Chapter 7A

(a) Except for a witness that is a former State, county, or municipal law-enforcement officer, a witness under subpoena, bound over, or recognized, other than a salaried State, county, or municipal law-enforcement officer, or an out-of-state witness in a criminal case, whether to…

(a) The Administrative Office of the Courts may charge a uniform fee of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) per hour to persons receiving the services of a supervised visitation and exchange center through a family court program. The fees collected under this section may be used…

In a criminal action, if no prosecuting witness is designated by the court as liable for the costs, and the defendant is acquitted, or convicted and unable to pay, or a nolle prosequi is entered, or judgment is arrested, or probable cause is not found, or the grand jury fails to …

A witness in a criminal action who is entitled to a witness fee and who proves his attendance prior to assessment of the bill of costs shall be paid by the clerk from State funds and the amount disbursed shall be assessed in the bill of costs. When the State is liable for the fee…

(a) Counties and municipalities are required to pay all costs and fees due to the court at the time of filing. The clerk of superior court may consent to allow the county or municipality to pay all costs and fees within 45 days of the date of the filing of any action in lieu of p…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, if a municipality listed in G.S. 7A-133 as an additional seat of district court is not incorporated, the arrest, facilities, and jail fees which would ordinarily accrue thereto, shall instead accrue to the county in which the u…

(a) On and after the date that the district court is established in a judicial district, costs in every action, proceeding or other matter pending in the General Court of Justice in that district, shall be assessed as provided in this Article, unless costs have been finally asses…

(a) The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals have jurisdiction, exercisable by any one of the justices or judges of the respective courts, to issue the writ of habeas corpus upon the application of any person described in G.S. 17-3, according to the practice and procedure provi…

The costs set forth in this Article are complete and exclusive, and in lieu of any other costs and fees. (1983, c. 713, s. 1.)

(a) The Judicial Department may, in lieu of payment by cash or check, accept payment by credit card, charge card, or debit card for the fines, fees, and costs owed to the courts by offenders. (b) In attempting to collect the fines, fees, costs, and restitution owed by offenders n…

The Supreme Court shall prescribe rules of practice and procedure designed to procure the expeditious and inexpensive disposition of all litigation in the appellate division. (1967, c. 108, s. 1.)

The Supreme Court is hereby authorized to prescribe rules of practice and procedure for the superior and district courts supplementary to, and not inconsistent with, acts of the General Assembly. (1967, c. 108, s. 1.)

There is hereby established a State office to be known as the Administrative Office of the Courts. It shall be supervised by a Director, assisted by an assistant director. (1965, c. 310, s. 1.)

The Director shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, to serve at the pleasure of the Chief Justice. The Director's annual compensation shall be the same salary amount set for the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals as provided in the Current Operations Appro…

The assistant director shall also be appointed by the Chief Justice, to serve at his pleasure. The assistant director shall receive the annual salary provided in the Current Operations Appropriations Act, payable monthly, and reimbursement for travel and subsistence expenses at t…

The Director is the Administrative Officer of the Courts, and the Director's duties include all of the following: (1) Collect and compile statistical data and other information on the judicial and financial operation of the courts and on the operation of other offices directly re…

(a) The Administrative Officer of the Courts shall, upon request and at the State's expense, distribute such number of copies of the appellate division reports to federal, State departments and agencies, and to educational institutions of instruction, as follows: Attorney General…

(a) Fund. - The Court Information Technology Fund is established within the Judicial Department as a special revenue fund. Interest and other investment income earned by the Fund accrues to it. The Fund consists of the following revenues: (1) All monies collected by the Director …

The Appellate Courts Printing and Computer Operations Fund is established within the Judicial Department as a nonreverting, interest-bearing special revenue account. Accordingly, interest and other investment income earned by the Fund shall be credited to it. All moneys collected…

(a) Internal audits shall comply with current Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing issued by the Institute for Internal Auditors and, when appropriate, Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. (b) Except as othe…

The following definitions apply in this Article: (1) "Accounting system" means the total structure of records and procedures which discover, record, classify, and report information on the financial position and operating results of the Judicial Department, or a segment of the Ju…

The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts is authorized to develop a program for electronic filing in Chapter 50B and Chapter 50C cases in district court in all counties in North Carolina. In order to implement the program in one or more counties in a district, the c…

(a) The Director may employ staff counsel or retain private counsel to provide legal services, including litigation services, to a current or former official or employee of the Judicial Branch in any action or matter arising in the scope and course of the official's or employee's…

The assistant director is the administrative assistant to the Chief Justice, and his duties include the following: (1) Assist the Chief Justice in performing his duties relating to the assignment of superior court judges; (2) Assist the Supreme Court in preparing calendars of sup…

All judges, district attorneys, public defenders, magistrates, clerks of superior court and other officers or employees of the courts and of offices directly related to and serving the courts shall on request furnish to the Administrative Officer information and statistical data …

(a) Repealed by Session Laws 2022-47, s. 9(b), effective July 7, 2022. (b) Repealed by Session Laws 2019-243, s. 5(b), effective November 6, 2019. (c) The Administrative Office of the Courts, in consultation with the Conference of Clerks of Superior Court, shall make any necessar…

District attorney legal assistant positions are established under the district attorneys' offices. Each prosecutorial district is allocated at least one district attorney legal assistant to be employed by the district attorney. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall alloca…

Pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 7A-413, the Conference of District Attorneys shall: (1) Assist in establishing uniform statewide training for district attorney legal assistants; and (2) Assist in the implementation and supervision of this program. (1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. …

The Judicial Department may deny employment, a contract, or a volunteer opportunity to any person who refuses to consent to a criminal history check authorized under G.S. 143B-1209.31 and may dismiss a current employee, terminate a contractor, or terminate a volunteer relationshi…

The Administrative Office of the Courts shall maintain records of all cases in which a judge makes a finding of just cause to grant a waiver of criminal court costs under G.S. 7A-304(a) and shall report on those waivers, including an exact or best estimate of the dollar amount of…

The Judicial Department shall report by May 1 of each year to the chairs of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Senate Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety on grant funds received or preapproved for receipt b…

(a) Establishment. - There is established in the Administrative Office of the Courts the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission. For purposes of this section, "Commission" means the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission. (b) Membership. - The Commission shall consist o…

(a) Established. - The Human Trafficking Commission shall develop and implement the Human Trafficking Commission Competitive Grant Program. (b) Criteria. - The following criteria shall apply to the Grant Program: (1) Grant applicants shall satisfy all of the following: a. Be a no…

The following districts or sets of districts as defined in G.S. 7A-41.1(a) shall have trial court administrators, including other districts or sets of districts as may be designated by the Administrative Office of the Courts: Set of districts 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F District…

The duties of each trial court administrator shall be to assist in managing civil dockets, to improve jury utilization and to perform such duties as may be assigned by the senior resident superior court judge of the district or set of districts as defined in G.S. 7A-41.1(a) or by…

(a) The General Assembly finds that court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration may be a more economical, efficient and satisfactory procedure to resolve certain civil actions than by traditional civil litigation and therefore authorizes court-ordered nonbinding arbitration as an alter…

The purpose of this Article is to provide for the investigation and resolution of inquiries concerning the qualification or conduct of any judge or justice of the General Court of Justice. The procedure for discipline of any judge or justice of the General Court of Justice shall …

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section shall apply throughout this Article: (1) "Censure" means a finding by the Supreme Court, based upon a written recommendation by the Commission, that a judge has willfully engaged in misconduct prejudic…

(a) Composition. - The Judicial Standards Commission shall consist of the following residents of North Carolina: (1) Two Court of Appeals judges, each appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (2) Two superior court judges, each appointed by the Chief Justice of the Su…

(a) The Commission, upon a determination that any judge has engaged in conduct that violates the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct as adopted by the Supreme Court but that is not of such a nature as would warrant a recommendation of public reprimand, censure, suspension, or…

(a) Any citizen of the State may file a written complaint with the Commission concerning the qualifications or conduct of any justice or judge of the General Court of Justice, and thereupon the Commission shall make such investigation as it deems necessary. The Commission may als…

(a) Purpose. - The General Assembly finds that a system of court-ordered mediated settlement conferences should be established to facilitate the settlement of superior court civil actions and to make civil litigation more economical, efficient, and satisfactory to litigants and t…

(a) The Supreme Court may adopt standards of conduct for mediators and other neutrals who are certified or otherwise qualified pursuant to G.S. 7A-38.1, 7A-38.3, 7A-38.3B, 7A-38.3D, 7A-38.3E, and 7A-38.4A, or who participate in proceedings conducted pursuant to those sections. Th…

(a) Definitions. - As used in this section: (1) "Farm nuisance dispute" means a claim that the farming activity of a farm resident constitutes a nuisance. (2) "Farm resident" means a person holding an interest in fee, under a real estate contract, or under a lease, in land used f…

(a) Initiation of Mediation. - Prelitigation mediation of an insurance claim may be initiated by an insurer that has provided the policy limits in accordance with G.S. 58-3-33 by filing a request for mediation with the clerk of superior court in a county in which the action may b…

(a) Purpose. - The General Assembly finds that the clerk of superior court in the General Court of Justice should have the discretion and authority to order that mediation be conducted in matters within the clerk's jurisdiction in order to facilitate a more economical, efficient,…

(a) Purpose. - The General Assembly finds that it is in the public interest to promote high standards for persons who mediate matters in district criminal court. To that end, a program of certification for these mediators shall be established in judicial districts designated by t…

(a) Voluntary Mediation. - The parties to a public records dispute under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes may agree at any time prior to filing a civil action under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes to mediation of the dispute under the provisions of this section. Mediation …

(a) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section: (1) Association. - An association of unit or lot owners organized as allowed under North Carolina law, including G.S. 47C-3-101 and G.S. 47F-3-101. (2) Dispute. - Any matter relating to real estate under the juri…

(a) The General Assembly finds that a system of settlement events should be established to facilitate the settlement of district court actions involving equitable distribution, alimony, or support and to make that litigation more economical, efficient, and satisfactory to the par…