Wake County
Located in the Piedmont area, Wake County was established in 1771 from the combination of Orange, Johnston, and Cumberland Counties. The Occaneechi and Sissipahaw Indians initially populated the area before the English occupied it in the 18th century. Currently, Wake County is one of the most urbanized counties in North Carolina, with a population of 1.175 million covering 834.6 square miles.
Wake County belongs to the North Carolina District Court District 10. It includes Superior Courts and District Courts. District Courts in Wake County hear criminal, juvenile, and magistrate cases. District court districts are not bunched into bigger divisions as part of the judicial system. Instead, each district court district has a chief district court judge. The superior courts in Wake County hear civil and criminal cases.
Wake County court records are documents that come from proceedings, including testimonials, decrees, pleas, evidence, court case minutes, decisions, and appeals. In Wake County, court records are open for public viewing, provided the material in the file is not restricted or considered confidential information. Not all interested parties can access juvenile or mental health cases. Court records are managed and disbursed by the office of the Superior Court Clerk. Record seekers may access these documents by visiting their offices or requesting them via mail. A mail request would include the name, description of the records, dates, and the requester's credentials. Fees are also payable to their office.
The superior court clerk in Wake County provides access to the following types of records.
- Criminal cases
- Civil cases
- Traffic records
- Small claims cases
- Family cases
- Probate cases
Requesters may also access court records online through the Wake County eCourts platform. It directs visitors to the North Carolina eCourts site, where they can navigate according to the courts and desired topics. The North Carolina Judicial Branch also has a Case Lookup link to access court records.
