Yes, divorce records are public in North Carolina. Under North Carolina General Statute N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-109 and the Public Records Law in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1, divorce case files are open court records. Anyone can view most filings at the Clerk of Superior Court or the online eCourts portal.
North Carolina treats divorce cases as civil court proceedings, and the resulting case files are presumptively open to the public. This guide explains exactly what is accessible, how to run a divorce records search, what a divorce certificate costs, and when a court will seal divorce records to protect privacy. The rules below are verified against the North Carolina General Statutes and the North Carolina Judicial Branch as of January 2026.
Key Facts: North Carolina Divorce Records and Filing
| Fact | North Carolina Detail |
|---|---|
| Are divorce records public? | Yes — open under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-109 and § 132-1 |
| Court filing fee (absolute divorce) | $225 ($150 District Court + $75 divorce fee), effective Jan. 1, 2025 |
| Certified certificate fee (Vital Records) | $24 per 3-year search period |
| Waiting/separation period | 12 consecutive months of separation (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-6) |
| Residency requirement | 6 months in North Carolina before filing (§ 50-8) |
| Grounds | One-year separation (§ 50-6) or incurable insanity (§ 50-5.1) |
| Property division type | Equitable distribution (§ 50-20) |
| Sealing standard | Rare; targeted redaction favored over full sealing |
Are Divorce Records Public in North Carolina?
Yes. Divorce records are public in North Carolina because divorce cases are civil proceedings filed with the Clerk of Superior Court, and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-109 requires clerks to maintain those records as public documents. Under the state Public Records Law, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1, any member of the public may inspect a divorce file without stating a reason.
When you file a divorce complaint in North Carolina, the pleadings, judgments, and most attached documents become part of an open court record. A person does not need to be a party to the case, an attorney, or a relative to view the file. The presumption of openness reflects a strong public-records tradition: North Carolina courts prioritize transparency and the public's right to access court information. The main exceptions are sensitive data fields—such as Social Security numbers and full financial account numbers—which the clerk redacts before releasing copies. A divorce records search therefore returns the substance of the case (parties, dates, grounds, judgment) while shielding certain identifiers. If you want a record removed from public view, you must file a formal motion, not simply mark a document "confidential."
Where Are North Carolina Divorce Records Kept?
North Carolina divorce records live in two custodial systems: the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted holds the full case file, and North Carolina Vital Records maintains divorce certificates from 1958 to the present. The clerk's file contains pleadings and judgments; Vital Records issues certified certificates for a $24 search fee.
The Clerk of Superior Court is the primary custodian for public divorce filings. The clerk's office keeps the complaint, summons, answer, financial affidavits, and the signed Judgment for Absolute Divorce, along with records of related matters such as property division and name changes. Because North Carolina divorces are filed in District Court within a county, you must know the correct county to locate the physical file. North Carolina Vital Records, operated by the Department of Health and Human Services, is the second custodian and issues certified divorce certificates that confirm the plaintiff and defendant names, the marriage and separation dates, and the county of filing. Members of the public seeking proof of a divorce for remarriage, immigration, or insurance usually request the certified certificate from Vital Records, while researchers and litigants review the full case file at the clerk's office.
How to Search North Carolina Divorce Records
You can search North Carolina divorce records three ways: in person at the Clerk of Superior Court, through public self-service terminals at any courthouse, or online via the eCourts Portal for participating counties. Courthouse copies cost about $0.25 per page, and the eCourts Portal lets you view or download many case documents free, 24 hours a day.
Each access method serves a different need. In-person review at the clerk's office gives you the complete paper file, including exhibits that may not be scanned; you can request copies for roughly 25 cents per page. Public self-service terminals inside the courthouse let anyone look up case indexes and dockets by party name without staff assistance. The statewide eCourts Portal is the fastest route for a divorce records search in counties that have migrated to the Odyssey case-management system: you can search by name, view filings, and download documents at no charge in many instances. For a certified divorce certificate rather than the case file, submit a request to North Carolina Vital Records with the $24 search fee, which covers a three-year search window and one copy if a matching record is found. Always confirm which counties are live on eCourts, because rollout is phased.
Divorce Records Search Comparison
| Access Method | Custodian | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| eCourts Portal (online) | Clerk of Superior Court | Free viewing; $0.25/page copies | Fast public divorce filings lookup |
| Courthouse paper file | Clerk of Superior Court | ~$0.25/page | Complete file with exhibits |
| Self-service terminal | Clerk of Superior Court | Free to view | Docket and index searches |
| Certified certificate | NC Vital Records | $24 per 3-year period | Proof of divorce for legal use |
What Information Appears in a Public Divorce Record?
A public North Carolina divorce record shows the names of both spouses, the case number, filing county, grounds for divorce, dates of marriage and separation, and the final Judgment for Absolute Divorce. Sensitive identifiers—Social Security numbers, account numbers, and some financial details—are redacted before the clerk releases copies to the public.
The open portions of a divorce file tell the essential story of the case. Public divorce filings identify the plaintiff (the spouse who filed) and the defendant, the county and District Court where the action proceeded, and the statutory grounds—almost always the one-year separation ground under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-6. The record also reflects procedural milestones: the date of service, whether the defendant answered within the 30-day window, and the date the Clerk of Superior Court or a judge entered the divorce judgment. Ancillary claims filed in the same or related actions—such as equitable distribution under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-20, alimony, or child custody—may add financial affidavits and parenting details to the file. North Carolina clerks remove protected data before disclosure, and certified copies of certain records may be restricted to eligible individuals to reduce identity-theft risk.
Can You Seal or Redact Divorce Records in North Carolina?
Sealing divorce records in North Carolina is possible but rarely granted, because courts strongly favor open records. To restrict access, a party must file a Motion to Seal and prove a reasonable probability of harm; judges more often order targeted redaction of specific pages than seal an entire file. Domestic violence victims receive additional address protections.
North Carolina courts apply a demanding standard before restricting public access to divorce records. A litigant seeking privacy must file a written Motion to Seal and demonstrate a concrete, particularized harm that outweighs the public's First Amendment and statutory right of access. Courts are far more willing to redact—removing minors' identifying information, business trade secrets, sensitive medical or mental-health details, or specific financial data—than to seal the full case. Marking a document "confidential" or "privileged" has no legal effect; under the Public Records Law, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1, a party cannot unilaterally shield filings. For divorce records privacy tied to safety, North Carolina's Address Confidentiality Program lets domestic violence survivors use a substitute address, and victims are not required to disclose their home address in filings. If a judge grants a motion, the court issues an order directing the Clerk of Superior Court to seal the specified materials.
North Carolina Divorce Filing Requirements and Costs (2026)
Filing for absolute divorce in North Carolina costs $225 as of January 2026, combining a $150 District Court fee and a $75 divorce fee. At least one spouse must have lived in North Carolina for six months, and the couple must be separated for 12 consecutive months before filing, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-6 and § 50-8.
Understanding filing mechanics helps explain why the resulting records are public. North Carolina requires a one-year separation as the primary ground for absolute divorce: spouses must live in separate homes for 12 consecutive months, and at least one must intend the separation to be permanent, per N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-6. A separation agreement is not required to be legally separated. The residency requirement under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-8 is six months of North Carolina residency immediately before filing. The $225 filing fee became effective January 1, 2025 ($150 District Court fee plus a $75 absolute divorce fee set by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-305). Sheriff service costs about $30 per defendant, and adding a name-change request costs an extra $10. Litigants below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines may apply to file as an indigent and waive the fee. In uncontested cases, the Clerk of Superior Court can enter the judgment without a judge using Form AOC-CV-710. As of January 2026, verify all amounts with your local clerk.
How Long Do North Carolina Divorce Records Stay Public?
North Carolina divorce records remain public indefinitely once filed, because court files are permanent public records under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1. Clerk of Superior Court case files stay accessible for decades, and Vital Records maintains certified divorce certificates from 1958 to the present without an expiration or automatic sealing date.
Unlike some record types that are periodically purged, North Carolina divorce filings are retained long-term as part of the permanent civil docket. A divorce granted in the 1970s remains searchable in the county clerk's index today, and Vital Records can produce a certified certificate for any divorce recorded since 1958. There is no automatic mechanism that removes divorce records from public view after a set number of years; access ends only if a judge grants a Motion to Seal for specific materials. This permanence is why divorce records privacy planning matters at the time of filing—for example, by keeping sensitive financial documents out of the public file where local rules allow, or by requesting redaction of minors' information. Anyone researching genealogy, verifying a marital status, or conducting due diligence can therefore rely on North Carolina's long-standing public divorce filings for historical accuracy.