eCourts Guide & File Reaches 100,000 Filings

eCourts Guide & File has helped the public generate more than 100,000 court filings. The application, which allows users to create and file the most common legal actions through assisted interviews, reached the mark in May.

Guide & File launched statewide in August 2020 and eFiling options began in February 2023. The free online service is available to help self-represented litigants and attorneys prepare court documents online to file for certain case types. Working much like popular tax preparation software, this online tool guides users through a series of questions (an interview) to generate court forms that are ready to be filed.

As more counties go live with eCourts, users are able to eFile these forms for certain case types. The forms may also be printed and filed at any courthouse. There are currently 17 case types available, and more are in development. Civil domestic matters, complaints in summary ejectment (eviction), and small claims complaints are the most frequently generated Guide & File case types across the state.

“Guide & File makes our courts more accessible and helps thousands of North Carolinians navigate the legal system,” said NCAOC Director Ryan S. Boyce. “This is an exciting milestone for our state.”

For more than 200 years North Carolina’s court system has been paper-driven, requiring the public to file by paper and search paper records during business hours. Now, eCourts delivers the convenience and accessibility of always-on services expected in the information age.

eCourts' transformation of decades-old mainframe applications and paper files to modern technology connects North Carolina counties in one integrated system accessible to the public online. The eCourts system has accepted more than 4 million electronic filings in North Carolina, and more than 2.6 million digital searches are conducted monthly through the eCourts Portal.

The state has established itself as the leader in 21st century case management systems in the United States.

As eCourts expands statewide, millions of North Carolinians gain mobile access to their courthouse, saving time and providing transparency. eCourts services are currently available in 73 counties, with the remaining counties planned for July and October 2025.

Learn more about Guide & File and eCourts at NCcourts.gov/eCourts.