Yancey County
Clerk of Superior Court
F. Warren Hughes

CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT
ROOM # 5
110 TOWN SQUARE
BURNSVILLE, NC   28714
828-682-2122

LYNDA HOWELL
ASSISTANT CLERK in Charge of
CIVIL DISTRICT & SUPERIOR COURT

WANDA WOODBY
ASSISTANT CLERK in Charge of
ESTATES/JURY SERVICE

TAMMY MC ENTYRE
DEPUTY CLERK in Charge of
CRIMINAL DISTRICT AND SUPERIOR COURT

SABRA WESTALL
DEPUTY CLERK in Charge of
CHILD SUPPORT

LEE-ANN CAPPS
DEPUTY CLERK in Charge of
JUVENILE PROCEEDINGS

KATHY RAY
DEPUTY CLERK in Charge of
SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS/BOND FORFEITURES
PASSPORT COORIDINATOR

            
            The Clerk of Superior Court is the hub at the center of all judicial proceedings in each of the 100 counties in the State of North Carolina.  While each county’s staffing and resources may vary, the methods and mechanics of every Clerk’s office are virtually the same.  In addition to being the primary judicial record keeper for his county, the Clerk also serves as a comptroller and more importantly, as the county probate judge.

            As the primary judicial record keeper for his county, the Clerk is responsible for filing, indexing and safeguarding each and every warrant, pleading, subpoena, and citation and legal documents which comes through his office.  With the exception of juvenile files, adoption records and certain other confidential records, each and every document in the Clerk’s office is a public record and available for inspection at a reasonable time and place.

            As Comptroller, the Clerk is responsible for receipting, investing, and disbursing several thousand dollars that pass through his office each and every year.  These funds include, but are not limited to, court fees, fines, forfeitures, restitution and minor or incompetent funds, to name a few.

            Perhaps the most important function is that of Probate Judge.  In his role as Probate Judge, the Clerk of Superior Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over the administration of decedent’s estates in his county.  In short, the Clerk is solely responsible for determining whether documents filed on behalf of a decedent meet the statutory requirements for a Last Will and Testament.  In those cases where a decedent dies without a Will, the Clerk is charged with the responsibility of supervising the administration of a intestate estate insuring that assets are preserved until disposition to the rightful heirs, and approving final disposition of same.  Finally, the Clerk also presides over hearings involving foreclosures, adoptions, partition proceedings, incompetency determinations and guardianship proceedings.

            Each Clerk of Superior Court is an elected official serving four year terms at the discretion of the citizens of his or her county.