Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search box is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Buncombe County Criminal History does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to respond and manage the exchange. It remains within the operating team unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, servers may collect routine technical information about that visit:
- Page-view times and the pages opened
- The referring site, when one is supplied
- Device type and operating system
- Browser name and version
- The device's assigned IP address
- Approximate time spent on pages
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a device. They and analytics services help combine traffic information, such as popular pages and common exit points. A browser can reject cookies through its settings, although disabling them may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Routing a search request to the selected partner
- Maintaining site operation and page speed
- Finding and correcting technical faults
- Measuring which content visitors use
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Buncombe County Criminal History does not build, store, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general directions to the sheriff, Buncombe County courts, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. Visitor data is not assembled into a consumer report or a record about another person, and this site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes. Their privacy terms, retention periods, and sharing practices apply to data entered in those tools. This policy does not control those providers. Read the applicable partner policy before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Buncombe County offices, court portals, North Carolina agencies, legal-aid resources, or outside search tools. Once a visitor follows an external link, the destination's privacy policy controls that visit. Review it before providing personal information.
Advertising partners may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and select ads. Their tracking is not operated by this site.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal data is not sold. Limited information may be received by:
- Analytics providers measuring traffic and performance
- Search partners processing a submitted query
- Advertising networks serving site ads
- A government or law-enforcement body acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Standard safeguards are used for data under our control. No internet service can guarantee absolute security, so those measures reduce risk but cannot promise that a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone younger than 18. If such data is identified, it will be removed.
Your Data Rights
Applicable law may provide rights concerning personal data. North Carolina's Public Records Law, Chapter 132, governs qualifying records held by public agencies, not visitor data held by this private site. North Carolina's criminal-history dissemination law, G.S. 143B-1208.15, governs the state repository and does not turn this site into that repository. Subject to the law that applies, a visitor may:
- Request access to personal data held about that visitor
- Ask that inaccurate personal data be corrected
- Seek deletion where the applicable law permits it
- Object to eligible forms of processing
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. Any replacement will be posted on this page and will carry its new effective date.
Effective date: August 1, 2026