How to search for sex offenders in North Carolina
Two ways to check the North Carolina sex offender registry: manually on the official state site, or programmatically across North Carolina and every other US registry with a single API call.
Option 1 — Search the official North Carolina registry
- Open the official North Carolina sex offender registry public search.
- Search by last name (required), first name, or by city / ZIP / address.
- Open a result to see offenses, registration status, and known addresses.
- Note the record URL — it’s the authoritative source for that person.
The public North Carolina site is best for a one-off, manual lookup. It won’t scale to bulk screening or cover other states in one search.
Option 2 — Search North Carolina with the Offendersearch API
One authenticated request queries the North Carolina registry plus the national NSOPW source, de-duplicates people across sources, scores each match, and returns provenance and freshness on every record.
POST /v1/search
{
"query": { "lastName": "Doe", "state": "NC" },
"jurisdictions": ["NC", "NSOPW"],
"locationScoped": true,
"freshness": "standard"
}This is a live demo of the API shape returning sample data. Real, scored results across every registry require a free account with billing enabled.
North Carolina search FAQ
Is searching the North Carolina sex offender registry free?
Searching the official North Carolina public registry directly is free. The Offendersearch API is for teams that need programmatic, scored, multi-source results across North Carolina and every other jurisdiction in one call.
Can I search sex offenders near an address in North Carolina?
Yes. Provide a city, ZIP, or latitude/longitude with a radius and the API returns registrants near that location in North Carolina, each scored and tagged with its source.
How current is North Carolina registry data?
Every record returns a lastCheckedAt timestamp. Choose the Standard, Weekly, or Daily freshness tier depending on how recently North Carolina data must have been re-verified.