Portal works best with Edge and Chrome internet browsers. If you are using one of these preferred browsers, you may need to clear browser cache, log off, and close the browser completely, or use a browser incognito window upon receiving an error message.
Visit NC Courts Services for information regarding online services for court records, File & Serve, Guide & File, making payment, requesting an interpreter, request for a public record, and more.
Contact the Clerk of Superior Court’s Office in the county where your case resides for additional assistance, e.g. payment issues not addressed below, request for a continuance, request for a certified copy of a divorce decree, request for a document or complete file that is unavailable through Portal, etc. Their contact information and browse help topic categories can be found at: Contact | North Carolina Judicial Branch.
Make Payments
Smart Search defaults to search by Name or File Number. This can be changed to search by citation number by selecting the Advanced Filtering Options and changing the Filter by Search Type to Citation Number.
If you choose to pay the citation, the website is provided as an alternative method to payment in person or via mail. If the website is not available, it remains your responsibility to make timely payments to the courthouse or appear in court as noted in the citation. Find out what you must do after receiving a traffic violation, including whether the citation is eligible for online payment. Traffic Violations
When a county participates, a Request for Dismissal or Speeding Reduction for Traffic Citations should be prepared through Guide & File and electronically filed through File & Serve.
Note: Most counties participate in a reduction program, however, if the county does NOT participate with online reductions, the county name does NOT display in the drop down of the interview. You should appear in person on the day of court.
The following Portal Payment SEARCH RESULTS typically indicates the citation is currently INELIGIBLE for online payment, likely because general statute requires a court appearance:
There are several reasons your citation/case might not appear, even if you entered it correctly. Your citation/case may:
- Require a court appearance.
- Not have been entered into the system yet.
- Data Entry Error.
- Not have an outstanding balance (confirm financial information by using the eCourts Portal SmartSearch portlet).
If you cannot find your Citation/Case, it is your responsibility to make timely payments at the courthouse.
You should direct questions about your citation to the Clerk of Superior Court in the county in which the citation was issued.
Note: The most common reason a citation is statutorily ineligible for online payment is speeding 15 miles per hour over the posted limit.
Make Payment Tips
- Citations eligible for online payment can be located under the Make Payments portlet within Portal.
- Users should NOT register for an account, simply pay as an anonymous user. A user unable to view the Make Payments Portlet is logged in and must log out.
- Only certain types of payments can be paid online: Criminal Costs & Fees, Restitution, Criminal Attorney Fees, Probation, and Parole Fees.
- iOS Operating Systems may result in errors when making payment.
- Make Payments functions best with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome internet browsers.
- Accepted credit/debit cards include Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
- DO NOT USE digital payment applications such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App, Venmo, etc. to make payment.
- Payments made with digital payment applications CANNOT be received by Portal and will result in a hold on your funds without payment to the court. The authorizing bank must release the hold as the funds were never received by the clerk of court.
- A 2.39% transaction fee will be assessed, with a $1.00 minimum charge per transaction.
- Cases with Bond Forfeitures will not return with Case Number; users must search by other criteria, such as Name, Citation, or DL Number.
- If a user cannot find a Case/Citation online, it is still their responsibility to make timely payment at the courthouse.
- Smart Search may be used to verify payment was received within the Financial section of the Case Summary. Ensure the Advanced Filtering Option has been changed from Smart Search to Citation Number for accurate results.