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.
Rowan County, North Carolina, has about 153,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Rowan 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, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Rowan County public records, Rowan County arrest records, Rowan County warrants, Rowan County criminal records, Rowan County police reports, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Rowan County
In Rowan County, the Rowan 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 Rowan County
For Rowan County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at nccourts.gov/locations/rowan-county (page title: Rowan 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 Rowan County
Together, the seven agencies in Rowan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,625 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Rowan 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 Rowan County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Rowan County criminal records, Rowan County divorce records, Rowan County traffic tickets and Rowan County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Rowan County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Rowan County and North Carolina. These court pages from its Rowan County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Rowan County Courthouse (nccourts.gov)
Cities in Rowan County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Rowan County Superior Court or the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Rowan County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Salisbury (36,579)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Rowan County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nccourts.gov/locations/rowan-county. Statewide, eCourts Portal is the North Carolina Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Rowan County?
The Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan 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.