Real-Time State Criminal Search · North Carolina
North Carolina Statewide Criminal Background Check
Order a North Carolina AOC statewide criminal background check for $25 per name.
The courts charge the same $25 to search a single county.
North Carolina has 100 of them, so we search the whole state instead.
What a North Carolina Statewide Criminal Background Check Covers
Our researchers search North Carolina AOC courts criminal records in real time, under one order.
Consequently, you never have to guess which of the 100 counties holds your applicant’s case.
BCS Background Screening LLC returns verified case detail, not a raw database dump.
Every confirmed record includes these fields
County and docket
You receive the county, its AOC court code and the full docket number.
Verified identifiers
A researcher matches name and date of birth on file before anything reaches you.
Offense and filing dates
Offense date, file date and disposition date appear for every charge.
Charge grade and statute
We label each count felony or misdemeanor and cite the North Carolina General Statute.
Method of disposition
Guilty pleas, dismissals, deferred prosecutions and prayers for judgment all come through verbatim.
Sentence and costs
Probation terms, court costs, restitution and the court’s own special notes are reproduced.
Standard scope runs seven years by file date. However, you may request a longer lookback where state and federal law permit it.
Where North Carolina Criminal Records Live
North Carolina runs one unified court system, yet its records sit in 100 separate county files.
District Court handles the volume
Misdemeanors and infractions resolve in District Court.
Most criminal records an employer encounters therefore carry the label CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT.
Our sample report below shows exactly that on both cases.
Superior Court handles felonies
Felony trials move up to Superior Court after a District Court first appearance.
A felony can also be reduced and disposed of below, which the record still shows.
eCourts finished rolling out in October 2025
North Carolina replaced its paper-era systems with the Odyssey case management platform.
The Judicial Branch completed the conversion in all 100 counties on October 13, 2025.
That transition ran county by county over several years, so older records moved systems at different times.
Accordingly, we research at court level rather than trusting one static index.
The court’s own search, compared
The Clerk Charges $25 for One County. We Charge $25 for the State.
North Carolina employers often start at the Clerk of Superior Court.
That route uses Form AOC-CR-314 and costs $25.
The form itself sets the limit in capital letters.
“THE CLERK WILL SEARCH THE RECORDS FOR ONLY THE COUNTY NAMED ABOVE. THIS IS NOT A STATEWIDE RECORD SEARCH.”
North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, Form AOC-CR-314
So $25 buys you one county out of 100.
The same form adds a second caution worth reading closely.
A blank result, it says, “does not mean that the individual does not have a record in this county.”
The Judicial Branch points employers away from its own portal
North Carolina publishes a free public Portal for case lookups.
Even so, the Judicial Branch states that people performing background checks should use the county clerk’s office, not Portal.
It also warns that it cannot guarantee third-party vendor data is current or accurate.
We take that seriously, which is why a researcher verifies every hit before release.
| Point of comparison | Clerk search, Form AOC-CR-314 | BCS statewide court search |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $25 per county | $25 per name, statewide |
| Geographic reach | One county, stated on the form | All 100 counties in one order |
| Cost to cover the state | $25 x 100 counties | $25 |
| How you order | Paper form, mail or in person | Online, inside your account |
| Payment | Money order or certified check by mail | Billed to your account |
| Identity confirmation | Name index only | SSN trace, plus researcher identifier matching |
| FCRA consumer report | No | Yes, with adverse action support |
| Dispute channel | None | FCRA reinvestigation, documented |
What about the State Bureau of Investigation?
The SBI runs a fingerprint-based criminal record check, not an open name search.
Its own site warns that name-based checks are not as accurate as fingerprint-based checks.
Access is also limited to employers and licensing entities that a statute authorizes.
Most private employers therefore land back at the courts, which is where we work.
North Carolina Publishes Free Case Searches. Here Is Why They Are Not a Hiring Tool.
The eCourts Portal handles millions of searches every month, and it is genuinely useful.
Still, it was never built to support an employment decision.
| Requirement | Free eCourts Portal | BCS statewide search |
|---|---|---|
| Counts as an FCRA consumer report | No | Yes |
| Recommended for background checks | No, the Judicial Branch says otherwise | Built for exactly that |
| Confirms the record belongs to your applicant | You decide, alone | Researcher verifies name and date of birth |
| Screens expunged matters before release | No screening step | Reportability reviewed before release |
| Explains a disposition you have never seen | No | Yes, in plain English |
| Applicant dispute process | None | FCRA reinvestigation, documented |
Put simply, a free lookup tells you what a docket says. A consumer report tells you what you may lawfully act on.
North Carolina Statewide Criminal Search Pricing
We price this search at $20 per name, plus a $5 court access fee billed at cost.
Your total therefore comes to $25 per name, with no setup fee and no monthly minimum.
Additionally, an SSN trace is included with every search package at no extra cost.
North Carolina Statewide Criminal
$25
$20 per name plus a $5 court access fee
- Real-time North Carolina court research
- All 100 counties in one order
- Researcher verification on every hit
- Full charge, disposition and sentence detail
Common add-ons
- County Criminal Court Search — $18 plus court fees
- Federal Criminal Search
- Nationwide Criminal Database Search — $17
- Driving Records History
- SSN Trace — $10 standalone
When to add a county search
Statewide court research covers North Carolina broadly and quickly.
Nevertheless, a county search digs deeper where an applicant actually lived.
Pair the two whenever the role carries real risk.
Sample North Carolina Statewide Criminal Search Report
Below is a complete report in the format your account delivers.
We reproduced every field the Administrative Office of the Courts returned, on both cases.
The subject, identifiers and docket numbers are fictitious, as the notice at the foot explains.
Records Found
Subject Searched
- Source
- AOC — NORTH CAROLINA DL=(NC)
- Name
- WHITFORD, MARCUS D
- Sex
- M
- Race
- U
- DOB
- 07/03/1987
- Address
- 1187 CEDAR RIDGE RD, GREENVILLE NC 27834
- Cases Returned
- 2
- Counties
- Mecklenburg, Stanly
Case 1 — Mecklenburg County, docket 24CR 706193482
Deferred / Dismissed
Case Information
- Court
- MECKLENBURG (590)
- Docket Number
- 24CR 706193482
- Filed
- 03/12/2024
- Court Type
- CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT
- Monies Paid
- Y
- Probation Supervision
- N
Charges — 2 Counts
(FEL) PWISD MARIJUANA
Felony
- Offense Date
- 03/12/2024
- Code / Statute
- 90-95(A)
- Disposition
- (FEL) PWISD MARIJUANA — DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE ON 11/06/2024
- Method of Disposition
- DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE
- Special
- MISD STATEMENT FILED
(MISD) POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
Misdemeanor
- Offense Date
- 03/12/2024
- Code / Statute
- 90-113.22(A)
- Plea
- GUILTY
- Disposition
- (MISD) POSSESS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA — DEFRD PROC/PROS DISMIS ON 11/06/2024
- Method of Disposition
- DEFRD PROC/PROS DISMIS
- Sentence
- PROBATION: 12M
- Court Costs
- $180.00
Special Entries
SPECIAL: IN COMPLIANCE/CASE CLOSED/RL J417602
SPECIAL: 90-96 JUDGMENT: COMP DRUG ED CLASS VIA DEFERRED LITE/NO CS
SPECIAL: HAS COMPLIED W DLITE & NO ADD DRUG CHARGES/REV
SPECIAL: UNLESS PRESCRIBED BY DR/PROB MAYBE TREATMENT AS LONG AS DEF
Case 2 — Stanly County, docket 25CR 284017
Prayer for Judgment
Case Information
- Court
- STANLY (830)
- Docket Number
- 25CR 284017
- Filed
- 02/24/2025
- Court Type
- CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT
- Monies Paid
- Y
- Prior Points
- 00
Charges — 3 Counts
(MISD) ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON
Misdemeanor
- Offense Date
- 02/21/2025
- Code / Statute
- 14-33(C)(1)
- Disposition
- (MISD) ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON — DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE ON 06/09/2025
- Method of Disposition
- DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE
(MISD) ASSAULT BY POINTING A GUN
Prayer for Judgment
- Offense Date
- 02/21/2025
- Code / Statute
- 14-34
- Plea
- GUILTY
- Disposition
- (MISD) ASSAULT BY POINTING A GUN — PRAYER FOR JUDGMENT ON 06/09/2025
- Method of Disposition
- JUDGMENT
- Verdict
- PRAYER FOR JUDGMENT
- Court Costs
- $185.00
Special Entries
SPECIAL: $381 REST PD DIRECTLY IN COURT
(MISD) COMMUNICATING THREATS
Misdemeanor
- Offense Date
- 02/21/2025
- Code / Statute
- 14-277.1
- Disposition
- (MISD) COMMUNICATING THREATS — DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE ON 06/09/2025
- Method of Disposition
- DISMISSAL W/O LEAVE
Fictitious subject notice. This sample uses an invented person, invented docket numbers and invented identifiers. It illustrates report formatting only. It does not describe any real person or any real North Carolina court case.
Reading the report
North Carolina Dispositions, Decoded
North Carolina uses outcomes that exist almost nowhere else.
Employers misread them constantly, and the sample above contains four of them.
Prayer for Judgment Continued
The court finds guilt, then declines to enter judgment.
It is close to unique to North Carolina.
Courts treat it as a conviction for sentencing prior record level, per State v. Hatcher, 136 N.C. App. 524 (2000).
Treat it as an adjudication of guilt and assess it on the facts, not the label.
Deferred prosecution dismissal
The defendant enters a plea, completes conditions, and the State then dismisses.
Our sample shows 12 months probation and a drug education class.
The charge ends dismissed, yet the record remains visible until expunged.
G.S. 90-96 conditional discharge
This first-offender route applies to certain drug charges.
On successful completion the court discharges the case and dismisses the proceedings.
Expunction still requires its own petition under a separate statute.
Dismissal without leave
The prosecutor drops the charge outright.
No conviction results, and you may not treat one as though it had.
When every charge in a case ends this way, automatic expunction follows.
Why both sample cases still appear
Since December 2021, North Carolina automatically expunges cases where all charges are dismissed.
That relief runs roughly 180 to 210 days after final disposition, under G.S. 15A-146.
Neither sample case qualifies, and the reason is instructive.
In case 1 the felony was dismissed, but the companion misdemeanor resolved by deferred prosecution.
In case 2 two charges were dismissed, while the third ended in a prayer for judgment.
Because not every charge was dismissed, neither case entered the automatic lane.
Our researchers apply that screen before release, so expunged matters stay out of your file.
How to Order a North Carolina Statewide Criminal Background Check
Open your account
Complete the online application, then pass our standard credentialing review.
Every account includes optional Multiple Authentication Factor (MAF) protection at sign-in.
Collect a compliant authorization
Give the applicant a stand-alone FCRA disclosure, then obtain written authorization.
North Carolina adds no separate consent form for a court-level search.
Submit the search
Enter the full legal name, date of birth and Social Security number.
Enter hyphenated and multi-surname applicants exactly as their identity documents read.
Review verified results
Clear searches return quickly, while confirmed records arrive after researcher verification.
Afterward, you can launch pre-adverse and adverse action letters from the same file.
North Carolina Law Employers Must Follow
North Carolina regulates how employers use criminal records less heavily than some states.
Even so, several rules shape what you may report and act on.
Our North Carolina employment screening laws guide covers the full picture.
Expunged records are off limits
G.S. 15A-153 protects people whose records the court has expunged.
An expunged charge may not drive a hiring decision.
We screen reportability before anything reaches your account.
Expunction keeps expanding
The Second Chance Act, S.L. 2020-35, widened relief substantially.
Session Law 2025-71 then cut the wait for one nonviolent misdemeanor from five years to three, effective July 9, 2025.
Multiple misdemeanors run seven years, and one nonviolent felony runs ten.
No state lookback cap on convictions
North Carolina sets no statutory limit on how far back a conviction may be reported.
The federal FCRA caps most non-conviction items at seven years.
That federal cap lifts when the role pays $75,000 or more.
Judge the record, not the label
A prayer for judgment and a deferred dismissal read very differently to a hiring manager.
Tie every decision to the duties of the specific job, then write that reasoning down.
Consistency across candidates is your strongest defence.
This page explains general requirements. It is not legal advice, so consult counsel on your own hiring policy.
North Carolina Statewide Criminal Background Check FAQs
What is a North Carolina statewide criminal background check?
It is a real-time search of North Carolina court criminal records, ordered as one request.
Our researchers query court records across all 100 counties, then verify identity on every possible match.
You receive docket numbers, charges, statutes, dispositions and sentence detail.
Because the search runs at court level, it reflects what the clerk’s file actually shows.
How much does a North Carolina statewide criminal background check cost?
BCS Background Screening LLC charges $20 per name plus a $5 court access fee, billed at cost.
Your total is $25 per name, with no setup fee and no monthly minimum.
By comparison, the Clerk of Superior Court charges $25 to search a single county.
An SSN trace also comes at no extra cost inside our search packages.
Can I just order the search from the courthouse instead?
You can, using Form AOC-CR-314, but it covers one county only.
The form says so in capital letters: “THIS IS NOT A STATEWIDE RECORD SEARCH.”
Covering North Carolina that way would mean 100 separate paper requests.
The clerk’s result is also not an FCRA consumer report, so it carries no dispute rights.
How fast will I get results?
This is a real-time search, so clear results typically return quickly.
When a possible record appears, a researcher verifies it before we release anything.
That step protects you from reporting another person’s record.
Mailing a paper form to a clerk, by contrast, takes as long as the post office does.
What does “Prayer for Judgment” mean on a North Carolina record?
The court found guilt, then continued the matter without entering judgment.
North Carolina appellate courts count it as a conviction for sentencing prior record level.
State v. Hatcher, 136 N.C. App. 524 (2000), is the case usually cited.
Assess the underlying conduct against the job, rather than relying on the label alone.
Will expunged North Carolina records show up?
They should not, and we screen reportability before release.
Since December 2021, cases where every charge is dismissed expunge automatically under G.S. 15A-146.
That relief runs roughly 180 to 210 days after final disposition.
G.S. 15A-153 then protects the person, so an expunged matter may not drive your decision.
How far back does a North Carolina criminal search go?
Our standard scope runs seven years by file date.
North Carolina sets no state lookback cap on reporting convictions.
The federal seven-year rule in 15 U.S.C. § 1681c applies to non-convictions, and it lifts above a $75,000 salary.
Ask us if your role needs a longer lookback, since we can extend it where law permits.
Do I still need a county criminal court search?
Often yes, and we recommend it for higher-risk roles.
A statewide search gives you breadth across North Carolina quickly.
A county criminal court search then adds depth where the applicant actually lived.
Pairing both searches gives the strongest defensible file.
Start Your North Carolina Statewide Criminal Background Check
Open an account today, then order your first North Carolina search for $25 per name.
Our team is based in Coral Gables, Florida, and we answer the phone.
(800) 661-0278 · support@usabackground.com · Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 6:00 ET
BCS Background Screening LLC is a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Reports are furnished only for permissible purposes, and only after the consumer signs a compliant disclosure and authorization. Record availability, court fees and turnaround vary by jurisdiction, and this page is informational rather than legal advice. Statutes and court procedures change, so verify current requirements with the administering agency before relying on any summary here.