Catawba County Court Records

Catawba County court records are documents and other materials filed by litigants or generated by local courts concerning court cases. These records provide a vivid picture of a court case litigation, from its inception to eventual disposition.

The significance of court records lies in the wealth of information they contain. These records can be reviewed during legal research to learn pertinent information about a case, including opposing sides' arguments. Court records also ensure the transparency and accountability of the county judicial system. Catawba County court records typically consist of court dockets, case transcripts, complaints or petitions, motions, court orders, and judgments.

Are Court Records Public in Catawba County?

Yes. Per North Carolina's Public Record Law, detailed in N.C. General Statutes Chapter 132, most government and court records are public. Hence, most court records are considered part of Catawba County Public Records, and anyone can access them by querying their custodians, such as the county Clerk of Court office.

However, there are several exemptions to North Carolina's Public Record Law. These exemptions limit or restrict public access to specific types of court records or particular information contained in court records. In such cases, exempt information or records are only accessible to certain eligible persons, such as parties to the court case. Some examples of exempt Catawba County court records include and are not limited to:

• Juvenile records
• Sealed or expunged court records
• Adoption records
• Sensitive personal information, such as an individual's social security number (SSN)
• Court records of search or arrest warrants that haven't been executed and returned to the issuing court.

Catawba County Court Records Search

There are several places and resources through which individuals can conduct a Catawba County Court record search, and they include:

• Catawba County Clerk of Court office
• Third-party aggregate websites
• The courthouse where a case was heard.

Catawba County Court Records Search by Name

Interested persons can conduct a Catawba County Court Records Search by name through the County Clerk of Court office. The County Clerk of Court office is responsible for the clerical duties and record-keeping functions of local courts in Catawba County, including the county Superior Court and District Court. There are self-service terminals provided at the County Clerk of Court office that records seekers can use to conduct a name-based search for public court records electronically. Researchers may also submit a request for public court records to the clerk's staff, supplying the name of a case party as a search criterion.

Catawba County Courts

Two courts comprise Catawba County's trial court system: the Superior Court and the District Court. The courthouses of both courts are situated within the Catawba County Justice Center, which is located at:

Catawba County Justice Center
100 Government Drive
Department A
Newton, NC 28658
Phone: (828) 695-6100

Catawba County Superior Court Case Search

Catawba County Superior Court handles all felony criminal cases and civil cases involving more than $25,000. It also hears appeals for misdemeanors and infractions from the district court.

The Catawba County Clerk of Court is the record custodian of the Superior Court. Hence, interested persons can query the County Clerk of Court to access Superior Court case records. Records seekers can conduct an electronic search for Superior Court case records by name, case number, victim, or witness name by using the public terminals provided at the County Clerk of Court office. Record seekers can also request a fee for physical copies of Superior Court case records. The County Clerk of Court office is in the Catawba County Justice Center.

Catawba County District Court Records

Catawba County District Court has jurisdiction over most civil cases, including divorce, child custody, child support, and civil cases involving less than $25,000. The District Court also handles misdemeanors and infractions criminal cases heard by a judge.

The Catawba County Clerk of Court is the custodian of District Court records. Thus, anyone who wishes to view District Court records can visit the County Clerk of Court office and utilize the public terminals available to conduct an electronic search for the desired case records. Alternatively, Clerk of Court office staff can furnish interested persons with physical copies of District Court case records for a fee.

Catawba County Criminal Records

Catawba County criminal records are official reports and documents that detail an individual criminal history in the county. Local law enforcement agencies and courts are responsible for generating and maintaining Catawba criminal records.

Local law enforcement agencies are the repository for specific types of criminal records, most notably Catawba County arrest records and criminal investigation reports. Most criminal records are subject to the provisions of North Carolina's Public Record Law. As a result, these records are accessible to the general public upon request.

Interested persons can request county-wide criminal records through the Catawba County Sheriff's Office Record Division. The request must contain sufficient information about the desired criminal record to aid the Record Division in swiftly identifying the record. For instance, a request for Catawba arrest records should include the arrestee's name and the place and date of the arrest (if known). The County Sheriff's Office Record Division accepts record requests remotely, primarily by email at Records@CatawbaCountyNC.gov. Alternatively, record seekers can make record requests in person at the County Sheriff's office at:

100 Government Drive., Building E
Newton, NC 28658
Phone: (828) 464-5241

Meanwhile, criminal details about county inmates are accessible online through Catawba County's Who's in jail portal. For statewide criminal records, requesters can conduct fingerprint-based criminal history background checks through the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation for a $14 processing fee.

Catawba County Criminal Court Case Lookup

Regardless of the type of court (i.e., Catawba County Superior Court and District Court) that handled a criminal case, the County Clerk of Court is where interested persons can access criminal court records. Catawba County Clerk of Court is the record custodian of both the county Superior Court and District Court. As previously stated, the Superior Court hears all felony criminal cases, and the District Court handles infractions and misdemeanors criminal cases.

Record seekers can search Catawba County criminal case records electronically through public terminals at the County Clerk of Court office. Interested persons can also request copies of criminal court records from the Clerk of Court office for a fee. It is worth noting that Catawba County criminal court calendars are viewable online.

Get Catawba County Civil Court Records

Catawba County civil court records are obtainable through the County Clerk of Court office. The County Clerk of Court office is the official custodian of the County Superior Court and District Court records, and both courts have jurisdiction over different types of civil cases. The Superior Court handles civil cases involving more than $25,000. Meanwhile, the District Court hears civil cases involving less than $25,000 and most family law cases, including divorce, child custody, and child support cases.

To get Catawba County civil court records, interested persons can visit the County Clerk of Court and use public terminals provided at the office to look up civil court records electronically. Interested persons can direct further inquiries about Catawba County civil court records to the County Clerk of Court Civil Department at (828) 695-6103. Record seekers can also request physical copies of civil court records from the Clerk of Court office for a fee. It is worth mentioning that Catawba County civil court calendars are available online through the North Carolina State Judiciary website.

Catawba County Family Court Records

Catawba County District Court is responsible for handling most family law cases that arise in the county. Family law cases include and are not limited to child support, child custody, divorce, and juvenile abuse, neglect, or dependency cases. Note that some family law cases, including divorce and cases involving juveniles, are exempt from North Carolina's Public Record Law. As a result, these court records of such cases are inaccessible to the general public. Only select persons, such as direct parties to a case and their legal representatives, are allowed access to these records.

Catawba County family court records are accessible through the County Clerk of Court office. Given that Catawba County's Clerk of Court office is the custodian of the County District Court. Record seekers can electronically search for family court records by visiting the Clerk of Court office and using available public terminals to search for family court records electronically. Visitors can also request physical copies of family court records from the Clerk of Court office for a fee. Interested persons can contact the County Clerk of Court Family Court at (828) 695-6115 for more information about family court records.

Catawba Dissolution of Marriage Records

Catawba Dissolution of Marriage Records are official documents that provide information about a divorce granted within the county. These records are considered part of Catawba County family court records and are accessible through the County Clerk of Court office, like all other family court records. For instance, record seekers can view Dissolution of Marriage Records electronically through the public terminals at Catawba County's Clerk of Court office. As earlier mentioned, the Clerk of Court office staff can also furnish interested parties with physical copies of Dissolution of Marriage Records for a fee.

Catawba County Marriage and Divorce Records

In Catawba County, the Register of Deeds maintains marriage records, while the County Clerk of Court office maintains divorce records.

Catawba County marriage records are considered confidential. As a result, only certain eligible persons can access certified copies of these records. Meanwhile, uncertified copies, also known as informative copies, of Catawba County marriage records are available to the general public. Persons who qualify to access certified marriage records include spouses named on the record and their:

• Parents or step-parents
• Brother or sister
• Child or step-child
• grandparent/grandchild
• Individuals who require the record for legal determination of personal/real property rights
• An authorized agent, attorney, or legal representative.

Depending on the type of marriage records (i.e., certified and uncertified), there are certain items and information record seekers must provide to request a marriage record. These include:

• The name of the bride or groom as well as maiden name(s) (if applicable)
• The date of the marriage
• The place where the marriage license was issued
• Requestor's relationship to the person(s) named on the certificate (required for certified copies)
• The requestor's Photo ID (required for certified copies). These include and are not limited to
  • A driver's license with a photograph
  • State-issued Identification Card (ID Card)
  • Passport Military Identification Card with photograph
• Requestor's name and signature

Catawba County Register of Deeds accepts in-person and mailed requests for certified or uncertified Catawba County Marriage certificates. Note that a certified copy of a marriage certificate costs $10, while uncertified copies cost $1. Furthermore, the Register of Deed's office provides a dedicated request form requesters can complete and submit to request marriage records. The form must be appropriately completed and submitted along with all required items (i.e., necessary fees and the requester's photo ID) by mail or in-person to the Register of Deed's office at:

Catawba County Register of Deeds
100 Government Drive
Department C
Newton, NC 28658
Phone: (828) 465-1573

Record seekers can also order marriage records online through certain third-party websites. The Register of Deed's General information page highlights some examples of these third-party websites.

On the other hand, interested persons can access Catawba County divorce records electronically through public terminals provided at the Catawba County Clerk of Court office. Alternatively, interested persons can request physical copies of divorce records from the Clerk of Court office for a fee.

Catawba County Birth and Death Records

The Catawba County Register of Deeds office is the custodian of most Catawba County vital records, including birth and death. Both records are considered confidential; as a result, only certain eligible persons can access certified copies of these records. Meanwhile, the general public has access to uncertified copies. Eligible persons who can request certified copies of Catawba County birth records and death records include and are not limited to:

• The registrant (for birth certificate)
• Funeral Services Director/licensee (for death certificate)
• The registrant's direct relatives, including their:
  • Spouse
  • Parents/step-parents
  • brother/sister
  • child/stepchild
  • Grandparent/grandchild
• Individuals who require the record to determine personal or real property rights legally.
• An authorized agent, attorney, or legal representative

Generally, requesters must provide certain items and information when requesting certified and uncertified copies of birth records and death records from the Catawba County Register of Deeds office. These required information and items differ depending on the type of record (i.e., certified or uncertified and birth or death records) one wishes to request, and they include:

• The name on the certificate
• The full name or maiden name of parents named on the record (for birth certificate)
• The date of birth (birth and death records)
• The date of death
• Place of birth
• Place of death
• The requester's relationship to the person named on the certificate (for certified copies of death or birth records)
• The requester's photo ID (for certified copies of death or birth records)
• The requester's name and signature

Catawba County Register of Deeds office accepts requests for a Catawba County birth certificate or death certificate submitted in person or by mail. Requesters are charged $10 for certified and $1 for uncertified copies of a death or birth certificate. The County Register of Deeds office also provides dedicated forms record seekers can use to request birth or death records. Record seekers can use this request form to request a single certificate (applicable to birth and death certificates). Record seekers can also request multiple certificates "up to three" at a time using this request form (for birth certificates) and this request form (for death certificates). Requesters can complete the appropriate request form and submit it along with all other required items either in person or by mail to the County Register of Deeds office.

Interested persons can also request Catawba County birth and death records online through certain third-party websites. Note that there are typically additional fees for using these websites in addition to the County Register of Deeds fees for copies of birth and death certificates. An example of a third-party website interested persons can use to request birth and death records online is provided on the Register of Deed's General information page under the "online" tab.

Catawba County Probate Court Records

In Catawba County, the Superior Court has original jurisdiction over probate cases. Hence, those interested in accessing Catawba County probate court documents can query the county Clerk of Court office, as the office maintains County Superior Court records. Record seekers can access probate court records by visiting the Clerk of Court office and searching electronically through public terminals. Interested persons can also request copies of probate court records from the clerk for certain fees.

Catawba County Property Records

Government offices and departments in Catawba County maintain various property records. For instance, the County Register of Deeds office maintains property deeds and plat maps, while the County Tax Office holds all appraisal and assessment records of properties. Property parcel reports are obtainable through the Catawba County GIS Departments. Therefore, depending on the type of property records an individual wishes to obtain, they can query relevant agencies to access these records. Fortunately, these agencies provide online resources that record seekers can use to access the property records they maintain. These include the County Register of Deeds Office online deed search portal, the Tax Office Search Tax Bills portal, and the GIS Real Estate reports page. Record seekers may also make in-person or by mail requests for property records by contacting relevant agencies at:

Catawba County Tax Office
25 Government Drive
Newton, NC 28658
P.O. Box 368 `
Phone: (828) 465-8414

Catawba County Tax Office
25 Government Drive
Newton, NC 28658
P.O. Box 389
Phone: (828) 465-9586

Catawba County Court Records Online

Third-party websites, like Northcarolinacourtrecords.us, offer services that allow interested parties to look up Catawba County court records online. Third-party websites are viable alternatives to using government-provided channels to access Catawba court records.

One notable advantage of using third-party websites to access court records compared to government channels is the sheer range of search results. Results from court record searches through third-party websites provide results for different counties in North Carolina, not just Catawba County. Hence, record seekers can conduct more court record searches through most third-party websites. Furthermore, the interface of third-party websites is relatively easy to use. Users generally only need a case number or an individual's name to conduct court record searches.

It is worth noting that most third-party websites charge users a fee or subscription to access court records through their websites.