SearchSystems Editorial

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.

About this guide

Carteret County is a county in North Carolina with about 70,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 8 county office pages for Carteret County, every one opened and checked.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, District Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where Carteret County public records live

Each kind of Carteret County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Carteret County

A person arrested in Carteret County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Carteret County.

  • Website: carteretcountync.gov/874/Inmate-Search (page title: Inmate Search | Carteret County, NC)
  • Phone: 252-504-4832
  • Address: 304 Craven Street Beaufort, NC 28516
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in Carteret County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Carteret County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Carteret County.

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County Clerk of Carteret County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Carteret County.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Carteret County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Carteret County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: Register of Deeds

  • Website: carteretcountync.gov/162/Register-of-Deeds (page title: Register of Deeds | Carteret County, NC)
  • Phone: 252-728-8474
  • Address: 210 Turner Street Beaufort, NC 28516
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

Property values: Tax Assessor

  • Website: carteretcountync.gov/154/Tax-Office (page title: Tax Office | Carteret County, NC)
  • Phone: 252-728-8485
  • Address: 302 Courthouse Square Beaufort, NC 28516
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Birth, death and marriage records in Carteret County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Carteret County are issued by the office below. The North Carolina state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

  • Website: carteretcountync.gov/372/Birth-Death-Certificates (page title: Birth & Death Certificates | Carteret County, NC)
  • Phone: 919-733-3000
  • Address: 210 Turner Street Beaufort, NC 28516
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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District Attorney for Carteret County

The District Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Carteret County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

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Public records requests to Carteret County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Carteret County.

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Statewide North Carolina sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the North Carolina state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Carteret County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in Carteret County

Carteret County has 11 incorporated cities and towns (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city. SearchSystems has a guide to the city offices of Morehead City; the linked name open it.

  • Morehead City (9,963)
  • Beaufort (4,895)
  • Newport (4,501)
  • Emerald Isle (4,001)
  • Cape Carteret (2,288)
  • Cedar Point (1,833)
  • Pine Knoll Shores (1,435)
  • Atlantic Beach (1,421)
  • Peletier (803)
  • Bogue (715)
  • Indian Beach (231)

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Other counties in North Carolina

SearchSystems has a guide like this one for every county in North Carolina.

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Carteret County Arrest Records

The Carteret County arrest records guide names the 12 agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 2,068 arrests the nine agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported that year. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.

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Carteret County Records Guides

SearchSystems has nine more guides to Carteret County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Carteret County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Carteret County inmate search (the custody page of the Carteret County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Carteret County criminal records (the court file, the North Carolina criminal history and the local arrest records), Carteret County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Carteret County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the North Carolina Public Records Act requires), Carteret County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Carteret County DUI (the DWI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Carteret County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Carteret County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Carteret County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in Carteret County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Carteret County at carteretcountync.gov/874/Inmate-Search, or call 252-504-4832. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in Carteret County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Carteret County is at nccourts.gov/locations/carteret-county. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Carteret County?

The Register of Deeds, at carteretcountync.gov/162/Register-of-Deeds. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Carteret County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Carteret County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Carteret County vital records at carteretcountync.gov, phone 919-733-3000, or from the North Carolina state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Carteret County?

Through the records request page at carteretcountync.gov. A record that is not covered there is requested from the office that holds it.