State Archives of North Carolina Store
The Division of Archives and Records is part of the Office of Archives and History and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. One of the primary roles of the Division of Archives and Records is to provide public access to historically significant archival materials relating to North Carolina. To do so, the Division has three locations open to the public: the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh, the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo, and the Western Regional Archives in Asheville.
To further its mission of providing access to North Carolina's public records, the State Archives also offers residents of North Carolina and nonresidents the ability to request searches for specific records and order reproductions from the comfort of their home. A search involves locating the actual record, examining it to determine what form of copying and how many copies it will require to reproduce the record, making a reply on a standard form, and subsequently processing the order for a copy. If the search is negative, the process concludes with the original search and negative report. All requests are processed in the order that they are received regardless of how the request was placed.
North Carolina Residents
North Carolina residents do not incur fees when requesting records. If a record is found, an invoice will be generated in response to your inquiry. The invoice may include a citation for the material requested and a quote for copying costs. If no record is found the invoice will state that instead. If the invoiced material is desired please return the invoice and remit payment to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources or select the "Pay Invoices" option in the store.
Nonresidents
Since October 1978 the General Statutes of North Carolina have authorized the State Archives of North Carolina to require the payment of a Search and Handling Fee before replying to inquiries received from researchers who are not residents of North Carolina. At present the fee is $20.00 for each inquiry about one record or one person's record. The search and handling fee is to accompany any non-resident request for information. There may be an additional charge for copying a record; typically the State Archives will include up to 20 photocopies, 8 microfilm copies, or 1 scanned image in the initial Search and Handling Fee. The search and handling fee helps defray the cost to the taxpayers of North Carolina in rendering this service to non-residents of the state.