What are Haywood County Public Records?
Haywood County public records are documents that contain information created or maintained by any government official. The public records law in North Carolina has defined public records as all documents or any form of documentary material kept or created by an agency. The law regards all compilation of public information by any agency in North Carolina as the property of the people. Any resident of Haywood County has access to public records and can receive copies for a small fee.
The definition of a public record by the law has allowed for unrestricted access to records produced and managed by public agencies. Therefore, if anyone is denied access to records, such a person can seek redress at the court of law in Haywood County. However, there are sections in the records law that restrict access to some records. This means that residents will not be allowed to preview or even obtain copies of the records. The following are some of the records that the law has restricted;
- Documents that are created and maintained by the Secretary of State
- Records of ongoing criminal investigation
- Records containing sensitive information and therefore have the capability of negatively affecting the right of the holder to a fair trial. Moreso, any record that contains information that is capable of impacting the prosecution of an offender can be petitioned for restriction.
- Records that were communicated under an attorney-client privilege
- Records of local and state tax information
- Records containing trade secrets
- Information about electronic payment and the account number
- Information concerning a person's social security number, date of birth, or driver's license
- Records containing proprietary designs made by persons and submitted as proposals in a bid for a contract
- Records containing information concerning public security plans or records created by law enforcement agencies for security purposes.
- Records containing information about an autopsy which was kept in any format- audio, video, or photographs
Haywood County Crime Statistics
The crime statistics in Haywood County are compiled by the police and sheriff's department and published via the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. According to the UCR report, the total number of crimes that occured in Haywood County in 2019 was 953, including 118 violent crimes and 835 property crimes. The violent crimes included; 21 rape, 2 robberies, and 95 aggravated assaults. No murder or manslaughter was recorded for the year. On the other hand, property crimes included 366 burglaries, 405 larceny-thefts, 64 motor vehicle thefts, and 6 arson. An analysis of the crime statistics shows that crime in Haywood County has decreased by 15% between 2016 and 2019.
Are Haywood County Criminal Records Public?
Yes. Haywood County criminal records are public records per the state's public records law. Persons who wish to obtain Haywood County criminal records must visit the Clerk of Courts' office and submit the necessary details to perform a name-based search for criminal records.
How to Obtain Haywood County Police Reports and Arrest Records
Haywood County arrest records and police reports are documents that describe a person's arrest charges, time of arrest, and arrest warrants. These records are public records unless restricted by statute or court order. The sheriff's office can grant access to Haywood County arrest records and police reports to an interested person provided the requester states the name of the person of interest, date of arrest, and pays the copying fees. An interested person can either send a mail, an email or visit the sheriff's office during business hours:
Haywood County Sheriff's Office
1620 Brown Avenue
Waynesville, NC 28786
Phone: (828) 452-6768,
Fax: (828) 452-6666
How to Find Sex Offender Information in Haywood County
Haywood County Sheriff's Office maintains records of sex offenders living anywhere in the county on the county sex offender registry. A requester can also obtain information about a sex offender by sending a mail, email, or visiting the sheriff's office. Likewise, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) maintains a sex offender registry at the state level. Anyone can search for sex offenders by name, address, age, city, and current status. This database contains the offender's full name, physical description, registration type, last verified address, and photographs.
How to Find Haywood County Inmate Records
Haywood County inmate records are regarded as public records, and an interested resident of the county can find information about an inmate who has been incarcerated in any of the county's detention centers. The record includes information about charges, arresting agency, amount of bond, docket, inmate status, and sentencing length. To obtain inmate records, an interested person may send a mail, go to the sheriff's office, or call the Haywood County detention center at (828) 452-6670 and select option 1 to receive information about an inmate.
How Do I Visit an Inmate in the Haywood County Jail?
The Haywood County detention center is capable of housing 150 inmates. The detention center is under the control of the county sheriff and is supervised by the captain and other lieutenants. Anyone who needs to visit an inmate in Haywood County jail must schedule an appointment. This appointment must be booked 24 hours prior to the visitation. Here are some of the rules to be followed if anyone must visit an inmate:
- Any visitor must hold a valid means of identification that contains the bearer's photograph. Visitors below 15 do not need an ID card and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Whereas visitors who are 16 must come with a valid means of identification and may also make a visit without a guardian or parent.
- Items such as purses, bags, pockets, cellular phones, cameras, tobacco items, writing materials (pen, pencil, paper, etc.), radios, wallets, sharp items (pocket knives, nail files or clippers, etc.), or any recording device are prohibited.
- Loitering of children is not allowed.
- Only one adult and one child are allowed for visitation.
- An inmate is permitted to approve 5 family or friends for visitation. In other words, a visitor who is not on the approved list will not be allowed.
- Visitors must follow the dressing rules before such a person can be permitted to visit an inmate. The standard dress code includes wearing a shirt and putting on shoes.
Intending visitors may also call the combined public communication service on (866) 340-7879 to book an appointment. The detention center is located at:
1620 Brown Avenue
Waynesville, NC 28786
Phone: (828) 452-6768
Fax: (828) 452-6666
Haywood County Court Records
In Haywood, the Superior and District Courts have jurisdiction over all kinds of disputes and criminal matters according to the extent permitted by the law. The superior court handles matters such as misdemeanors, infractions, felonies, and civil disputes worth more than $25,000. On the other hand, the District Court handles civil cases involving less than $25,000 or minor criminal cases. The office of the Clerk of Courts is responsible for maintaining the records of both courts in Haywood County.
The locations of the courts are:
Haywood District Court
285 North Main Street
Waynesville, NC 28786
30 Haywood County Courthouse
Phone: (828) 454-6511
Fax: (828) 452-2510
Haywood Superior Court
285 North Main Street
Waynesville, NC 28786
30B Haywood County Courthouse
Phone: (828) 454-6512
Fax: (828) 452-2510
Are Haywood County Court Records Public?
Haywood County court records are public records. Sequel to the North Carolina Public Records Law, the office of the Clerk of Courts in Haywood County supervises the dissemination of publicly available court records to interested residents.
How to Obtain Haywood County Civil Court Case Records
To obtain civil court case records, an interested resident of the county can send a mail or go to the courthouse to request copies of civil court records. At the courthouse, a requester can either obtain physical copies or use the self-service terminal to view case records. To find the record of interest, a requester needs to provide details that will help narrow down the search, including case date, names involved, and case numbers.
An alternative means of obtaining civil court case records is through the remote public online access platform. This platform provided by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) offers a civil case processing system (VCAP) for civil court records. Using this platform is quite expensive. It costs $495 for two users and two admin IDs. Note that this payment is non-refundable and charges an extra $70 for an additional user ID and $0.21 for every transaction carried out. For payment of this fee, checks and money orders are payable to the North Carolina Administrative Office of the courts.
How to Obtain Haywood County Criminal Court Case Records
Haywood County criminal court records are accessible through the Clerk of Court's office. The Haywood County Superior Court may charge each requester a fee before producing physical copies. Unfortunately, a criminal record is not open to everyone interested in looking up criminal records. Those eligible to access detailed criminal case information are:
- The holder of the record who can search personal criminal records
- The attorney of the record holder
- A public agency in charge of the record, or who needs to collate criminal records for statistical purposes
- A private body who need the records for research purposes
- An employer who has fulfilled the eligibility criteria to access a prospective employer's criminal record
At the state level, an interested person can search for criminal records at the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI). Note that the NCSBI does not also grant third-party requests for criminal records. If anyone is interested in the criminal records of another person in Haywood, such a person can go to the court to seek an order that will grant access to the records.
To obtain certified copies, a requester should download and complete the request form and pay $25 to obtain certified copies. The payment can be made with certified checks, money orders, cash, or credit cards.
An alternative way to obtain criminal records is through the Automated Criminal/Infractions System (ACIS). The ACIS is a remote public online access platform provided by the NCAOC.
What are Haywood County Vital Records?
Haywood County vital records include; birth records, marriage records, divorce records, death records, etc. These records, maintained by the office of the Register of Deeds, contain vital and personal information concerning the events happening in the lives of the county residents. Due to the personal nature of some of the information, not all vital records are opened to the public.
The North Carolina law limits persons who can view or obtain copies of vital records to the following individuals:
- The record holder
- Siblings of the record holder
- Offspring of the record holder
- Parent/ Step-parent of record holder
- Grandparent of record holder
- Record seeker for the purpose of determining property rights
- Attorney of record holder
- Authorized agents
- Any other person with a court order
The Office of Vital Records in North Carolina also issues certified and uncertified copies of vital records at the state level. Certified copies can be used for legal or official purposes, whereas uncertified copies are used to serve informational purposes. To make a request for vital records, an interested person can complete the application form, visit or send a mail to the address below:
North Carolina Vital Records
225 North McDowell Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-1382
Phone: (919) 733-3000
Where and How to Obtain Haywood County Divorce Records
The Haywood County clerk of courts is responsible for maintaining divorce records. An interested person can either visit the office or send a mail, attaching the names of spouses involved in the divorce, the date of divorce, and any other information that may be relevant to the records. Divorce records are public records in Haywood. However, not everyone can obtain certified copies of divorce records. The only persons that can legally obtain certified copies of the records are:
- Any of the partners involved in the divorce
- Parent, grandparent, or stepparent
- Current spouse, sibling, child, grandchild, or stepchild
- Authorized agent, legal representative, or attorney
Therefore, a requester must appear with a valid means of identification or attach copies of valid ID with the mail. The requester can send mail or visit the office of the clerks of court at the address below:
Clerk of Court
285 North Main Street
Suite 1500
Waynesville, NC 28786
Phone: (828) 454-6501
Where and How to Get Public Haywood County Marriage Records
The office of the Register of Deeds has Haywood County marriage records from1850. All marriages performed in Haywood County will definitely be found. It is possible to make a request online, via mail, or go to the office. An interested person has to fill the vital record request form with the date of marriage and the spouses' names. In-person and mail requesters must include a copy of a valid ID along with the application form, including:
- Valid driver's license (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Passport or Visa
- U.S. Military ID
- Department Of Correction photo ID
- U.S. government agency photo ID card (for active-duty officers)
- Student ID with a copy of transcripts
However, if a requester does not possess any of the above requirements, such a person has to provide two (different) photocopies of any of the following:
- Temporary driver's license
- Recent utility bill (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Car registration (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Bank statement (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Paystub (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Income tax return/W-2 (address has to be consistent with application address)
- A recent letter from a government agency (address has to be consistent with application address)
- Concealed weapon permit
It costs $10 to get a certified copy and $0.15 for an uncertified copy, payable by certified bank checks, money orders, business checks, cash, debit cards, or credit cards. Cash, debit cards, or credit cards are only allowed for in-person requests at the office of the register of deeds.
Where and How to Find Haywood County Birth Records
All Haywood County birth certificates are available from 1913 and are maintained by the office of the Register of Deeds. The register of deeds is able to issue both certified and uncertified copies of Haywood County birth records. Under North Carolina law, all persons may obtain uncertified copies. However, access to certified copies is restricted to those recognized by the law as legally qualified. To obtain copies of certified or uncertified, an interested resident can make a request online, via mail, or in-person. A person who needs a certified copy of a birth record must attach a copy of a valid government-issued ID card or any other valid means of identification to prove identity. It cost $10 to obtain a certified copy of birth records and 15 cents for each uncertified copy.
Where and How to Find Haywood County Death Records
Death records dated as far back as 1913 can be found at the office of the Register of Deeds in Haywood County. Intending requesters must send a mail request or visit the office of the register of deeds office in person to request a copy or copies of the record. An uncertified copy costs 15cents, while a certified copy costs $10. However, only those recognized by the law can request certified copies of death records. The acceptable methods of payments include; business checks, certified bank checks, and money orders which should be payable to the Haywood County register of deeds.
215 North Main Street
Suite 213
Waynesville, NC 28786
Phone: (828) 452-6635
Fax: (828) 452-6762
Email: sherri.rogers@haywoodcountync.gov
