Franklin County Clerk Role
North Carolina has a unified state court system, so Franklin County does not split trial-court files between a district clerk and a county clerk in the Texas sense. Court files are handled by the Clerk of Superior Court, a court office serving both Superior Court and District Court locally. The NC Judicial Branch contact directory lists the Clerk of Superior Court public court contact number as (919) 497-4200.
The county elected-officials information cited in the research identifies Shelly L. Dickerson as Clerk of Court with an office address of 102 S. Main Street, Suite 1, Louisburg, NC 27549, phone 919-497-7599, and email shelly.dickerson@gmail.com. Because officeholder information has been unstable in past public coverage, practical records requests should rely on the current NC Judicial Branch contact directory or official county elected-officials source before using a person-specific contact.
Franklin County Clerk of Superior Court
Franklin County Courthouse
102 S Main St.
Louisburg, NC 27549
(919) 497-4200
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Franklin County Clerk Records
The Clerk of Superior Court is the record custodian for civil actions, special proceedings, estates, criminal actions, juvenile actions where access is authorized, court minutes, judgments, liens, lis pendens, and other court records required by law. N.C.G.S. 7A-109 says each clerk maintains records, files, dockets, and indexes prescribed by AOC rules and makes those records open to public inspection during regular office hours unless another law prohibits access.
- Civil filings, judgments, liens, lis pendens, orders, and related docket entries.
- Criminal case files, returned warrants, summonses, indictments, pleas, judgments, and sentencing records where public.
- Estates, special proceedings, wills admitted to probate, accountings, and guardianship matters with access limits where required.
- Divorce judgments from Franklin County court cases, distinct from state vital-record divorce certificates.
- Older or not digitized court files that do not appear in NC eCourts Portal.
Note: Background-check users should use the county clerk's office rather than relying only on Portal case search.
Franklin County Clerk Online Access
Franklin County is an eCourts county, so case information is searched primarily through the NC eCourts Portal. The portal supports Smart Search for case information, Search Hearings for court dates, Make Payments for eligible cases, and a separate NC Judgment Search. Portal access requires JavaScript and cookies, and the research notes CAPTCHA every ten minutes for anonymous, registered, and elevated access users.
Portal is useful for case numbers, parties, court dates, and some status details. It is not the same as a certified copy. It also is not the recommended source for background checks according to the NC Judicial Branch court-records guidance. For official copies, records that do not display online, divorce judgments, estates, and background-check work, use the clerk's office at the courthouse.
| Access channel | Use it for | Franklin County limit |
|---|---|---|
| NC eCourts Smart Search | Case information and party searches | Not a certified file copy. |
| Search Hearings | Court dates and hearing type searches | Shows hearing data, not full documents. |
| Clerk counter | Certified copies, older files, divorce judgments, estates | Visit or call during courthouse hours. |
| Remote Public Access Program | Licensed criminal and civil data access | Contract access, not ordinary public walk-up service. |
Request Franklin County Certified Copies
Certified copies are official court copies used when a plain printout will not prove the court action. The research did not locate a Franklin-specific mail form for court copies, so a caller should confirm the case number, document type, fee, and acceptable payment method with the Clerk of Superior Court before mailing a request or visiting. The general county public records page routes court documents such as divorce decrees, case files, and estates to the Franklin County Courthouse and NC Judicial Branch rather than to the county records email.
- Search Portal or your own papers for the case number, party names, and filing county.
- Call the Clerk of Superior Court to confirm the document name, copy type, and fee.
- Ask whether the record is available for public copy or has a seal, juvenile limit, mental health limit, or other restriction.
- Submit the request in person or by the clerk-approved method with payment.
- Use the certified copy for court, agency, or legal proof needs rather than an uncertified portal printout.
The certified-copy request should include enough detail for staff to identify the file without relying on a broad name search.
Franklin County Request Fields
No Franklin-specific court-record request form was found in the research, but the identified access path gives the practical fields a requester should have ready. The same details help whether the request is made at the counter, by phone before mailing, or through an online case-information search.
| Field | Required for best search | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or record number | Strongly recommended | Portal can search by record number; wildcard record search needs at least four characters. |
| Party names | Yes if no case number | Name searches use last and first name formatting. |
| Case type | Recommended | Civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, or judgment. |
| Document requested | Yes | Judgment, order, divorce decree, estate letter, docket entry, or other paper. |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain copy or certified copy. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Phone or mailing details for follow-up and payment instructions. |
Franklin County Clerk Fees
The research did not locate a Franklin-specific court copy fee sheet for the Clerk of Superior Court, so exact court copy charges should be confirmed with the clerk. The county public records fee PDF applies to Franklin County general public records and says fees equal actual cost for copying, compiling, or producing records requiring extensive IT, clerical, or supervisory assistance. That county fee path is not a substitute for court costs set by the Judicial Branch.
| Item | Amount in research | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Court plain copy | Not located | Clerk of Superior Court |
| Court certified copy | Not located | Clerk of Superior Court |
| Divorce judgment copy | Fee noted, amount not located | Clerk in county where divorce was granted |
| General county public records copies | Actual cost under county fee schedule | Franklin County public records page |
| Certified vital records | $10 | Register of Deeds, not court clerk |
Clerk vs Register of Deeds
The Register of Deeds is a separate Franklin County office. It handles real-estate records dating back to 1776, deeds, deeds of trust, powers of attorney, assumed names, maps, military discharges, and county vital records. It also maintains Franklin County birth and death records dating back to 1913 for events in the county, marriage certificates dating back to 1869, and marriage bond information dating to 1779. Marriage licenses come from the Register of Deeds and can be used anywhere in North Carolina.
The Franklin County Index Search instructions explain the Register of Deeds search path for land and vital indexes.
Use that index for recorded land and vital records, while court cases, estates, and divorce judgments remain with the Clerk of Superior Court.
The Register of Deeds real estate search source is also assigned to this clerk page because it shows the non-court record system that readers often confuse with clerk records.
That distinction is important for liens, lis pendens, estates with land, marriage certificates, and deeds.
Franklin County Noncourt Records
Some records that feel court-adjacent are not maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court. Franklin County Register of Deeds recording requirements list selected land-record fees and recording standards. Maps and plats are recorded through the Register of Deeds, and the county also has an electronic recording page for authorized land-record submissions. These tools do not file court pleadings, but they can matter when a court judgment, estate, or lien has a real-property component.
| Record | Office | Research amount or note |
|---|---|---|
| Deeds | Register of Deeds | $26 up to 15 pages, then $4 each additional page. |
| Deeds of trust | Register of Deeds | $64 up to 35 pages, then $4 each additional page. |
| Satisfaction | Register of Deeds | No charge. |
| Maps and plats | Register of Deeds | $21 per page. |
The Franklin County recording requirements source shows land-record rules rather than court clerk filing rules.
Record the deed or plat with the Register of Deeds, but request court judgments, orders, and case papers from the clerk.
The maps and plats source is another Register of Deeds record type assigned to the clerk page for this office split.
For courthouse research, this helps separate land-index work from case-file work.
The electronic recording source applies to Register of Deeds recording, not electronic filing in court cases.
For court e-filing and case information, use NC eCourts services rather than the Register of Deeds electronic recording path.