Search North Carolina Public Records - Free Government Databases
Free links to official North Carolina state and county government records — courts, criminal histories, vital records, property, voter, business, and licenses across all 100 counties.
How to Search North Carolina Public Records
North Carolina's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 100 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.
Courts: The Supreme Court of North Carolina sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Superior Court (8 divisions, 50 districts), District Court. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
Criminal history: Official background checks run through the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI); the North Carolina criminal records page covers the current fee and request process.
Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the North Carolina Office of Vital Records and may also be available locally.
Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
Business filings: the North Carolina Secretary of State operates the official business-entity search.
Population
11,046,024
Households
4,364,200
Median Income
$70,804
Median Home Value
$263,400
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)
North Carolina Public Records at a Glance
North Carolina is mid-transition: the courts are moving county by county onto eCourts, whose Portal offers free public case search where live, while remaining counties still use terminals at the clerk's office — the North Carolina court records page tracks who has moved. Statewide criminal checks are court-based: certified statewide searches run through the AOC's system, detailed on the criminal records page. Birth and death certificates come from the Office of Vital Records, and every county register of deeds can also issue local copies. Those registers of deeds hold land records in all 100 counties, nearly all with free online indexes — North Carolina digitized deeds earlier than most of the South. 416 official databases below.
Official Databases
416
County Pages
100
Record Categories
8
Directory Since
1997
Figures reflect sources indexed in this directory and the latest official reports. Content reviewed July 30, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.
North Carolina Guides
Step-by-step pages for the searches people actually run:
Search the regional U.S. District Courts of North Carolina PACER system for Federal bankruptcy, civil, and criminal court records. Note: PACER charges $0.10/page; the first $30 per quarter is free.
Browse this list from the Cleveland County, North Carolina Sheriff's office of most wanted fugitives. Also view a list of the apprehensions of individuals previously on the Sheriff's Most Wanted list.
Search the Harnett County Register of Deeds recorded documents database for death record information by deceased name, certificate number, date of death and/or date of filing.
Browse this North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners list by name for disciplinary actions (updates, boar actions, suspensions, and cases dismissed). You'll find the links at the bottom of the left-hand column.
Search for North Carolina licensed mortuary trainees by first/last name, city, state, zip and/or establishment to view information including first/last name and city/state.
Search the North Carolina Landscape Contractors' Registration Board for licensed landscape contractors by last name, company, city or county to view information including corresponding information, address, phone, fax and e-mail.
Search for North Carolina licensed nursing home administrators by registration number or name to view information including name, address, license info and continuing education details.
Search for North Carolina licensed refrigeration contractors by keyword, license number, last name, company name or city to view information including license number, name, company and address.
Search for North Carolina licensed engineers, land surveyors and engineering / surveying firms by registration number or name to view information including name, address, license number and status.
Search for North Carolina licensed massage and bodywork therapists by last name or license number to view corresponding information, city/state and license details.
Search the Person County, North Carolina Register of Deeds for images of recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, UCC's, etc.) by grantor or grantee name, date, or book & page.
Search the Avery County, North Carolina Register of Deeds for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, etc.) by grantor and/or grantee name, date range, or book & page and view document images.
Provided by Macon County, North Carolina Register of Deeds. Use this service to search for images of recorded documents by name and date or book and page.
Use this Montgomery County, North Carolina Register of Deeds service to search for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, etc.) by grantor name, grantee name, and/or date.
Register with this fee-based TitleSearcher service to search the Transylvania County, North Carolina Register of Deeds recorded documents (deeds & mortgages) index.
Use this Davidson County, North Carolina Register Of Deeds service to search for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.) and obtain document images.
Search the Caswell County, North Carolina Register of Deeds recorded document database (deeds, mortgages, liens, etc.) by name, date range, and/or book/page to view corresponding index and recorded document image.
Search the Hertford County, North Carolina Register of Deeds recorded document database (deeds, mortgages, liens, etc.) by name, date range, and/or book/page to view corresponding index and recorded document image.
Search the Johnston County, North Carolina recorded documents database (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.) by grantor/grantee, date, book/page or interactive map.
Complete an online application for access and search the Brunswick County, North Carolina Register of Deeds for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.). Free registration required.
Search the Lincoln County, North Carolina recorded documents database (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.) to view info compiled from recorded deeds, plats, tax maps, surveys, and other public records and data.
Search the Register of Deeds database in Cleveland County, North Carolina for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.). Search by name, date range, or book and page.
Use this KPL Inc. service to search the Camden County, North Carolina Register of Deeds records for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.) Registration required / free access for county residents.
Search the Hyde County, North Carolina recorded documents database (deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, etc.) Registration required / free access for county residents.
Use this Robeson County, North Carolina Register of Deeds service to search for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, etc.) by name & year, or by book & page number. Document images are available.
Search the Rockingham County, N. C. Register of Deeds for recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, etc.) by grantor and/or grantee name, instrument number, or book & page and view document images.
Search this Richmond County, North Carolina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database by interactive map to view information including owner, address, acreage, valuation and property record card.
Use this Dare County, North Carolina tax inquiry service to search for property and property tax information by owner name, address, parcel number, or PIN number.
Use this Lenoir County, North Carolina service to search for property information by owner name, address, PIN, or record number, and view interactive GIS maps. Requires Internet Explorer.
Use this Robeson County GIS system to search by Street name, Owner name, Site address, Map number or Deed book page for property information in Robeson County, North Carolina.
Search the Jackson County, North Carolina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database by interactive map, PIN, owner, address, deed date, book/page, valuation, assessment or other data.
Search this Currituck County, North Carolina Tax Department service for property and property sales information. Search for property by name, parcel or map number, address, or subdivision.
Search the Anson County, North Carolina tax collections query system by bill number, account number, name, address, or PIN to locate paid and unpaid tax bills.
Search the Chatham County, NC interactive GIS map service for property information by parcel ID, owner name, owner street address, owner city, parcel street address, parcel city, map number, block number, acreage, and/or total value. Needs Int. Explorer
Use this Sampson County, North Carolina system to search by parcel owner, address or PIN for property information (may not be current) and view interactive GIS maps.
Search the Wayne County, North Carolina property tax system by parcel, name, or address and view interactive maps. Only available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.
Use this Beaufort County, North Carolina Geographic Information System (GIS) service to search for property information and view interactive GIS maps. Search by name, book & page, or Parcel ID.
Search the Stanly County, North Carolina Geographical Information System (GIS) interactive map for property information by address, GPIN, or owner and view interactive GIS maps.
Search the Johnston County, North Carolina property Appraisal Card Lookup Utility by owner name, address or parcel # to view corresponding info, value and deed book/page.
Search the Geographical Information System (GIS) of Wilkes County, North Carolina for maps or by owner, deed book/page, PIN or parcel ID to view information including maps, owner, deed book/page, PIN, parcel ID, acreage and value.
Search the Harnett County, North Carolina Tax Department's database for tax information by name, abstract #, license plate, account # or pin #. You can browse billing and payment information for real estate, personal, business, and motor vehicle abstracts
Use this Brunswick County, North Carolina service to search for property information and interactive GIS maps. Search by parcel owner, parcel number, or use their advanced search feature.
Use this service of the City of Sanford, North Carolina to search their GIS database by parcel owner, PIN number or address for property information and view interactive GIS maps. Site may be slow to open.
100 North Carolina counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 14 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
How are public records organized in North Carolina?▼
North Carolina keeps public records at three levels: federal (FBI, federal courts via PACER), state (court of last resort, state police, department of health, secretary of state), and county-level (sheriffs, clerks, recorders, assessors). Each county maintains its own court, criminal-justice, property, and vital-records offices linked from the county pages below.
Where do I start a North Carolina court-case search?▼
For statewide trial-court information, start at the NC Judicial Branch: www.nccourts.gov. North Carolina federal cases are searched through PACER. For local case dockets, see the Court Records tab and the county page for your area.
How do I get an official North Carolina background check?▼
North Carolina's official statewide criminal-history check is run by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) at www.ncsbi.gov. Most state-level checks require fingerprints and a fee. A nationwide FBI Identity History Summary is available separately.
Where do I obtain North Carolina birth, death, or marriage certificates?▼
Certified North Carolina vital records are issued by the Official North Carolina Vital Records at vitalrecords.nc.gov. Recent local events (births, deaths, marriages) can often also be requested from the county clerk or local registrar where the event was filed.
What does it cost to access North Carolina public records?▼
Most online record indexes in North Carolina are free to search; fees apply for certified copies, fingerprint background checks, full document images at the recorder, and statewide bulk data. Each agency publishes its current fee schedule — for example the NC Judicial Branch (courts), the Official North Carolina Vital Records (vital records), the Official North Carolina Voter Records (elections), and the Official North Carolina Professional & Occupational Licenses (licenses).