A great many people think of North Carolina as just another countrified southern state. However, with close to nine million people living in the state, and with metropolitan areas on the rise, North Carolina is a diverse tapestry of suburban, rural and urban regions that requires an adequate court system that is just as flexible.

North Carolina court records are an excellent way to verify pertinent details about an individual, or to take a look into their background. The truth is that you can learn quite a lot from someone's court records. You can find out if they have a criminal past, whether they have ever been married, or if they have changed their name. Fortunately, it does not take an investigative team of experts to locate North Carolina court records successfully.

Why You Need North Carolina Court Records

Each state has to develop its own method to determine what can legally be considered public court records. The state of North Carolina uses the North Carolina Records Act, which states that any data that is collected by the government that is deemed valuable to the public should be made available to the public. This is of course with the exception of any information that is considered a breach of privacy or safety risk.

For example, medical records and social security numbers are excluded from the North Carolina court records that are open to the public. However, land ownership rights and addresses will be made available due to the fact that they are considered useful to the public.

The best thing about North Carolina court records are the usage rights, giving members of the public the right to use the collected information at their leisure. In fact, according to the North Carolina Public Records Law, members of the public can use the available records in any way they desire.

In the state of North Carolina, no restrictions exist on the way you can use the information that is retrieved from North Carolina court records. Simply put, if the state government makes the information available for public evaluation, the government cannot legally challenge the ability to request information since the information has already been released to the public.

Having such freedom in accessing North Carolina court records makes the entire process that much easier. Hence, the process of retrieving the information that you need is more streamlined and the government does not have to power to question the use of such information by the members of the public.

If you are interested in obtaining access to North Carolina court records, your best bet is to go through the administrative office of the court and contact the clerk for the courthouse where the case was originally heard. You can visit the official website for the administrative office of the court in North Carolina to find a telephone directory for all counties in the state.

The administrative office of the courts is responsible for maintaining court records that are filed through the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, as well as through the district courts and superior courts.

• North Carolina General Assembly

• North Carolina State Court Districts