Madison County Clerk Office
North Carolina does not split trial-court records between a district clerk and county clerk. The elected Clerk of Superior Court is the trial-court recordkeeper in each county. Madison County's Clerk of Superior Court is Mark Cody. The county quick-links page lists the clerk phone, fax, mailing address, and temporary physical address, and the Judicial Branch contact directory lists the same clerk phone.
The Madison County Courthouse page says the Clerk's Office and temporary courthouse are at Madison County Extension Office, 258 Carolina Lane, Marshall, NC 28753. It also says the courthouse at 2 North Main Street is closed until further notice. That temporary address is the practical in-person route for paper files, copies, public terminals, and estate filings unless the official notice changes.
Madison County Clerk of Superior Court
Clerk: Mark Cody
258 Carolina Lane
Marshall, NC 28753
(828) 649-2200
Fax: (828) 649-2829
Mail: PO Box 217, Marshall, NC 28753
Detailed hours block lists 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
The Madison County departments directory is a useful county-office cross-check, including the Register of Deeds and other local offices near the government complex.
The departments source helps separate county administrative offices from the Madison County Clerk of Superior Court record role.
What Madison County Clerk Handles
The Clerk of Superior Court maintains court files, dockets, indexes, and papers for Madison County Superior Court and District Court. Clerk access covers criminal, civil, special proceeding, estate, and divorce judgment records when public. The office also supports public self-service terminal searches, paper-file viewing in the county where the case is located, and copy requests for documents in court files.
- Maintain Madison County Superior Court and District Court case files.
- Provide public terminal access for criminal, civil, special proceeding, and estate case information.
- Provide paper-file viewing and copies for public court documents.
- Issue copies of divorce judgments from Madison County cases.
- Handle estate administration and probate filings as clerk acting as probate judge.
- Process court costs, fines, criminal and infraction payments, mail payments, and in-person payments.
The Judicial Branch court-records help page says public terminal access is available for several record categories, but paper files are viewed in the county where the case is located.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified copies are used when a court, agency, school, employer, benefits office, or other recipient needs proof that the copy came from the official court file. For Madison County court records, start with the eCourts Portal if the case number is known, then contact the Clerk of Superior Court for the official copy route. Clerk staff can explain copy availability and payment, but they cannot give legal advice.
- Identify the case type, party names, and case number if available through eCourts Portal or prior paperwork.
- Call the Madison County Clerk of Superior Court at (828) 649-2200 to confirm the document is public and available for copying.
- Ask whether the request should be made at the temporary clerk counter or by mail to PO Box 217, Marshall, NC 28753.
- Provide the case details, document type, copy count, and certification request exactly as clerk staff instruct.
- Pay the required court-copy cost and arrange pickup or mail return.
For frequent portal users, the Portal training and resources page explains Smart Search, Search Hearings, payments, and NC Judgment Search.
Records Request Form Fields
The research file did not locate a separate Madison County court-copy request form with fixed fields. The county public-record request form applies to non-court county records, while court files use the clerk route. A useful Madison County court-copy request should include enough detail for clerk staff to locate the case and the document.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Helpful | Use Portal or prior court papers if known. |
| Party names | Yes | Give full names and role if known, such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or decedent. |
| Case type | Yes | Examples include criminal, civil, family, estate, special proceeding, or divorce. |
| Document type | Yes | Name the judgment, order, divorce decree, letters, inventory, or other filing. |
| Copy type | Yes | Say whether plain or certified copies are needed. |
| Return method | Yes | Ask clerk staff about pickup or mail. |
Madison County Clerk Fees
Madison County court-copy fees should be confirmed with the Clerk of Superior Court because the research file did not locate a Madison-specific court-copy fee table. The research did locate Register of Deeds fees, which apply to marriage, vital, land, notary, and recorded instrument records, not to clerk court files. That split is important because the two offices hold different records and charge under different schedules.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Court-file plain copy | Confirm with Clerk of Superior Court |
| Court-file certified copy | Confirm with Clerk of Superior Court |
| Estate application for letters | $120 |
| Register certified vital copy | $10.00 each |
| Register uncertified copy | $0.25 per page |
| Register general certified copy | $5.00 first page, $2.00 each additional page |
The Register of Deeds fee schedule confirms the vital and recorded-instrument amounts listed above.
The Register fee source is included here only to show which common Madison County record fees are outside the clerk's court-file schedule.
Common Clerk Forms
Madison County court users should use Judicial Branch forms and services for court cases, estate filings, eCourts access, payments, and hearings. The county public-record request page is not a substitute for a court filing or a clerk copy request. For non-court county records, the Madison County public-record process asks requesters to provide detailed information and notes that request data may be disclosed on the county Open Data Page.
- eCourts Portal - public case search, hearings, payments, and judgment search.
- Obtaining Court Records - clerk terminals, paper files, copies, and divorce judgments.
- Estates - probate filings, letters, inventories, and clerk hearings.
- Madison County public-record request - non-court county records and sheriff record-request routing.
The Madison County Register of Deeds content frame is separate from clerk forms and covers vital, land, military discharge, notary, and real property records.
This image reinforces that the Register of Deeds is a records office, but not the Madison County Clerk of Superior Court.
Mail and Online Filings
For online court access, use the North Carolina eCourts Portal for Smart Search, Search Hearings, Make Payments, and NC Judgment Search. Registration is not required for anonymous users to search and view publicly available court information, though registered users may save cases. Elevated access is restricted to users with verified legal authority or business need for non-public case types.
Mail for Madison County court matters goes to Madison County Courthouse, PO Box 217, Marshall, NC 28753. In-person clerk services use 258 Carolina Lane while the temporary courthouse notice remains active. Court costs, fines, criminal and infraction payments, and copy questions should be directed to the Clerk of Superior Court rather than the Register of Deeds.
The Madison County Register of Deeds frame page and the direct content frame are still important for marriage, vital, land, and notary records.
The frame page explains why users may need the direct Register content frame for non-court records, while court records remain with the clerk.
Federal court matters are outside Madison County Clerk of Superior Court custody. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina handles federal district court records, with federal electronic access through PACER and CM/ECF channels.
The federal court source helps separate Madison County state-court records from Western District of North Carolina records.