eCourts is now live in 11 more counties including Stanly, Anson, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Scotland and Union.
This includes eFiling, Portal, and Enterprise Justice (Odyssey).
Stanly County Clerk of Superior Court Ginger Efird said she and “other judicial partners spent 20 weeks communicating and collaborating to prepare for this historic milestone.”
“By retiring our legacy systems and utilizing an Integrated Case Management System, known as ECourts, we have expanded access to justice for all citizens of Stanly County and those beyond our county borders,” Efird said. “As of Oct. 14, a matter in our courts can be viewed from home, work or anywhere that an attorney or citizen has internet access. No longer are the days of traveling to the courthouse to view or file court documents, now it can all be done electronically. It is a privilege and honor to be a part of implementing Enterprise Justice to better serve our courts and most importantly our citizens.”
eCourts is now available across 49 counties from the mountains to the coast, including most of the state’s largest metropolitan regions (Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh), with electronic filing and online search for court records, and will provide electronic access to justice for 6.5 million North Carolinians.
This is the final county grouping to transition to eCourts in 2024. All remaining counties will transition to eCourts in 2025.
Now that eCourts is live, eFiling is required for attorneys for any filings (including subsequent filings in open cases) made in these 11 counties or any eCourts counties. Attorneys and individuals must register for an account to access File & Serve.
eFiling, also known as File & Serve, enables you to file documents electronically through a single, secure, centralized online location. It also allows you to:
• Submit court documents online to the clerk’s office in eCourts counties.
• Pay filing fees that are automatically calculated for you when you submit filings.
• Get a file-stamped electronic copy upon the clerk’s acceptance.
• Receive filing status updates via email.
Portal allows you to access court information online in eCourts counties, including:
• Search case information by name, attorney, citation, and more.
• Search for court dates and hearings by name, attorney, case number and more.
• View case information, records, and documents.
• Make instant online credit card transactions to pay fines and fees.
Guide & File is a free online service to help users prepare court documents to file for certain case types.
The generational benefits of the eCourts system include:
• Empowering the public to access and file records with the justice system online 24/7 instead of only inside courthouses during business hours.
• Reducing travel time through shared digital access to records and remote hearings.
• Integrating with public safety systems to help court officials and law enforcement access critical information through connected applications.
• Assisting users in drafting and filing the most common legal actions through the Guide & File automated interview service.
• Replacing printed forms and records with electronic workflows to save millions of sheets of paper and valuable courthouse space.
• Standardizing court business processes to promote consistency statewide.
• Introducing courthouse kiosks that provide printing, scanning, payment services, and direct access to eCourts applications.
• Reducing the number of returned forms that are filled out incorrectly in paper, resulting in court delays for litigants.
• Updating hardware infrastructure, network bandwidth and wireless connectivity in courthouses for court officials and the public.
• Providing on-demand training resources, videos, guides, and live introductory sessions presented both in-person and online.
• Updating cybersecurity and data recovery capability systems from obsolete mainframe technology to cloud-hosted infrastructure.
• Streamlining judicial officials’ access to case data, dockets, and calendars in or out of the courtroom.
• Reducing phone calls and in-person visits to customer service counters, freeing up court staff to handle complex issues for customers.
• Centralizing a statewide financial management system to facilitate more convenient and timely payments to the court system.
Learn more about eCourts and find training and resources at NCcourts.gov/eCourts.