors Information
Guide to the state of North Carolina.- North Carolina Maps, Government and Population
Information on North Carolina; economy, government, culture and more.
North Carolina's general trial courts consists of superior and district courts dealing with nearly three million cases annually. The state's courts also maintain a database of charges and convictions made by state, county and city law enforcement. The review trials from lower courts are the Supreme and the court of Appeals. The clerks of court provide records, forms, local rules and court documents.
- North Carolina Criminal Cases
Search for a case in the North Carolina Superior Court.- North Carolina Court Directory
Find a court in North Carolina.- Supreme Court of North Carolina
Calendar and case information.- North Carolina Megan's Law Home
Sex offender information and more.- North Carolina Law and Legal Resources
Information on law libraries, codes, opinions and more.- North Carolina Court Electronic Filing
Iinstructions and more on electronic filing.- North Carolina Small Claims Court
Traffic, civil suits and small claims cases.- North Carolina Trial Courts
Search for a trial court by county.- North Carolina Federal Cases
Search the Public Access to Court Electronic Records to find information and public records on federal case filings.- North Carolina Juvenile Court Services
Department of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention.- North Carolina Family Court
Resources for divorce cases and more.- North Carolina District Courts
Information on District Courts of North Carolina.- North Carolina Appeals Court
Search for cases in the appellate devison.- North Carolina Business Court
Search cases involving complex and significant issues of corporate and commercial law.- North Carolina Bankruptcy Record Search
Conduct a bankruptcy search through public records to find individual or corporate bankruptcy filings.- North Carolina Court Forms
Judicial Council Form downloads.- North Carolina Court Self Help Center
Free Services and resources for court and trial assistance.