Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Asheville is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, with about 95,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Asheville offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Asheville, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Asheville records are kept
- Kept by the City of Asheville: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Buncombe County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Buncombe County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Asheville City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Asheville.
- Website: ashevillenc.gov/services/department/city-clerk (page title: Services | The City of Asheville)
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Asheville police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Asheville police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Asheville police records.
- Website: ashevillenc.gov/department/police/police-reports (page title: Police Reports | The City of Asheville)
- Phone: (828) 252-1110
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Buncombe County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Asheville City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: ashevillenc.gov (page title: The City of Asheville | Your Asheville)
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Asheville
North Carolina public records law applies to the city government of Asheville. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in Buncombe County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Buncombe County. The Buncombe County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Asheville website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Asheville offices listed above, and the city's own website is ashevillenc.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Asheville?
Request it from the Asheville police records unit at ashevillenc.gov, phone (828) 252-1110. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find Asheville city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at ashevillenc.gov. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Asheville?
Asheville cases are heard by the courts that serve Buncombe County, and people arrested in Asheville are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Buncombe County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Asheville?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. North Carolina public records law applies to city governments.