Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Cleveland County, North Carolina, has about 102,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Cleveland County Superior Court and the District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of Superior Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Cleveland County public records, Cleveland County arrest records, Cleveland County warrants, Cleveland County inmate search, Cleveland County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Cleveland County
In Cleveland County, the Cleveland County Superior Court hears felonies and civil cases over $25,000.
Below it, the District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the Clerk of Superior Court.
The Clerk of Superior Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the North Carolina Public Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Cleveland County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/cleveland-county (page title: Cleveland County | North Carolina Judicial Branch), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The North Carolina court page SearchSystems verified is at nccourts.gov/help-topics/court-records/obtaining-court-records.
What Reaches the Court from Cleveland County
Together, the four agencies in Cleveland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,371 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Cleveland County Superior Court or the District Court.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Cleveland County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Cleveland County criminal records, Cleveland County divorce records, Cleveland County traffic tickets, Cleveland County DUI and Cleveland County property records.
Cities in Cleveland County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Cleveland County Superior Court or the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Cleveland County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Kings Mountain (11,797)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Cleveland County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/cleveland-county. Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Cleveland County?
The Cleveland County Superior Court, which hears felonies and civil cases over $25,000. The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, divorces, child custody, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Who keeps the court records in Cleveland County?
The Clerk of Superior Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in North Carolina?
Yes: eCourts Portal, the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Is this the official Cleveland County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.