Wake County Criminal Records

Choose the record that answers your question

For Wake County, North Carolina, a case lookup, a certified name search and a copy of a filed judgment are separate requests. Portal can help locate a case, while the Judicial Branch directs people conducting background checks to the county clerk’s office. A certified Wake search checks Wake court records only; certification does not make it a statewide clearance.

If an employer or other recipient has asked for a document, identify exactly what it expects before paying: a county criminal-record search, a specific disposition, or an agency background check. A docket listing may locate the prosecution but still omit the signed order or authentication needed for that purpose.

Locate the case online or at a public terminal

Use the Portal link on the Judicial Branch background-check page for online case information. The published search options include name, case number and attorney. Public self-service terminals at a clerk’s office can search criminal cases by defendant, case number, victim or witness. Record the case number, court, charge and dates before asking staff for a document.

Compare identifiers carefully if a name returns multiple cases. Read the disposition for the specific charge, not just the fact that a case was opened. If a result is absent or stops before an expected order, ask the Wake clerk to check the underlying file. A public search result does not, by itself, establish that no criminal record exists.

Submit the certified county-search form and $25

Download and print Form AOC-CR-314 and submit it to the Wake Clerk of Superior Court with $25, either in person or by mail. Complete the name and other requested fields accurately. The statewide instructions permit this certified single-county search for yourself or another person; make sure the county requested is the county whose records you actually need.

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  For mail, use a money order or certified check; personal checks are not accepted.
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  For an in-person request, the statewide instructions list credit card, cash, money order or certified check.
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  Before mailing, confirm the correct Wake record-check destination and return arrangements at 919-792-4325. Keep a copy of the completed request and payment details for follow-up.

Ask for the actual filing when the outcome matters

The filing county’s clerk holds the court file and can supply copies for a fee. Give the case number, defendant name, document title or entry date, and say whether certification is required. Ask for the charge’s disposition or judgment when that is the question; a complaint, arrest reference or scheduling notice does not supply the same answer. The $25 certified-search price is not a quote for every document-copy order.

If the question concerns a police report, request it from the investigating or involved law-enforcement agency. A transcript is arranged with the court reporter; where the clerk made an audio recording, the court-records guidance provides a separate audio-request procedure. Not all criminal district-court proceedings are recorded, so confirm availability before ordering transcription.

Use Wake’s criminal and record-check contact lines

Call 919-792-4300 for felony, misdemeanor or traffic-case inquiries. For record checks, expungements and disposed-case matters, the directory lists 919-792-4325. Specify which of those services you need so a request about a closed file is not confused with an upcoming hearing.

Criminal matters are handled at the Wake County Justice Center, 300 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. Published building hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; the main number is 919-792-4000. Confirm the relevant counter or mailing destination before traveling or sending a request, rather than assuming the nearby civil courthouse handles the same work.

Expand the scope only when the recipient needs it

A free, non-certified search at courthouse public-access computers can cover any county or statewide; printing charges can apply. For your own North Carolina criminal history, the Judicial Branch also links the SBI fingerprint-based Right to Review process, which has its own form and fee. Neither option turns a Wake-only certified search into a different product.

When information needs correction, identify the exact case and disputed entry for the clerk. Use the record-check/expungement contact for the appropriate next procedure rather than treating a new search as a correction request. If you later provide a result to someone else, describe the county, record type and unresolved identity or disposition questions accurately.