Local resources: courts, magistrates, detention, and NCDMV
The offices a DWI case on the Outer Banks passes through, with the address and number from each office's own website or an official state page. Most cases are in Dare County; the Currituck beaches and Ocracoke have their own county courts. Confirm hours by phone before you go.
How a Dare County DWI case moves
- Arrest and testing. Officers take a breath test (or seek a blood test) and bring the person before a magistrate. In Dare County the magistrate's office is at the Detention Center in Manteo.
- Magistrate. The magistrate sets release conditions, may hold an impaired person until sober or released to a responsible adult (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-534.2), and orders the immediate 30-day civil revocation if the result was 0.08 or more or the test was refused.
- The 10-day window. You can contest the civil revocation in writing at your initial appearance or within 10 days of its effective date, to the clerk or a designated magistrate (§ 20-16.5(g)).
- District court. The DWI charge is heard by a district court judge at the Dare County Justice Center in Manteo. Court dates can be searched on the court calendar.
- Sentencing and the license. A conviction leads to a sentencing hearing (Levels Five through Aggravated Level One) and an NCDMV revocation. The Dare County DWI guide has each step.
Dare County court and magistrates
Which courtroom hears your case is printed on your paperwork. When in doubt, call the clerk of court.
Dare County Justice Center (district and superior court)
962 Marshall Collins Drive, Manteo, NC 27954
Clerk of superior court, district and superior court. Ask the clerk where to file a written request to contest the 30-day civil revocation.
Dare County magistrate's office
Dare County Detention Center, 1044 Driftwood Drive, Manteo, NC 27954
Magistrates set release conditions and order the 30-day civil revocation.
Dare County District Attorney
962 Marshall Collins Drive, Manteo, NC 27954
The prosecutor's office for Dare County, at the Justice Center.
Law enforcement and detention
Dare County Detention Center
1044 Driftwood Drive, Manteo, NC 27954
Call to ask whether someone is in custody and how release conditions can be met.
Dare County Sheriff's Office
962 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Room 105, Manteo, NC 27954
Administrative hours 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Dare Central Communications non-emergency: (252) 473-3444.
Kill Devil Hills Police Department
102 Town Hall Drive, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Town police.
Nags Head Police Department
5401 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959
Town police.
Kitty Hawk Police Department
5200A N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
Town police.
NCDMV
The office address is from official town and NCDMV pages, checked October 28, 2026. NCDMV does not publish a direct number for the office on those pages; use the statewide customer service line.
NCDMV Nags Head Driver License Office
2808 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959
Regular hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, per the Town of Manteo. Phone is NCDMV customer service.
NCDMV customer service
Raleigh, NC
License revocations, refusal hearings, restoration, and interlock questions.
Corolla, Carova, and Ocracoke: other county courts
The Currituck County beaches (Corolla and Carova) are in Currituck County, and Ocracoke Island is in Hyde County. A DWI charged there is heard in that county's court, not in Manteo.
Currituck County Courthouse
2801 Caratoke Highway, Currituck, NC 27929
Clerk of court. Currituck magistrates: (252) 232-6219.
Currituck County Sheriff's Office
125 College Way, Barco, NC 27917
Administration. Non-emergency (252) 453-3633. Corolla office: 1123 Ocean Trail, Corolla, (252) 453-2121.
Hyde County Courthouse
40 Oyster Creek Road, Swan Quarter, NC 27885
Clerk of court for cases from Ocracoke. Magistrates: Ocracoke (252) 921-0230; Swan Quarter (252) 926-4101. District Attorney: (252) 940-4010.
Your license, the assessment, and the interlock
A North Carolina DWI arrest with a result of 0.08 or more, or a refusal, brings an immediate 30-day civil revocation (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-16.5). After at least 10 days, a judge can grant a limited driving privilege to an eligible driver who has a substance abuse assessment. A refusal adds a separate 12-month NCDMV revocation (§ 20-16.2). A conviction revokes the license for one year on a first offense, and restoration requires a DWI assessment and completion of the recommended program (§ 20-17.6), and in some cases an ignition interlock (§ 20-17.8).
Authorized assessment and ADETS providers can be found on the NCDHHS provider list. The limited driving privilege guide walks through it.