To get a criminal background check in North Carolina, you have two official routes: a county-level search at the Clerk of Superior Court for $25 per county, or a statewide fingerprint-based check through the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for $14. Which one fits depends on whether you need records tied to a specific courthouse or a complete picture across the state.
County Search at the Clerk of Superior Court
Go to the Clerk of Superior Court’s office at the county courthouse and ask for Form AOC-CR-314. The form asks for the subject’s full legal name and date of birth.1North Carolina Judicial Branch. AOC-CR-314 Criminal Record Search Form The fee is $25, paid by check or money order made out to the Clerk of Superior Court. Some offices also accept cash or credit cards in person; personal checks are generally not accepted.
The catch is coverage. A county search returns records from that county only. Someone who lived in Wake County for five years and then moved to Mecklenburg would need a separate $25 search in each. For anyone with a complicated residential history in North Carolina, the county route gets expensive quickly and still might miss records filed elsewhere.
Statewide Fingerprint Check Through the NCSBI
A statewide check through the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation covers every county at once. The NCSBI calls it a Right to Review Application, and the fee is $14. It’s fingerprint-based, which is more reliable than a name search because fingerprints rule out false matches on common names.2North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. FAQ – Background Checks on Myself
You’ll need to have your fingerprints taken on a standard fingerprint card. Most local law enforcement agencies will do this for a separate fee. Mail the completed application and fingerprint card to the NCSBI. Processing takes up to 20 business days from the date they receive your packet, and results come back by regular mail. There’s no online submission and no electronic delivery for personal Right to Review requests.2North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. FAQ – Background Checks on Myself
If a criminal record matches your fingerprints, the NCSBI attaches a copy of that record to a response letter on official SBI letterhead. If nothing matches, you get a letter confirming that.
Free Online Court Records Lookup
The North Carolina Judicial Branch runs an online portal for court records, hearing dates, and case information.3North Carolina Judicial Branch. Services It’s useful for a free, quick check on whether someone has cases in the system, but the results are not certified documents and may not reflect the most recent updates. For anything an employer, licensing board, or landlord will rely on, use the Clerk of Superior Court or the NCSBI.
What a North Carolina Background Check Shows
A standard criminal check in North Carolina includes felony and misdemeanor convictions along with pending charges. Arrest records are public under state law, so the arrested person’s name, age, address, and alleged offense are part of the public record.4North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code GS 132-1.4 – Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Information
Dismissals and acquittals depend on timing. For cases resolved on or after December 1, 2021, North Carolina automatically expunges charges that end in dismissal or a not-guilty finding, typically within 180 to 210 days after the case closes.5North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code GS 15A-146 – Expunction of Records Older dismissed cases may still appear unless someone has petitioned to have them expunged.
North Carolina sets no state cap on how far back convictions can be reported. A conviction from 20 years ago can still show up. Third-party screening companies, however, are limited by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act: they cannot report non-conviction records (such as arrests that did not result in a conviction) older than seven years. Convictions have no federal time limit.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports
Sex offender information sits on its own public database. The NCSBI runs a searchable registry, free to use, with lookups by name, address, or geographic area.7North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. NC Sex Offender Registry
Running a Check on Someone Else
The routes above work whether you’re checking your own record or someone else’s, but running a check on another person for employment or tenant screening triggers federal rules. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, before ordering a background report through a third-party screening company you have to give the person a standalone written disclosure that you intend to get a background check, and you have to obtain their written consent.8Federal Trade Commission. Background Checks on Prospective Employees – Keep Required Disclosures Simple The disclosure must be clear and simple. It cannot be buried inside an application form or bundled with liability waivers, accuracy certifications, or other legal language.
The NCSBI’s Right to Review process is designed for people reviewing their own record. For third-party employment and tenant screening at scale, most employers and landlords use FCRA-regulated consumer reporting agencies rather than mailing fingerprint cards.
Fixing Errors on Your Report
Mistakes on background checks are common. Names get mixed up, dismissed charges linger past the point they should have been expunged, and occasionally someone else’s record ends up attached to yours. Where you go to fix it depends on where the error appeared.
For a report from a third-party screening company, the FCRA gives you the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information directly with that company. Once you file the dispute, the company generally has 30 days to investigate and to correct or remove information it cannot verify.9Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
For errors on the underlying court record or on an NCSBI report, contact the source. If a conviction appears under your name that belongs to someone else, the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the case was filed can research the discrepancy. If the NCSBI report is wrong, the response letter includes contact information for follow-up. Fixing the record at the source is the only way to keep the error from reappearing on the next check.