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North Carolina public records: who holds what

In North Carolina, deeds are recorded by the Register of Deeds, birth and death certificates come from the Register of Deeds and requests for other government records fall under the North Carolina Public Records Law. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in North Carolina
  2. Public records law in North Carolina
  3. Property and tax records in North Carolina
  4. How North Carolina organizes its records
  5. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  6. Counties in North Carolina
  7. Warnings from official sources
  8. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  9. Official directories
  10. Sources

Who holds what in North Carolina

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsRegister of Deeds in the county where the property is located; the Clerk of Superior Court holds court proceedings affecting real estate1$5.00 first page + $2.00 each additional page or fraction (instruments with no other fee provision)2
Court recordsStatewide North Carolina Judicial Branch with a clerk of superior court office in each county; terminals at any county clerk's office search the court system1Copies: $2.00 first page of each document, $0.25 each additional page or fraction3
Marriage recordsCounty Register of Deeds where the license was issued; NC Vital Records holds 1962 to present4$24 nonrefundable search fee per three-year period, includes one copy if found4
Divorce recordsClerk of Superior Court in the county where filed holds the decree; NC Vital Records holds certificates 1958 to present5$24 nonrefundable search fee per three-year period, includes one copy if found5
Birth certificatesNC Vital Records (1913 to present) and the county Register of Deeds where the birth occurred6$24 search (one copy included if found), per three-year period, nonrefundable7
Death certificatesNC Vital Records (1930 to present) and Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred, not county of residence6$24 search (one copy included if found), per three-year period, nonrefundable7
Probate and willsClerk of Superior Court; wills filed after death become public record8$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)3

Public records law in North Carolina

North Carolina Public Records Law (N.C.G.S. Chapter 132) Read the law9

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person; purpose need not be disclosed9
Response time
As promptly as possible; G.S. 132-6(a) gives no day count9
Copy fees
Uncertified copy capped at actual cost; a special service charge is allowed for extensive IT or clerical use9
If a request is refused
Apply to the General Court of Justice for an order, after complying with G.S. 7A-38.3E9
What is exempt
Exemptions are in separate sections, including legal counsel communications, confidential information, criminal investigations, 911 data, security information, trial preparation and SSNs9
Official guide
ncdoj.gov/open-government NCDOJ Open Government Unit ([email protected], 919-716-6938)10
More on the North Carolina Public Records Law
Special service charge
Reasonable, based on actual cost9
Any person
Any person may inspect9
Fee dispute
State Chief Information Officer mediation9
Commingled
Commingling is no ground for denial; the agency bears separation cost9
Online satisfies
Agency may satisfy a request by posting records online9

How to write a public records request

Property and tax records in North Carolina

Assessor role
County tax office is the first contact for a valuation dispute11
Collector role
Separate county tax collector pages are listed by NCDOR12
Assessor directory
ncdor.gov/… NCDOR lists county assessor web pages and a printable list of assessor addresses and phones12
Appeal local
County Board of Equalization and Review, which begins deliberating around the first week of April11
State appeal
Property Tax Commission (State Board of Equalization and Review), meets monthly in Raleigh11
Appeal courts
Then the NC Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, on more limited grounds11
Statewide lookup
nconemap.gov NC OneMap statewide parcel viewer (standardized parcel attributes). Not a tax bill lookup; bills are county by county13

How this works in other states: property and tax records by state.

How North Carolina organizes its records

  • Vital records price gap. County Register of Deeds certified copies of birth, death and marriage cost $10.00 by statute versus $24 at NC Vital Records2
  • Statewide birth certificates at county offices. Some Registers of Deeds issue birth certificates for births elsewhere in NC; Pender County states this for 1971 to present14
  • Official pages give different payment instructions. NC Vital Records fees page says mail payment payable to NC Vital Records7
  • Official pages give different payment instructions. NC Vital Records order page says mail payment goes to VitalChek6
  • Free certificates. Free certified birth certificate or marriage license for registered voters needing it for voter photo ID2
  • No online vital search. Vital records are not free public records; no online lookup15
  • Adoption. Adopted-person records handled separately16

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
NC State Bureau of Investigation17
Self check fee
$14 for the NC fingerprint-based Right to Review, self only18
Who may order
SBI Right to Review: the individual. Others: use the clerk of court18
Others check
Clerk of Court, $25; court information is public record19
Certified county check
$25 certified search by name, one county only, Form AOC-CR-31420
More about criminal history checks
County scope warning
Certified search covers one county only, not statewide20
Statute fee
$25.00, G.S. 7A-308(a)(17)3
National check
$18, FBI Identity History Summary18

Sex offender registry

Official registry
sexoffender.ncsbi.gov NC Sex Offender Registry, maintained by the SBI21
Public access
Public may search21
Statute
G.S. 14-208.15: registry information is public record; free public Internet access; copies on written request for a reasonable duplicating/mailing fee22

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
webapps.doc.state.nc.us/… NC Department of Adult Correction Offender Public Information Search: prisoners, probationers, parolees, back to 197223
County jails
Not in the state database; county jail records are local24
Jail status alerts
vinelink.com/vinelink/siteInfoAction.do NC SAVAN: free custody notifications covering county jail inmates, state prisoners and others23
Record access
Most offender records confidential except basics24

Voter records

Public or restricted
Public, with confidential fields withheld: birthdate, SSN, driver's license number25
Statewide files
ncsbe.gov/… Downloads statewide or by county from NCSBE, updated weekly; no fee stated on the page25
Check your registration
vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup Voter Search for checking your own registration: first and last name required26
County lists
County board of elections provides lists for actual cost; service charge up to $25.00 on magnetic medium; no date of birth27
Signatures
May be viewed, not copied27
More about voter records
County directory
vt.ncsbe.gov/BOEInfo County board of elections lookup linked from NCSBE26

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
Assumed business name certificate filed with Register of Deeds in the county of business; one county suffices28
Statewide case search
sosnc.gov/… NC Secretary of State assumed name database, filings on or after December 1, 201729
Legacy filings
Earlier filers had until December 1, 2022 to re-file29
Entity search
sosnc.gov/home/search Secretary of State site search for entities; automated searches not permitted30

Liens and UCC filings

UCC held by
sosnc.gov/… NC Secretary of State UCC Section; free online search31
UCC search fee
$38 for a written UCC-11 search31
Federal tax liens
Secretary of State records federal tax liens on corporations and partnerships; $5 written search32
Federal tax lien search fee
$5 by UCC-11; free online32
Federal tax liens individuals
Federal tax liens on individuals (personal property): Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the person resides; federal liens on real property: Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the property is located; corporations and partnerships: NC Secretary of State33
More about liens and ucc filings
County UCC filing fee
Register of Deeds UCC filing: $38.00 for two or fewer pages; $45.00 first 10 pages if more than two, plus $2.00 each additional page2
County UCC fees
Register of Deeds UCC information request: $38.002
Judgment liens
Clerk of court: judgments, liens and lis pendens are indexed against party names34
Tax liens in court data
Tax liens are among the data offered through Remote Public Access20

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
nconemap.gov NC OneMap13
Parcel data
Statewide Parcel Information viewer13
Addresses
Address points, all 100 counties13
GIS copy rule
G.S. 132-10 gives a qualified exception for geographical information systems9

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers State Archives of North Carolina; mail research limited to specific records, no genealogical research35
Photocopy fee
$.10 a copy; microfilm prints $.25 a copy36
Nonresident fee
$20 per inquiry35
Email requests
NC residents may email35
Digital collections
digital.ncdcr.gov North Carolina Digital Collections37
More about historical and genealogy records
Vital records route
Start with county or Archives, not NC Vital Records16
Uncertified for genealogy
NC Vital Records gives uncertified copies unless legally entitled to certified16

Counties in North Carolina

27 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 100 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.38

Warnings from official sources

  • Do not buy deed copies from unsolicited mailers; report to the Attorney General39
  • 'Deed Processing Notice' from 'Local Records Office' offered a deed copy for $8340
  • Copies usually free online or a few dollars from the Register40
  • Vendors push annual report filing and add fees on top of statutory filing fees30
  • Third-party background data is unofficial; NCAOC cannot guarantee it is current20

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any North Carolina office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 42 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Obtaining Court Records | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branch
  2. G.S. 161-10NC General Assembly
  3. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assembly
  4. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: MarriageNC DHHS Vital Records
  5. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: DivorceNC DHHS Vital Records
  6. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Order a CertificateNC DHHS Vital Records
  7. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Fees and PaymentNC DHHS Vital Records
  8. Estates | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branch
  9. N.C.G.S. Chapter 132, Public RecordsNC General Assembly
  10. Open GovernmentNC Department of Justice
  11. Property Tax Appeal Process | NCDORNC Department of Revenue
  12. Property Tax: Counties | NCDORNC Department of Revenue
  13. NC OneMap home pageNC OneMap
  14. Register of Deeds | Pender County, NCPender County
  15. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: FAQsNC DHHS Vital Records
  16. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: ResearchNC DHHS Vital Records
  17. NCSBI - Background ChecksNC State Bureau of Investigation
  18. NCSBI - Personal ReviewNC State Bureau of Investigation
  19. NCSBI - Background Checks on OthersNC State Bureau of Investigation
  20. Criminal Background Check | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branch
  21. NCSBI - Sex Offender RegistryNC State Bureau of Investigation
  22. G.S. 14-208.15 Certain statewide registry information is public recordNC General Assembly
  23. Offender SearchNC Department of Adult Correction
  24. Public Records | NC DACNC Department of Adult Correction
  25. Voter Registration Data | NCSBENC State Board of Elections
  26. Checking Your Registration | NCSBENC State Board of Elections
  27. G.S. 163-82.10NC General Assembly
  28. G.S. 66-71.4NC General Assembly
  29. Assumed Business NamesNC Secretary of State
  30. Business RegistrationNC Secretary of State
  31. Uniform Commercial CodeNC Secretary of State
  32. Federal Tax LiensNC Secretary of State
  33. G.S. 44-68.12 Place of filingNC General Assembly
  34. G.S. 7A-109NC General Assembly
  35. Ordering Copies | NC ArchivesState Archives of North Carolina
  36. Researchers FAQ | NC ArchivesState Archives of North Carolina
  37. Digital Collections | NC ArchivesState Archives of North Carolina
  38. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  39. Other Information | Brunswick County, NCBrunswick County
  40. Press ReleaseLincoln County
  41. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Contact Us: County Offices That Have Vital RecordsNC DHHS Vital Records
  42. The North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branch