Beaufort County
Beaufort County, North Carolina, was formed in 1712 and named in honor of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort. It has a land area of 833 square miles and 88,000 acres of water. According to the 2020 US census, 33,652 people live in Beaufort County. Its largest community and county seat is Washington. The people of Beaufort County are served by Superior and District Courts.
The Beaufort County Superior Court typically hears cases outside the District Court's purview. All felonies, some misdemeanors, and civil matters with damages over $25,000 are handled by it. Additionally, the Superior Court has original jurisdiction over probate issues such as trust and estate management, and will admission.
The Beaufort County District Court is a trial court that has jurisdiction over traffic violations, municipal ordinance offenses, and misdemeanors. It also hears civil disputes involving claims under $25,000, juvenile delinquency, divorce, adoption, child support, termination of parental rights, and preliminary hearings for felonies.
In Beaufort County, court schedules, docket listings, writs, court filings, motions, depositions, warrants, judgments, and court orders that are accessible to the public are considered public court records. These records are produced in the county courts and can be in text, video, or audio forms. Beaufort County court records are kept by the Beaufort County Clerk of Court. Per county and state regulations, the records are organized, presented, indexed, stored, and archived by the clerk's office.
Individuals in Beaufort County can typically access the following types of public court records unless sealed by court orders:
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Probate records
- Civil records
- Family Law records
Record seekers can access public court records from the county's courts by going to the Beaufort County Clerk of Court. They can search for cases using the self-service terminals located within the clerk's premises or pay to obtain copies of public court documents from the county's courts. In addition, public court records from Beaufort County are available online through the North Carolina Judiciary's eCourts Portal.
