Criminal & Traffic Division

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Traffic Citation Payments
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 Minor traffic citations do not require a court appearance and may simply be paid off before the
court date. Paying off a citation prior to court, however, may have some unintended consequences. As the reverse side of your traffic ticket will inform you, paying off a citation before court is the same as appearing in court and pleading responsible (guilty) to the original charge. This conviction may result in points being assessed against your license and your insurance premiums may also go up.

Court Dates & Continuances
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Court dates
If you would like to check on a criminal or traffic court date, you may call the Clerk’s Office at (910) 722-5037.

Continuances
You cannot call and request a continuance or request a continuance by mail. To request a continuance, contact the District Attorney's office at 910-722-5010

What if I missed my court date?
If you have missed your court date by more than 20 days, a late fee of $200.00 will be added to the fine and costs. Additionally, the Division of Motor Vehicles will start the process to suspend your driver’s license. If your personal court appearance was required and you failed to appear on your court date,
the court will issue an Order for Arrest. You may be required to post a bond to insure your appearance
in court at a later date. You may get more information regarding missed court dates by visiting the
Criminal Division of the Clerk’s Office, located on the Basement floor of the Moore County Courthouse.

Administrative Court
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Record Checks
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Criminal records are a matter of public record and may be checked by name upon the payment of the statutory $25.00 fee.

The criminal records system, designed and maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts, is
name-based only and no guarantee can be made as to actual identity. For this reason, these
record searches are more accurately described as a name inquiry check.   The system is not based
on identifiable characteristics such as fingerprints. Social Security Numbers are not indexed on the system;  however, dates of birth, where known or reported, are reported on the system.

 If a more accurate search is required, it is recommended that a law enforcement agency be used to provide a search based on fingerprints rather than name.

The name inquiry check you obtain from the Clerk’s Office only searches criminal charges filed in
Moore County, North Carolina, and will not pick up out-of-county, out-of-state, or federal charges. Some internet sites provide this type of search for a fee.

To obtain a certified name inquiry check, you may visit the Clerk’s Office, located on the
Basement floor of the Moore County Courthouse. You must be able to provide the person’s name and pay the $25.00 fee.

You may mail a written request for a certified name inquiry check. To do so, please clearly state in
your request that you would like a certified name inquiry check; provide the person’s first and last
name, and middle initial if known); provide a $25.00 certified check or money order made payable to the
Clerk of Superior Court; and provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope, for the copy. Mail your
request to:

Clerk of Superior Court
Attention: Criminal Division
P.O. Box 936
Carthage, NC 28327

How to Pay Your Citation Before Court
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Some traffic tickets require a court appearance and cannot be paid off prior to the court date. If you fail to appear on your court date as required, your driver’s license may be revoked and you may be arrested.

Only traffic citations that do not require your personal court appearance may be paid before court. If
your personal court appearance is not required, there are three ways to pay a traffic ticket PRIOR to your court date:
 

     To pay by mail, make a certified check or money order payable to the Clerk of Superior Court
     for the amount shown on the front of your citation. We do not accept personal checks. Mail
     your payment and your citation to:

Clerk of Superior Court
Attn: Criminal and Traffic Division
P.O. Box 936
Carthage, NC 28327

To pay in person, come to the Clerk’s office, located on the 1st floor of the Moore County Courthouse no later than the last working day before your court date. You must pay in cash, certified check or money order. We do not accept personal checks.

NEW:    To pay online, please visit the following link:  www.payNCticket.org

Paying Off an Old Traffic Ticket
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A driver who fails to comply with a citation or other charge may have his driver’s license
suspended until the matter is settled. Furthermore, if a court appearance was necessary (usually in the more serious traffic citations, such as DWI, Careless and Reckless, etc., and the defendant fails to appear, an Order for Arrest will be issued and the defendant may be arrested.

To find out if your traffic citation requires your personal court appearance, please check your copy of the traffic citation.

If your court appearance was REQUIRED and you FAILED TO APPEAR in court: An Order for Arrest has been issued and, after 20 days, DMV has been notified of your noncompliance. DMV assesses a $200.00 fee and will suspend your license. Since your court appearance was necessary and you failed to appear, you cannot take care of this ticket until the District Attorney agrees to reinstate the charges against you. To do this, you must appear in person in the Criminal Division of the Clerk’s Office, located on the basement floor of the Moore County Courthouse for more instructions. If you live in another state, you should contact an attorney practicing in Moore County, North Carolina. Hiring an attorney to represent you may save you the time and expense of a personal appearance in court.

If your court appearance was not necessary and you failed to appear in court or pay your fine: Contact the Criminal Division at (910) 722-5037 to find out how much you need to pay. You may simply pay the amount through the mail by certified check or money order.

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