Wake County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the Wake County Detention Center roster and North Carolina prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Raleigh.
Checking the registry instead? Wake County sex offender registry
Wake County inmate search: who is in the Wake County jail. One name search reaches the Wake County Detention Center roster and every other record type below.
Wake County is home to about 1,190,275 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), up 5.4% since the 2020 census: 11% of North Carolina’s residents, the most populous of its 100 counties. People arrested here are booked into the Wake County Detention Center. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the Wake County jail, in a North Carolina state prison or in federal custody.
- Wake County jail bookingsThe Wake County Detention Center 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 Wake County case ended is confirmed with the Clerk of Superior Court for the Superior Court.
Wake County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the Wake County Detention Center. 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.
What a Wake County booking record shows
Wake County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the Wake County Detention Center
Shows that someone was arrested in Wake County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the Wake County Detention Center 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.
Wake County arrest records by city. Raleigh, Cary and Apex and 8 more.
Wake County has 11 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Raleigh or Cary is usually booked into the Wake County Detention Center, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the Wake County Detention Center roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
Wake County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In North Carolina, felony cases from Wake 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 Wake County case outcome has to be confirmed with the clerk.
Finding a Wake 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 Wake County, in Raleigh, 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.
Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake County sheriff’s office or the Clerk of Superior Court.
Wake County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the Wake County Detention Center when someone is booked. Where Wake County publishes it, it appears on the official roster, 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.
Wake County sex offender registry. About 2,988 on our index have an address in Wake 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 Wake County cities
Wake 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.
Wake County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the Wake County jail?
Search the person's name here: the search covers the Wake County Detention Center roster, North Carolina state prisons, and federal custody, and each result names the facility. Adding an age or date of birth tells people with the same name apart.
Where are Wake County court records kept?
Felony cases from Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake County sheriff's office or the Clerk of Superior Court.
Is an arrest in Wake County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the Wake County Detention Center 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 Wake County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where Wake County publishes a photo, it is on the sheriff's official roster. 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 Wake County?
About 2,988 on our index have an address in Wake County. The Wake County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a Wake 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.