Find Free Wake County Records: Marital, Arrests Court, Background Checks & More

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Free Wake County Public Records Search

Access Wake County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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An array of Wake County public records are available for viewing and this guides provides all the necessary resources to find them quickly and efficiently.

However, there are countless agencies to look through and even more types of records such as arrests, mugshots, criminal, probation, warrants, court documents, background check reports, vital records (marriage, divorce, birth and death) and property records available.

No matter what’s being searched for, this guide helps streamlines the process of finding public information in Wake County, North Carolina, by showing citizens what information is available and exactly where to find it.

Written or authored by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who possesses a Juris Doctorate in Law from Widener University School of Law and is a Licensed Attorney.

How To Look Up Wake County North Carolina Arrest Records, Mugshots & the Reason for Detainment

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the statewide North Carolina Public Records laws, Wake County arrest records and mugshots are available for public viewing.^{1, 2} 

Whether you’re checking if a friend or loved one was arrested, or checking daily arrests to gauge a neighborhood’s safety, having information such as the arresting agency, the subject’s name and approximate arrests can help determine where to look and expedite the search. 

The more information you have, the better your chances are for finding someone who’s in jail.

Whatever your reason and whatever information you do or do not have, if you are looking to obtain a free arrest history in Wake County, the best option is through the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification (CCBI).

Find Recent Arrests Through the Wake County Sheriff’s Office

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office provides an inmate or mugshot search tool that shows who was arrested recently.¹⁰

You can either view the entire list of inmates or you can filter the list by inputting any of the following information:

• Name
• Race
• Sex
• Age
• Primary Charge
• Arrest Date
• Booking Agency

When you select an individual from this list, in addition to the basic information provided above (Name, age, race, etc.), you can also get their:

• Release date
• Next court date
• Specific charge information (status, docket number, and bond amount)

You can request a crime report or incident report through the Wake County Sheriff’s Records Unit. Requests by email can be made to [email protected]. You can also make a request in writing to the below address.

Wake County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Records Division
330 South Salisbury Street
Suite – 2nd Floor Records S208
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

You can also make a request by fax at 919-743-7372. A crime report or incident report costs $2.00, which can be paid by either check or money order. While they may provide useful information, it does not always provide you with all of the details you are looking for.

These records do not always provide updated information, such as if a person was found not guilty or charges were dropped.

Search the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification (CCBI) Criminal Arrest Records Portal

The City-County Bureau of Identification or CCBI provides a free arrest history search tool for all arrest records in Wake County from April 27, 2007 to the present.³ The only arrest data excluded from this search tool are for minor infractions, citations, or traffic offenses.

On the homepage of the search tool, you can immediately see the most recent arrests along with the person’s mugshot. You can also select to view the last 48 hours of arrests⁴ or a bulk export of their recent arrest logs.⁵ With the recent arrest log tool, you can search all arrests that have occurred within up to a 6-month date range.

To perform a search, you can input (1) an individual’s name, (2) the arresting agency, and (3) the person’s sex. The search tool also allows you to specify both a date and time range for when the arrest occurred.

When you conduct your search, you will see your results with a summary of the arrest information along with their mugshot. This is an especially useful way to search if you are unsure about some of the individual’s information, but you know what they look like. Once you select the arrest record you would like to view, you will be able to see the following information:

• Age
• Sex
• Mugshot
• Residence Address
• Arrest Location
• Arresting Officer
• Charges (include the date of the charges, statute, and a brief description of the offense)

You can also request arrest records in person by scheduling an appointment in person or by mailing a request (including a $15 fee) to:

CCBI
Attention: Arrest Records
3301 Hammond Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

If you have additional questions about searching and receiving arrest records from CCBI, you can contact them by phone at 919-856-6300 or by email at [email protected].⁶

Find Jail Inmates & Arrest Details via Local City Law Enforcement Agencies in Wake County North Carolina

Wake County is the largest populated county in all of North Carolina. As a result, many of the cities have their own law enforcement agencies. Some of them provide an online search tool or specific instructions on how to request a police or arrest records, while others do not.

Many have online databases you can check, but at the very least, you can call or visit these law enforcement agencies in person to find out if someone is in jail and see what their process is for searching and releasing arrest records. Here is information for the police departments of the five most populated cities in Wake County:

Raleigh Police Department Arrest Reports: Raleigh is the largest city in Wake County. The Raleigh Police Department instructs you to contact them at 919-996-3325 for an incident (crime) report. However, this service indicates that it is for personal incident reports and that general criminal history reports are handled by the CCBI.

Because Raleigh is a larger police department, you may find it helpful to contact the particular district involved in the arrest if you need additional assistance. Since Raleigh is a larger city, they are divided into 6 district locations. Here is their contact information if you need to contact or visit a particular district.

District (Area)	Address	Phone Number
Northwest (Brier Creek, Crabtree Valley Mall, Umstead State Park, Lake Lynn)	8016 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh, North Carolina 27612	919-996-2300
North (North Hills, Lake Lynn, Duke Health Raleigh Hospital)	6716 Six Forks Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27615	919-996-3335
Northeast	5230 Greens Dairy Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27616	919-996-2457
Southeast	2800 Rock Quarry Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27610	919-996-4455
Downtown (State Capitol building, Raleigh Banking and Trust, Raleigh Convention Center)	218 West Cabarrus Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27601	919-006-3855
Southwest (Five Points, Cameron Village, Roanoke Park)	601 Hutton Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27606	919-996-6167

Apex Police Department Arrest Details: The Apex Police Department provides a public records repository for incident and arrest reports through its Police-to-Citizen (P2C) search tool.⁷ You can also use this tool to download and print these records.

The search tool has three separate options tabs where you can select to search one or all of the following options:

• Accidents
• Incidents
• Arrests

You can search for arrest records here by choosing a range of either when the arrest occurred or when it was reported. You can then input the individual’s name along with the address where the incident took place if you have that information.

Once you perform the search, Apex Police Department provides you with an option to download the entire arrest report. Here you can see the following information:

• Name of the person arrested
• DOB
• Age
• Race
• Sex
• General physical features
• Agency name
• Date and time of arrest
• Place of arrest
• Charge details
• Arresting officer

If you do not find what you are looking for online, another option is to go in person to:

Apex Police Department —Police Records Unit
205 Saunders Street
Apex, North Carolina 27502

The Records Unit is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. You can also contact the Records Unit at 919-249-3460.

Holly Springs Police Department Arrest Information: The Holly Springs Police Department does not have an online search tool. To obtain a copy of a police report, you can contact the Records Division at 919-552-7110. You can also go in person.

Holly Springs Police Department
750 Holly Springs Road
Holly Springs, North Carolina 27540

Garner Police Department Arrests: The Garner Police Department does not provide specific information on requesting arrest records. For more information, contact them at 919-772-8810 or in person at the address below.

Garner Police Department
912 7th Avenue 
Garner, North Carolina 27529

Fuquay-Varina Police Department Arrest Reports: Police reports are available by making a request in person or by mail at the address listed below.

Fuquay-Varina Police Department
401 Old Honeycutt Road
Fuquay-Varina North Carolina 27526

In person, you can make your request any day between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Note: Sometimes cities have local jails where you can search their jail roster for arrest records. However, there are no city jails in Wake County. As a result, these along with the other options above are the best options for searching arrest details through Wake County public records.

If an arrest report is needed for an incident that occurred in a neighboring county instead, our resource on how to get any public record in North Carolina for free will prove helpful; this includes instructions on tracking down court, property, criminal, marital, and other records and background checks, along with the agencies that host each type.

How To Check if Someone Is Married or Divorced in Wake County N.C.

It is a pretty straightforward process to search for Wake County marriage records. The Wake County Register of Deeds provides a public index to search for marriage records from 1932 to the present.⁸ You can check if someone is married by party name, or if you have the specific marriage record information, you can find out if someone is married by reviewing the Book and Page number.

You can also set a date range for your search. If this does not work, you can use their advanced search tool. Once you conduct a search, it will provide you with the below information:

• Names of both applicants
• Date of marriage
• Document number and issued date
• Book and Page number

The index does not provide you with the actual marriage record; however, it does provide you with plenty of information to finish your search. The Wake County Register of Deeds provides additional information on obtaining a certified copy of a certificate of marriage. Certified copies cost $10 and are limited to the following:

• Immediate family members
• An authorized agent/attorney of a party to the marriage record
• Someone with a legal interest in the information.

Anyone can get an uncertified copy of a marriage certificate. You can either request a record online or visit any of the below locations for in-person requests.

Location	Address	Phone Number
Wake County Register of Deeds	300 South Salisbury Street, Suite 1700 Raleigh, North Carolina 27601	919-856-5460
Eastern Regional Center	1002 Dogwood Drive Zebulon North Carolina 27597	919-404-3900
Northern Regional Center	350 East Holding Avenue Wake Forest, North Carolina 27587	919-562-6300
Southern Regional Center	130 North Judd Parkway NE Fuquay-Varina North Carolina 27526	919-557-2501
Health & Human Services Center at Departure Drive	5809 Departure Drive Raleigh North Carolina	919-431-4000

When it comes to divorce records, you will have to search the Wake County judicial records of the Clerk of Superior Court. The North Carolina judicial branch has an online search tool where public divorce records can be sought for limited counties, including Wake County.⁹ There are two primary search options, a smart search option and an option to search hearings.

The easiest way to narrow down your results is to use the “search hearings” option. From here, you can select Wake County and “Family” as the type of hearings you want to search. Then you can select how you want to search for a divorce record.

The primary search options are to search by case number or party name. However, if you have more unique information, such as the attorney’s name, you can search that way as well.

Once you perform a search, you will be provided with your results. To make sure you are selecting the appropriate record, look at the “Case Type” and make sure it indicates that it is a Civil Domestic Case with Divorce. Once you find the particular record you are looking for, you can view the following information:

• Case Number
• Parties Names
• Filed on date
• Subtype (this will indicate if there were any other actions tied to the divorce, such as child support)
• Case status
• Cause of Action
• Description/Remedy
• Case Assignment Information
• Case Events
• Hearings

While you can get this information online, they do not provide you access to the actual divorce certificate or any related documents.

To view these records, you will have to go in person to the Wake County Clerk of Superior Court.

Wake County Clerk of Superior Court
316 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

If you would like to reach out to them over the phone, you can call them at 919-792-4000.

How To View Public Criminal Records in Wake County

If you want to look up if someone has a criminal record, the primary custodian is usually a court or state agency. Sometimes people look up public criminal records just to find someone’s mugshot.

People also look up criminal records to find specific information about someone’s background. This is often done more formally with a professional background check (more on that later). Here are your best options for searching criminal records in Wake County.

Browse Criminal Records via Wake County Criminal Cases

To run a free public records search for criminal filings in Wake County, you can look through the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s eCourts Portal. Similar to Wake County divorce records and other court records, you can use either the “Smart Search” or the “Search Hearings” option.

Follow the below steps to conduct a search for criminal records.

1. On the search home page, select the “Search Hearings” option.
2. Choose Wake County under the Location drop-down menu.
3. For Hearing Types, select “Criminal.”
4. Then select if you want to search by case number, party name, or another option.
5. Select a date range for the criminal record.
6. Submit request.

Once you perform your search and select a criminal record, you can view the following information:

• Case number
• Filed date
• Case status
• Offenses (along with a citation number, statute, degree, and offense date)
• Agency
• Case Assignment information
• Defendant’s name
• Defendant’s address
• Defendant’s Race and Gender
• Witnesses for the State (including their address)
• Complainant information
• Case Events
• Dispositions
• Hearings

If you need to search records in person, you can go to the Wake County Justice Center, where all criminal matters are conducted.¹¹ The courthouse is located at:

Wake County Justice Center
300 S. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 

If you go in person, visit the clerk of court’s office and request to use their self-service terminal to access Wake County public records displaying criminal history by case number, defendant name, or victim/witness name.

If you have any questions, you can also call them at 919-792-4000 or by email at [email protected].

Retrieve North Carolina Criminal Records Through State & Federal Resources

There are additional options for finding criminal records if you want to search all public records in North Carolina.

Here are all of your options for searching criminal records in North Carolina:

1. North Carolina Judicial Branch – for many counties, you will have to go in person to the clerk of court’s office for the particular county where the criminal records are located. The following four counties allow you to search their criminal records online: (1) Harnett County, (2) Johnston County, (3) Lee County, and (4) Wake County.
2. North Carolina Department of Adult Correction – here, you can search the criminal records of current inmates as well as past inmates as far back as 1972.¹²
3.  Federal Inmate Search (Bureau of Prisons) – if you want to search for criminal records of people in federal prison, then you can use this tool.¹³
4. North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry – use this tool for searches of sex offenders in North Carolina.¹⁴
5. National Sex Offender Registry – here, you can search for convicted sex offenders in North Carolina or any state in the country.¹⁵

For additional information, see our North Carolina Records Page.

A Look at Background Checks in Wake County North Carolina

Background checks may be used for personal or professional reasons. Here are some helpful facts to help you understand the difference between the two.

Personal Background Checks:

• Can be conducted for virtually any reason (e.g., learn more about a colleague or neighbor).
• Can involve formal requests to state/local agencies or can be done by performing your own search of Wake County public records through the steps outlined in this article
• Does not require consent from the person you are conducting the background check on.
• No specific rules or regulations on conducting a personal background check.

Note: The one specific restriction when it comes to performing a personal background check is that you cannot use the information you find to commit an illegal act (e.g., stalking, harassing, etc.)

Professional Background Checks:

• Conducted for specific reasons (e.g., employment, tenant screening, security clearance, adoption, etc.)
• Varies in what’s checked – the most basic search may only review your criminal and employment records in a particular county (Level 1), while there are more detailed background checks that involve submitting fingerprints to the FBI for a nationwide search (Level 2)
• Written consent from the person you are conducting a background check on is required (see The Fair Credit Reporting Act for additional information)¹⁶
• Rules/Regulations prohibiting discrimination ( see the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for more information)¹⁷
• The person on who the background check is being performed can dispute the information contained in the report

While you can make general record requests for a variety of public records throughout Wake County, background checks are only provided through North Carolina state agencies.

1. North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) – The NC SBI is the primary custodian for criminal records in North Carolina.¹⁸ Here you can request a personal background check.¹⁹ The cost is $14 for an NC statewide background check and $18 for a national background check. You can also get information on professional background checks through the NC SBI as well.²⁰
2. North Carolina Judicial Branch – here, you can request a certified background check for either yourself or someone else.²¹ The certified searches are limited to only a single county, and you must submit a criminal records search form along with a $25 fee.²²

An Overview of Wake County Warrants (North Carolina)

Neither the Wake County Sheriff’s Office nor law enforcement departments in major cities have a search tool that shows if someone has a warrant. Try to request this information by contacting either the WCSO or the appropriate law enforcement agency.

For Wake County warrants, you can contact the WCSO at 919-856-6900. You can also visit their office in person at:

Wake County Sheriff’s Office
330 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

Addresses and phone numbers for the major police departments can be found earlier in this article.

How To Determine Someone’s Probation Status in Wake County

If you want to conduct a probation search in Wake County, you will have to either contact local law enforcement agencies or expand your search. While the Wake County Sheriff’s Office has an inmate inquiry tool, it only provides limited information and does not include specific probation information.

Fortunately, you can get this information through the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections. While you cannot narrow down your search to a specific county, their search tool allows you to search for people that are actively on probation specifically.

When you perform a search, in addition to seeing other detailed criminal information, you can find information about their probation. This includes their probation status along with the specific probation office that is supervising them.

Probation in North Carolina is handled by the Division of Community Supervision.²³ For additional information, you can visit their local office in Wake County at:

NC Department of Adult Corrections —Division of Community Supervision
2020 Yonkers Road, MSC 4250
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699

You can also call them at 919-716-3100.

How To Look Up All Court Records Types in Wake County North Carolina

To obtain all types of court records, you can perform a general Wake County Case Search. Here are your options for searching court records in Wake County:

1. eCourts Portal – Here, you can search the following types of court records: (1) civil, (2) criminal, (3) family, (4) probate, and (5) mental health.

2. Wake County Courthouse – Their phone number is 919-792-4000. The county courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. You can go in person to check for civil records at the Wake County Courthouse.

Wake County Courthouse
316 Fayetteville Street Mall 
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

3. Wake County Justice Center – The courthouse is open at the same times as the Wake County Courthouse. Here you can search for criminal records.

Wake County Justice Center
300 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

How To Search for Birth & Death Records in Wake County

You may have a need for specific vital records documents for a variety of reasons, such as:

• Lost your birth certificate
• Performing a genealogy search of your family
• You were appointed an executor
• Heir of a decedent’s property
• You have a legal interest related to the person

If you are looking for birth or death records/certificates in Wake County, you can start with their Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds provides an online directory to search for both birth and death records. The search tool provides certificates of birth and death dating all the way back to 1913.

Both tools have similar search features. You can search by the person’s name or the specific book and page where the record is located if you have that information. You can also set a range for your search.

The one unique aspect of the birth record search is that you can also search by the parent’s name.

Birth Records Contain:

• Child Name
• Parent Names
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Book and Page Number
• Document Number
• Recording Date

Death Records Include:

• Document Number
• Recording Date
• Book/Page Number
• Decedent’s Name
• Date of Death

Similar to marriage records, birth, and death certificates are public records, and you can go to any of the Register of Deeds addresses provided earlier in this article. You can also request a certified copy in person, by mail, or online for $10 per copy.²⁴

Again, like marriage records, you need to be an immediate family member, a legal representative, or have a legal basis for making a request for a certified copy.

Requests for either public death records or birth records are limited to records of people that were born or died in Wake County. The one exception is that you can request a birth certificate for yourself or an immediate family member from any county in North Carolina from 1971 to the present.

The cost for a certified copy of a birth record outside of Wake County is $24.

How To Browse Property Records & Tax Information in Wake County North Carolina

The Wake County Department of Tax Administration provides a Real Estate Property Search to search data regarding property records.²⁵ You can search for property records by either owner name (including businesses) or location address.

Once you perform a search, you can view the following information:

• Property owner
• Mailing address
• Property Location
• Assessed value
• Deed date (including book and page number)
• Land sale date and price
• Fire District
• Township
• Land class
• Zoning information
• Permit date and number

The Wake County Department of Tax Administration also has a search tool where you can search for property tax information.²⁶ For property taxes, you can search by:

• Owner Name
• Business name
• Account number

You can further filter your results by the following:

• Last 2 years
• Unpaid
• All

The search results provide the following information:

• Name
• Account number
• Year
• Type of tax
• Description
• Amount due

The above resources are a great tool to find a variety of public records through either online searches, calling, or visiting these Wake County agencies in person. However, you still may not have found what you are looking for. Or maybe you are looking for something not mentioned, and you are not sure whether or not it’s the type of record that is publicly available.

In summary, you can get county arrest records from the CCBI and criminal records from the North Carolina Judicial Branch’s eCourts Portal. Vital records can be found through the Register of Deeds, and Property records are primarily the responsibility of the Wake County Department of Tax Administration.

For additional information on Wake County public records, you may visit the Records Information Page or request additional information online.^{27, 28}