Jackson County
Located in the western region of North Carolina, Jackson County was established in 1851 and named after the seventh US President, Andrew Jackson. It has a land area of 391 square miles and over 43,000 residents. Its largest community is Cullowhee, and its county seat is Sylva.
As with all counties in North Carolina, there are two courts in Jackson County: Superior and District Courts. The Jackson County Superior Court, as the county's highest court, has general jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases. It deals with all felonies, some misdemeanors, and civil cases with damages exceeding $25,000. Furthermore, probate cases—which include managing estates, trusts, and admitting wills—fall under the court's original jurisdiction.
The Jackson County District Court is a trial court with jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and ordinance offenses. Additionally, civil disputes involving claims under $25,000 and preliminary hearings for felonies are handled by it. The court also hears juvenile and domestic matters, such as child support, adoption, divorce, juvenile delinquency, termination of parental rights, and emancipation.
Jackson County's public court records include court filings, dockets, writs, transcripts, motions, depositions, warrants, judgments, and other types of court data. These records can be accessed by the public and are produced in the county courts. Records from the two courts are kept by the Jackson County Clerk of Court. As required by county and state legislation, the clerk's office organizes, displays, indexes, and stores.
Unless restricted by court orders, the following types of nonconfidential court records are made available by the Jackson County Clerk of Court:
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Probate records
- Civil records
- Family Law records
Members of the public can access Jackson County's non-confidential court records through the North Carolina Judiciary's eCourts Portal. They can also visit the Jackson County Clerk of Court to search or request copies of public court records from the county. They can use the self-service terminals at the clerk's office for the search.
