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 on September 23, 2026.
New Hanover County, North Carolina, has about 243,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the New Hanover 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: New Hanover County public records, New Hanover County arrest records, New Hanover County warrants, New Hanover County inmate search, New Hanover County criminal records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from New Hanover County
In New Hanover County, the New Hanover County Superior Court 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.
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 New Hanover County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/new-hanover-county (page title: New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
Together, the five agencies in New Hanover County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,206 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the New Hanover County Superior Court or the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at nccourts.gov/news/tag/general-news/governor-cooper-appoints-distric... (page title: Governor Cooper Appoints District Attorney for New Hanover and Pender Counties | North Carolina Judicial Branc), phone (910) 772-6600, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other New Hanover County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: New Hanover County criminal records, New Hanover County divorce records, New Hanover County traffic tickets, New Hanover County DUI and New Hanover County property records.
Cities in New Hanover County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the New Hanover County Superior Court or the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in New Hanover County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Wilmington (125,284)
- Carolina Beach (6,864)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in New Hanover County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/new-hanover-county. Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in New Hanover County?
The New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.