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Finding a will or probate case in North Carolina

Who holds it: Clerk of Superior Court; wills filed after death become public record1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. More details
  2. Related records in North Carolina
  3. Probate and wills in North Carolina counties with a full guide
  4. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  5. Sources

Copy fee

$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)2

Search

Estates can be searched on the clerk's public terminals in any county; the file itself is at the county clerk's office3

More details

Which county
County of domicile at death; for non-domiciled decedents, any NC county with property or assets1
Wills for safekeeping
A will may have been deposited with a clerk before death; try counties where the person lived1
Courts: court system
Statewide North Carolina Judicial Branch with a clerk of superior court office in each county; terminals at any county clerk's office search the court system3
Courts: statewide case search
portal-nc.tylertech.cloud/Portal Portal (Tyler-hosted, linked from nccourts.gov): search online by name, case number, attorney and more; not for background checks4
Courts: fees
Copies: $2.00 first page of each document, $0.25 each additional page or fraction2
Death certificates: who holds it
NC Vital Records (1930 to present) and Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred, not county of residence5

Probate and wills in North Carolina counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Alamance CountyAlamance County Clerk of Superior Court6—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)7
Brunswick CountyBrunswick County Clerk of Superior Court8——
Buncombe CountyBuncombe County Clerk of Superior Court9——
Cabarrus CountyClerk of Superior Court, Cabarrus County10——
Catawba CountyCatawba County Clerk of Superior Court - Estates/Juvenile Department12Search11—
Cleveland CountyCleveland County Clerk of Superior Court13——
Craven CountyClerk of Superior Court14Search14$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)15
Cumberland CountyCumberland County Clerk of Superior Court - Estates Division16——
Davidson CountyDavidson County Clerk of Superior Court17——
Durham CountyDurham County Clerk of Superior Court18——
Forsyth CountyForsyth County Clerk of Superior Court19—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)20
Gaston CountyGaston County Clerk of Superior Court21——
Guilford CountyClerk of Superior Court – Wills and Estates22——
Harnett CountyHarnett County Clerk of Superior Court23—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)24
Henderson CountyHenderson County Clerk of Superior Court25—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)26
Iredell CountyIredell Clerk of Superior Court - Estates Department27—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)28
Johnston CountyJohnston County Clerk of Superior Court, Estates29—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page30
Mecklenburg CountyClerk of Superior Court, Estates and Special Proceedings31——
Moore CountyMoore County Clerk of Superior Court32——
New Hanover CountyNew Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court33——
Orange CountyOrange County Clerk of Superior Court - Estates34——
Pitt CountyClerk of Superior Court (county of domicile); wills become public record when filed after death35——
Randolph County———
Robeson CountyRobeson County Clerk of Superior Court36—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)37
Rowan CountyRowan County Clerk of Superior Court38——
Wake CountyWake County Clerk of Superior Court39——
Wayne CountyWayne County Clerk of Superior Court40—$2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee)41

For any other county, see the county list on the North Carolina guide.

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.

Rules in other states: probate records and wills in every state. Everything else in North Carolina: North Carolina public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Estates | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  2. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  3. Obtaining Court Records | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  4. Criminal Background Check | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  5. NCDHHS: DPH: NC Vital Records: Order a CertificateNC DHHS Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  6. Public Records (Sheriff's Office)Alamance County Sheriff's Officechecked November 4, 2026
  7. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  8. Brunswick County | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Clerk of Superior CourtBuncombe County, North Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  10. Cabarrus County | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  11. Criminal Background CheckNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Clerk of CourtCatawba County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  13. Public Records RequestsCleveland County, NCchecked November 8, 2026
  14. WillsCraven Countychecked November 8, 2026
  15. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 8, 2026
  16. Clerk of Superior CourtCumberland County / NC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  17. Davidson County | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  18. Clerk of Superior CourtDurham County (county-hosted page for the NC Judicial Branch clerk)checked November 4, 2026
  19. Community InfoForsyth Countychecked November 4, 2026
  20. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  21. Gaston CountyNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 5, 2026
  22. Death CertificatesGuilford County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  23. Harnett County Register of DeedsHarnett Countychecked November 7, 2026
  24. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  25. Henderson County North Carolina (home)Henderson County, NCchecked November 4, 2026
  26. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  27. Death Records | Iredell County, NCIredell County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  28. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  29. Johnston County Contact DirectoryNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  30. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  31. Mecklenburg County CourthouseNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  32. Moore County | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  33. New Hanover CountyNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 5, 2026
  34. Orange County CourthouseNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  35. Estates | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 5, 2026
  36. Robeson County Contact DirectoryNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  37. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026
  38. Rowan County CourthouseNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  39. Public Records RequestsWake County Governmentchecked November 4, 2026
  40. Wayne County | North Carolina Judicial BranchNorth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  41. G.S. 7A-308NC General Assemblychecked November 7, 2026