New Hanover County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the New Hanover County Detention Facility roster and North Carolina prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Wilmington.
New Hanover County’s own roster: p2c.nhcgov.com. Checking the registry instead? New Hanover County sex offender registry
New Hanover County inmate search: who is in the New Hanover County jail. One name search reaches the New Hanover County Detention Facility roster and every other record type below.
New Hanover County is home to about 238,852 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), up 5.8% since the 2020 census: 2% of North Carolina’s residents, the 11th most populous of its 100 counties. People arrested here are booked into the New Hanover County Detention Facility, and New Hanover County publishes who is held there on its own roster at p2c.nhcgov.com. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the New Hanover County jail, in a North Carolina state prison or in federal custody.
- New Hanover County jail bookingsThe New Hanover County Detention Facility roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- North Carolina warrantsthe statewide warrant system
- North Carolina prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- North Carolina sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
North Carolina has no statewide court source in the search, so how a New Hanover County case ended is confirmed with the Clerk of Superior Court for the Superior Court.
New Hanover County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the New Hanover County Detention Facility. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release. New Hanover County’s roster at p2c.nhcgov.com is the place to confirm current custody.
What a New Hanover County booking record shows
New Hanover County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the New Hanover County Detention Facility
Shows that someone was arrested in New Hanover County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the New Hanover County Detention Facility roster.
Filed in the Superior Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the Superior Court; a misdemeanor to the District Court. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the Clerk of Superior Court. With no statewide court source in the search, confirm it with the clerk.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
New Hanover County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In North Carolina, felony cases from New Hanover County are heard in the Superior Court, and misdemeanors in the District Court. The Clerk of Superior Court keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
North Carolina court records are not in our search, so a New Hanover County case outcome has to be confirmed with the clerk.
Finding a New Hanover County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the Clerk of Superior Court for New Hanover County, in Wilmington, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the Clerk of Superior Court; certified copies usually carry a small fee.
New Hanover County warrant search: North Carolina warrant lookup.
North Carolina publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it, so a warrant entered there for someone in New Hanover County shows with the person’s other records. Not every local warrant reaches a published list. A search that finds nothing is not proof that no warrant exists; to be certain, ask the New Hanover County sheriff’s office or the Clerk of Superior Court.
New Hanover County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the New Hanover County Detention Facility when someone is booked. Where New Hanover County publishes it, it appears on the official roster at p2c.nhcgov.com, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
New Hanover County sex offender registry. About 302 on our index have an address in New Hanover County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Sex offenders in New Hanover County cities
New Hanover County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
New Hanover County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the New Hanover County jail?
New Hanover County publishes its own jail roster at p2c.nhcgov.com. To search the New Hanover County Detention Facility together with North Carolina prisons and federal custody in one step, search the person's name here; add an age or date of birth to tell people with the same name apart.
Where are New Hanover County court records kept?
Felony cases from New Hanover County are heard in the Superior Court, and the Clerk of Superior Court keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the District Court.
Can I search New Hanover County warrants online?
North Carolina publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it. Not every local warrant reaches that system, so to be certain, ask the New Hanover County sheriff's office or the Clerk of Superior Court.
Is an arrest in New Hanover County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the New Hanover County Detention Facility records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the Superior Court (for a misdemeanor, the District Court), and only the court record shows the outcome. North Carolina has no statewide court source in our search, so confirm the outcome with the Clerk of Superior Court.
Does OffenderSearch show New Hanover County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where New Hanover County publishes a photo, it is on the official roster at p2c.nhcgov.com. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in New Hanover County?
About 302 on our index have an address in New Hanover County. The New Hanover County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a New Hanover County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.