Mecklenburg County Court Records
Mecklenburg County Court records comprise any information in a case management system established or created by the court connected to a judicial proceeding. They include all documents, information, or exhibit that is kept on file by a court in connection with a judicial action within Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. When someone files a case with the Superior Court or district court in Mecklenburg County, these court records are produced during the filing of a court case and during judicial proceedings. Some types of court records in Mecklenburg courts are:
- Civil case records
- Criminal case records
- Records on special proceedings
- Estate case records
The court records are officially entered and maintained by the clerk of the district and superior court in Mecklenburg and are furnished in accordance with the North Carolina Supreme Court General Rules for district and superior courts. However, only court records that are considered a part of Mecklenburg County Public Records are subject to public disclosure.
Are Court Records Public in Mecklenburg County?
Yes, in North Carolina, the state's Public Records law allows the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC), which is the body in charge of responding to public records requests for court records, to furnish these court records to the public upon request. Mecklenburg court records can be requested using a public records request form. However, some court records contain private and confidential information, these private records are made exempt by law from disclosure. Categories of confidential court documents include:
- Records on minors in the clerk's office
- Court documents on abortions performed on emancipated minors
- records of specific mediation
- delivering reports.
- Case files maintained under the guidance of juvenile court counselors
- Court records sealed by judicial order
- Protection orders
Certain identifying information on Mecklenburg court documents are also redacted by law before being made public. some of these include
- Taxpayer identification numbers or Social Security numbers
- License plate numbers (except on law enforcement records)
- Passport data
- Numbers for checking and savings accounts
- Debit or credit card information
- Biometric information
The superior court usually considers requests for court documents to be made private, if approved these documents are sealed and are removed from any online request portal.
What Do Mecklenburg County Court Records Contain?
Mecklenburg County court records contain
- Case Summary
- Case type
- Case status
- Offense report
- Defendant information
- Case events
- Filed date
- Arresting agency
- Offense
- Offense date
- Complainant information
- Deposition information
- Location of offense
- Docket details (date, description, notes)
- Briefs (due date, date filed, party and attorney, and notes)
Where to Conduct a Mecklenburg County Case Lookup
- Self-service terminal available at the clerk of the superior court in Mecklenburg
- North Carolina judicial branch e-courts portal
How to Conduct a Mecklenburg County Court Case Search
A case record search for Mecklenburg County is possible online through the North Carolina e-courts portal or in person by scheduling an appointment with the county clerk of the superior court office. The North Carolina e-courts website has online request forms for civil and criminal cases.
To conduct a search in person, Interested parties must first schedule an appointment by sending an email to Mecklenburg.Criminal@nccourts.org for a criminal court records search in order to do a Macklenberg court records search in person or email Mecklenburg.Civil@nccourts.org to schedule an appointment to access Civil records. The public may visit the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court's office Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.The Mecklenburg e-court Portal makes court information available to registered users and the general public by doing searches by name, record number, citation number, attorney bar number, attorney name, company name, case cross-reference number, or nickname. The online e-court system enables users to pay using credit cards for court records information, with costs based on how much information is requested.
Interested persons can also conduct a Mecklenburg court records search by making use of the self-service terminal available at the clerk of courts office in Mecklenburg.
Mecklenburg County Civil Court Case Records
Court records for Mecklenburg civil cases are official records that give a thorough account of the legal processes associated with civil litigation heard in a court of law. These documents detail the parties in a dispute, their names, addresses, and legal counsel, as well as the nature of the disagreement and the case's conclusion. While a jury can be summoned in a civil case upon a party's request, some cases, such as those involving child custody, are always determined by a judge without a jury. The Mecklenburg district court hears the following civil case types:
- Small claims ($10,000 or less)
- cases of landlord eviction
- Actions to reclaim personal property and mechanics' liens on vehicles
- Divorce
- Custody of children
- Cases involving child support under $25,000
Requestors can find Mecklenburg County civil court case records at the superior court or district court county clerk's office. Copies of documents in court files are available for a charge. Alternatively, interested persons can use the online e-courts portal to search for civil court case information. The NCAOC also provides access to a self-service terminal that is available in court clerks' offices across the state, including Mecklenburg. The terminal can be used to perform civil case searches in the Civil Case Processing System (VCAP).
Mecklenburg County Criminal Court Case Records
Records of criminal court cases are formal records that describe the events and conclusions of criminal cases. The charges against the defendant, the evidence admitted into evidence, witness testimonies, the verdict, and, if the defendant is found guilty, the sentence are all included in these records. Mecklenburg criminal court case records are obtained from superior courts and district courts in Mecklenburg and are maintained by the county clerk's office. Some examples of criminal cases handled by the Mecklenburg criminal court include
- All felony criminal cases
- Misdemeanor and infraction appeals from the district court
By visiting a public, self-service terminal at a clerk of courts office in Mecklenburg County, interested parties can obtain information regarding criminal cases in the Mecklenburg court system. The terminal allows users to look for cases by the name of the defendant, the case number, or the name of the victim or witness. Anyone can obtain case paper files by visiting the Mecklenburg superior court clerk's office. Court records can be copied for a small fee.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Individuals can get Mecklenburg court records online for free by using the e-courts portal. The e-courts portal is maintained by the North Carolina judicial branch and allows users to access court information remotely. The e-courts portal can be used to
- View court case details
- Look for court judgments
- Find court dates and see information about hearing sessions
- View court documents and records
To perform a search users can navigate to the e-portals website, create an account, and initiate a smart search using
- Name
- Case number
- Citation number
- Attorneys name
- Attorney bar number
- Business name
Basic hearing details such as case number, defendant's name, case type, hearing date/time, hearing type, courtroom, and case category are shown in the search results. As an alternative, anyone can go to the Superior Court and use the public access computers there to obtain court records online without cost.
Considered open to citizens of the United States, court records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:
- The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
- The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.
While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.
Courts in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
The following are the addresses and contact information of courthouses in Mecklenburg County:
Mecklenburg County Courthouse
address
832 East Fourth St
Charlotte, NC 28202
Mecklenburg County Juvenile Court
address
01 S McDowell St #2200,
Charlotte, NC 28204
Mecklenburg County District Court
address
832 E 4th St,
Charlotte, NC 28202
