Search New Hanover County Court Records
The main online path for New Hanover County court records is the North Carolina eCourts Portal. The Portal supports Smart Search for public case information, Search Hearings for court dates, Make Payments for eligible costs and citations, and NC Judgment Search. New Hanover County joined eCourts on February 3, 2025, so older directions may not match current public access. The Portal requires JavaScript and cookies, and public users may meet a CAPTCHA challenge during repeated searches.
Start broad, then narrow. A name search can use Last, First Middle Suffix format, while a case number or record number search works best when the number is complete. Advanced filters help limit New Hanover County court records by location, case type, case status, filing date, party details, or business name. Full paper files, certified copies, and older material may still require the Clerk of Superior Court at the courthouse.
The NC Judicial Branch New Hanover County page is the local hub for courthouse information, court calendars, payment links, forms, jury service, local rules, and Portal access.
The county landing page is useful when a New Hanover County court records search needs both case lookup and local courthouse context.
- Open the eCourts Portal and choose Smart Search for case records or Search Hearings for court dates.
- Search by party name, business name, case number, record number, or citation number when available.
- Use the location filter for New Hanover County and add filing-date or case-type filters if the result set is too broad.
- Review the case status, hearings, court location, events, parties, and public documents shown in the result.
- Contact the Clerk of Superior Court for certified copies, paper files, public terminal access, or records not shown online.
New Hanover County Court Search Fields
Smart Search is the core public case lookup tool for New Hanover County court records. The research inventory found name, record number, location, search-type, birth-date, and case filters. Name wildcards have specific rules: the last name generally needs at least three characters plus an asterisk, and the first name needs at least one character plus an asterisk. Business names can also use an asterisk when a comma appears in the name.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record Number or Name | Text | Yes if used | Case number, record number, or Last, First Middle Suffix format. |
| Last Name / First Name | Text | Conditional | Wildcard searches use minimum character rules plus an asterisk. |
| Filter by Location | Dropdown | No | Use New Hanover County or All Locations. |
| Filter by Search Type | Dropdown | No | Party Name, Nickname, Business Name, or Sounds Like. |
| Case Type / Case Status | Dropdown | No | Advanced filters for the court record type and status. |
| File Date Start / End | Date | No | Useful when the party name is common. |
New Hanover County Court System
New Hanover County is part of North Carolina's unified court system, not a separate county court system. The appellate courts are the Supreme Court of North Carolina and the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Trial work in New Hanover County is split between Superior Court, District Court, and magistrates. Superior Court is the primary trial court for felony criminal cases, higher-value civil cases, and appeals from District Court misdemeanors or infractions. District Court handles misdemeanors, infractions, domestic cases, juvenile matters, small claims appeals, and lower civil claims.
The official North Carolina court structure summary explains the statewide hierarchy, while the state trial-court pages explain the role of each division.
The state hierarchy matters because a New Hanover County court record may begin in one division and move to another after appeal or indictment.
The North Carolina Superior Court page describes the trial division that handles felony criminal cases, larger civil cases, and appeals from District Court in New Hanover County.
Superior Court context helps separate New Hanover County felony and higher civil records from lower District Court matters.
The North Carolina District Court page explains the division that handles misdemeanors, infractions, traffic, domestic, juvenile, and lower civil matters in New Hanover County.
District Court context is useful for New Hanover County court records involving traffic citations, family cases, misdemeanors, and small claims appeals.
Case flow: Magistrate or District Court start › District Court hearing › Superior Court felony or appeal › North Carolina Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of North Carolina.
| Court or Office | Local Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | Felonies, civil cases over $25,000, District Court appeals, superior calendars. | 316 Princess St, Wilmington; 910-772-6616 |
| District Court | Misdemeanors, infractions, traffic, family, juvenile, lower civil, small claims appeals. | 316 Princess St, Wilmington; 910-772-6612 |
| Clerk of Superior Court | Case files, filings, estates, special proceedings, public terminals, copies. | 316 Princess St, Wilmington; 910-772-6600 |
| Magistrates | Small claims, criminal process, bonds, initial appearances, summary ejectment. | Civil 910-772-6600; criminal 910-772-6619 |
New Hanover County Courthouse Records
The current state courthouse for New Hanover County court records is the New Hanover County Courthouse at 316 Princess St, Wilmington, NC 28401. The official courthouse page lists the mailing address as New Hanover County Courthouse, PO Box 2023, Wilmington, NC 28402, and gives the main phone number as 910-772-6600. Public hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Handicap parking and the accessible entrance are at the rear of the building.
The official New Hanover County Courthouse page provides address, phone, hours, parking, and accessibility details.
The courthouse page is the better source for current visit details than older third-party courthouse listings.
New Hanover County Courthouse
316 Princess St
Wilmington, NC 28401
910-772-6600
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Mailing Address
New Hanover County Courthouse
PO Box 2023
Wilmington, NC 28402
Use certified check or money order for eligible mailed payments.
New Hanover County Court Clerk Records
The Clerk of Superior Court is the county court-record custodian. The county information-request page names Hon. January G. Kennedy as the Clerk of Court contact for divorce records, traffic records, criminal records, civil disputes, and related court records. The Clerk of Superior Court also handles estates and many special proceedings. That differs from the Register of Deeds, which handles marriage licenses, recorded marriage certificates, land records, DD-214s, and other recorded instruments.
The official court contact directory lists the clerk, judges, magistrates, district attorney, family court, custody mediation, and division contacts for New Hanover County court records.
The contact directory helps route New Hanover County court records questions to civil, criminal, juvenile, traffic, bookkeeping, child support, or special proceedings contacts.
Types of New Hanover County Court Records
New Hanover County court records include civil cases, criminal cases, court charges after arrest, family and divorce cases, probate and estates, traffic and infraction cases, judgments, protective orders, and docket events. Superior Court generally produces felony and higher civil records. District Court produces misdemeanor, infraction, traffic, domestic, juvenile, small claims appeal, and lower civil records. Magistrates create small claims, eviction, criminal process, bond, and initial appearance records within District Court.
- Civil records: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, dismissals, and settlements.
- Criminal records: charges, warrants, bond orders, pleas, judgments, dispositions, sentences, probation, restitution, and appeal entries.
- Family records: divorce, custody, child support, equitable distribution, and protective order matters.
- Probate records: estate files, wills, inventories, letters, accountings, guardianships, and special proceedings.
- Traffic records: citations, waiver status, court dates, pleas, disposition, fines, costs, and failure-to-appear events.
New Hanover County Court Dockets
Hearing dates and dockets are searched through Portal Search Hearings and official calendar links. Search Hearings allows location, hearing type, and search type filters, including case number, party name, business name, attorney name, attorney bar number, judicial officer, and courtroom. New Hanover County hearing labels include courthouse courtrooms 100, 200, 300, 301, 302, 317, 400, 401, 402, 403, 422, and 514, plus OJJ Courthouse courtrooms A and B, custody mediation virtual meeting, and Clerk of Court Courtroom 219.
The local administrative schedules page publishes criminal, DWI, civil, family, public defender, and unrepresented defendant schedule categories. The New Hanover County local administrative schedules page should be checked when a Portal hearing search does not explain why a setting appears on a particular calendar.
Administrative schedules add local detail to New Hanover County court dockets, especially criminal, DWI, family, and public defender settings.
New Hanover County Court Payments
Eligible payments can be made online through Portal Make Payments, in person at the correct courthouse office, or by mail when the payment qualifies. The county payment page says mailed payments must be by money order or certified check only, payable to New Hanover County Clerk of Superior Court, and should include the citation number. Cash and personal checks are not accepted by mail. Online payments can include eligible criminal, infraction, probation, parole, costs, fees, restitution, and attorney-fee obligations.
The New Hanover County payment information page explains online, in-person, and mail channels for court costs and traffic citations.
Payment lookup is part of the court records ecosystem, but payment eligibility does not mean the full court file is online.
| Item | Research Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Court costs | Vary by case type; current 2026 PDFs are published by the Judicial Branch. |
| Estate opening filing fee | $120. |
| Guardianship filing example | $120 plus $30 sheriff service. |
| Marriage license | $60 through the Register of Deeds. |
| Certified birth, death, or marriage copy | $10 through the Register of Deeds. |
New Hanover County Court Forms
Local rules and forms matter because New Hanover County court records are not only search results. The local forms inventory includes District Court calendar requests, motions for pretrial release, discovery disclosure requests, child support affidavits, employer wage certification, custody mediation exemption forms, contempt forms, bond modification forms, and custody or visitation modification forms. Statewide Judicial Branch forms can also be searched by keyword, General Statute, form number, or form title.
The New Hanover County local rules and forms page links local Superior Court, District Court, domestic, pretrial release, bond modification, custody, support, and related forms.
Forms often become part of the record after filing, so the local rules page helps explain why a docket entry was created.
New Hanover County Criminal Court Records
Criminal case files may include the charge, warrant or summons, indictment or information, appearance entries, bond orders, plea entries, motions, judgments, disposition, sentence terms, probation conditions, restitution, fines, costs, and appeal entries. Felonies are handled in Superior Court. Misdemeanors and infractions begin in District Court, with appeals to Superior Court for trial de novo. The District Attorney for Prosecutorial District 6 is Jason Smith, whose office prosecutes state criminal cases in New Hanover and Pender counties.
Jail and court records are related but not the same. The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office operates the Detention Facility in Castle Hayne, and P2C Inmate Inquiry shows current jail roster data such as name, primary charge, arrest date, and booking agency. The official sheriff app, New Hanover County Sheriff NC, provides public-safety information and interactive features, but court outcomes still come from the clerk and Portal. A person checking custody status may also need New Hanover County inmate records.
New Hanover County Marriage Divorce Probate
Marriage records and divorce records use different offices in New Hanover County. Marriage licenses and recorded marriage certificates go through Register of Deeds Morghan Getty Collins at 320 Chestnut Street. Divorce filings, divorce judgments, custody, support, and domestic case files are court records held by the Clerk of Superior Court. Probate is handled by the Clerk of Superior Court Estates Division, because North Carolina clerks act as probate judges for estate matters.
Estate files may include wills, applications, preliminary inventories, letters testamentary or letters of administration, inventories, accountings, creditor notices, orders, year's allowance documents, small-estate documents, guardianship filings, and special proceedings. Caveats to wills and certain contested matters may go to a Superior Court judge.
New Hanover County Court Access Limits
North Carolina public access is broad but not absolute. G.S. 132-1 defines public records broadly. G.S. 132-6 covers inspection and copying duties. G.S. 132-6.2 addresses copy media and fees. Court records also have limits based on sealed files, expunctions, juvenile confidentiality, personal identifiers, adoption records, mental-health matters, and law-enforcement investigative records.
Access terms: A sealed record is hidden from public view by law or court order. An expunction is a court process that clears eligible public criminal records. A redaction removes protected details from an otherwise public file.
The eCourts Portal landing page shows Smart Search, Search Hearings, Make Payments, and Judgment Search together.
Portal tools can expose public case data, but restricted New Hanover County court records remain unavailable to anonymous public users.
New Hanover County Court Programs
Specialty court and diversion programs can affect criminal case handling, compliance review, and final outcomes. New Hanover County Adult Enhancement Services works with adults involved in the criminal justice system before and after adjudication. Community Empowerment Court is the county's mental health court for justice-involved people whose mental illness contributes to criminal justice contact. Community Recovery Court focuses on substance or alcohol dependency. Veterans Treatment Court serves eligible veterans charged with nonviolent offenses. The Misdemeanor Diversion Program serves eligible first-time, nonviolent misdemeanor offenders ages 15-21.
New Hanover County also has deep courthouse history. The county formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, became a county in 1739, and has recorded documents dating to 1728 in the Register of Deeds office. The current state courthouse should not be confused with the Historic Courthouse at 24 North Third Street or the federal buildings near the Cape Fear River.
New Hanover County Court Records FAQ
Can New Hanover County court records be searched online? Yes. Public case records are searched through the eCourts Portal, while full paper files and certified copies may require the Clerk of Superior Court.
Are New Hanover County court dockets the same as case files? No. A docket is a list of events and hearings. A case file may include pleadings, orders, judgments, motions, and documents.
Who keeps New Hanover County criminal court records? The Clerk of Superior Court keeps court case files. Sheriff P2C may show jail booking charge data, but it is not the full criminal case record.
Where are New Hanover County divorce records? Divorce judgments and case files are court records at the Clerk of Superior Court. Marriage licenses and recorded marriage certificates are Register of Deeds records.
Why can a record be missing from Portal? The file may be restricted, sealed, expunged, too old for online display, not yet updated, or available only through a clerk terminal or paper file.