NC Courthouse Directory · Catawba County

This guide is for anyone charged with DWI in Catawba County, North Carolina, whether the arrest was in Hickory, Newton or Conover, on I-40 or US 321, or near Lake Norman in Sherrills Ford and Terrell. It covers where Catawba County DWI cases are heard, the magistrates in Newton and Hickory, every law enforcement agency that makes DWI arrests, local crash data, and the DMV offices that serve the county.

Where Catawba County DWI cases are heard

Catawba County DWI cases are heard at the Catawba County Justice Center, 100 Government Drive, Newton, NC 28658. The Judicial Branch lists the main number as (828) 695-6100, weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., a free parking lot, and wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance and restrooms. The mailing address is 100 Government Drive, Department A, Newton, NC 28658.

Catawba County’s district numbers are easy to mix up. For prosecution and District Court, Catawba is in District 36 with Burke and Caldwell counties. For Superior Court, Catawba is its own district, District 19, under G.S. 7A-41. A misdemeanor DWI under G.S. 20-138.1 is tried by a District Court judge, with the right to appeal to Superior Court for a jury trial; felony cases such as habitual DWI go to Superior Court after indictment. For the first setting, see what happens at your first DWI court date.

Clerk of Superior Court, magistrates and key contacts

The Catawba County Clerk of Superior Court is reached through the Justice Center main line, (828) 695-6100, and the county has two magistrate offices, one in Newton and one in Hickory. These numbers are from the Judicial Branch Catawba County contact directory, checked November 2026:

No public defender office: Catawba County is not one of the public defender districts listed in G.S. 7A-498.7. If the court finds a defendant indigent and entitled to counsel, a private attorney is appointed through the NC Office of Indigent Defense Services system instead.

Find your Catawba County court date

Look up a Catawba County court date by name or citation number online. Catawba County was in the final group of counties to move to eCourts on October 13, 2025, so its calendars and case records are on the NC eCourts Portal and the Judicial Branch court date search. Nccourts.gov also posts Catawba County local administrative schedules.

Map: Catawba County Justice Center, law enforcement and DMV

The map shows the Justice Center campus, Hickory Police headquarters (where the Hickory magistrate sits), Conover Police, the Sheriff’s Sherrills Ford satellite office near Lake Norman, and both NCDMV driver license offices.

Coordinates: U.S. Census Bureau geocoder for the published addresses; the Justice Center pin is an OpenStreetMap building match because the Census geocoder did not match it. Newton, Maiden, Claremont, Long View, Catawba and Brookford police are not pinned because we did not find a street address for them on an official page; NCSHP District V (3265 U.S. 70 SE, Newton) did not geocode.

Law enforcement agencies that make DWI arrests in Catawba County

DWI arrests in Catawba County are made by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, eight municipal police departments, and the NC State Highway Patrol. The Sheriff patrols the unincorporated county, including the Lake Norman side around Sherrills Ford and Terrell, where it keeps a satellite office. Catawba County’s 911 Communications Center lists police departments for Hickory, Newton, Conover, Maiden, Claremont, Long View, Catawba and Brookford. Long View extends into Burke County and Maiden into Lincoln County, so the exact location of the stop decides which county’s court hears the case.

Catawba County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Norman side

According to the county, the Sheriff’s Office answers about 115,000 calls for service a year and runs the detention facility on the government campus in Newton, which was expanded in 2021 to 579 beds. For drivers arrested on the eastern, Lake Norman side of the county, the Sheriff keeps a satellite office at 8456 Sherrills Ford Road. Whoever made the arrest, the driver sees a magistrate in Newton or Hickory, and a person who does not post bond is held at the Newton detention facility. Read Sherrills Ford DWI: preserve the timeline after a Lake Norman traffic encounter and Terrell DWI.

Hickory Police Department

Hickory is the county’s largest city. The city describes its police department as a full-service agency of 157 full-time coworkers working from the Floyd W. Lucas, Jr. Police Headquarters at 347 2nd Avenue SW, which also houses a magistrate. That matters after a Hickory arrest: the magistrate who sets your release conditions may be in the same building as the arresting officers. Hickory crash reports can be requested online through the city.

Newton, Conover and the smaller towns

Newton (the county seat), Conover, Maiden, Claremont, Long View, Catawba and Brookford each have their own police department, and each keeps its own reports and video. For town-specific issues see Newton DWI: read the chemical-test report in its full timeline, Maiden DWI and Catawba DWI: town vs. county.

NC State Highway Patrol, Troop F

Troop F is headquartered in Newton at 1033 Smyre Farm Road, and Troop F, District V covers Catawba and Lincoln counties from 3265 U.S. 70 SE in Newton. Troopers work I-40, US 321 and the state highway network; their DWI cases go to the same Justice Center and District 36 prosecutors.

Breath testing in Catawba County

Every evidential breath test in Catawba County is done on the Intox EC/IR II, the instrument approved statewide. The test ticket prints the instrument location, the analyst and the times, so it is the first document to check after a Hickory, Newton, county or trooper arrest.

When drugs are suspected or a breath test is impossible, officers seek blood, generally under a search warrant or valid consent; see blood tests in NC DWI cases. A willful refusal carries its own one-year DMV revocation.

Catawba County alcohol-related crash data, 2020–2025

NCDOT counted 208 alcohol-related crashes in Catawba County in 2025, up from 181 in 2024, with 159 alcohol-related injuries, the most in the six-year table. Deaths were 6 in 2025, after a high of 12 in 2021.

These are crash codes, not DWI arrests or convictions. Statewide context is on our NC DWI statistics page.

DMV offices for Catawba County drivers

Catawba County has two NCDMV driver license offices: Hickory, 1158 Lenoir-Rhyne Blvd. SE (828-326-9126), and Newton, 1033 Smyre Farm Road (828-466-5516). Both are on NCDMV’s extended-hours list; check current hours at ncdot.gov/dmv. You will deal with these offices on reinstatement, ignition interlock restrictions and license restoration; a limited driving privilege comes from the court.

A refusal hearing under G.S. 20-16.2 is held in the county where the charge was brought, before a DMV hearing officer, at the place set in the hearing notice. See the DMV refusal hearing and the 30-day civil revocation.

More Catawba County DWI articles

Catawba County DWI FAQ

General North Carolina legal information as of November 2026, not legal advice for any specific case. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising.