- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Most people who get in trouble at the courthouse don't get in trouble over their case. They get in trouble over a phone, a parking meter, a pair of shorts, or a hallway they wandered into at the wrong moment. Here is how to walk in ready.
Since November 10, 2025, an administrative order signed by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge David L. Hall and Chief District Court Judge David E. Sipprell bans the public from bringing cell phones, smart watches, smart glasses, tablets, laptops, and cameras into the Forsyth County Courthouse.
The courthouse does not provide lockers. If you bring a phone, you will be turned away at the door and you will have to walk back to wherever you can leave it — which is how people end up missing their case being called.
Leave your phone in your car, or leave it at home.
Your court date and time are on the paperwork you were given. Sessions usually begin at 8:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., but go by your paperwork, not by a general rule. If you can't find it, look up your date at nccourts.gov/court-dates or call our office.
Forty-five minutes covers finding parking, walking to the building, waiting in the security line, and finding your courtroom in a building you have probably never been in. It is not padding. On a busy morning the security line alone can eat twenty minutes.
The order bans "any other electronic device capable of recording or transmitting sound or images." That language is broad on purpose. A smart watch counts. So do smart glasses, tablets, laptops, and cameras. If you're not sure whether something qualifies, assume it does and leave it in the car.
The order does list exceptions. Being a defendant is not one of them. The people who may bring devices in include:
Medical devices. If you use a phone or wearable to monitor a health condition — a continuous glucose monitor, a cardiac monitor — the order allows it with approval from the Trial Court Administrator. Get that approval before your court date, not at the security line.
Representing yourself. If you have no attorney and you genuinely need a device for your case, you can ask the presiding judge for permission. Ask in advance where possible.
If either applies to you, call us at 336-661-8788 before your court date so it gets handled ahead of time.
On-street spaces around the courthouse are no longer coin meters. Winston-Salem switched to the PayByPhone app in May 2025. The rate is $1.50 per hour. On-street parking is free after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend — which does not help you, because court happens during the day.
Here is the problem. The city wants you to manage your parking with a phone. The courthouse won't let you bring the phone in. And Forsyth County dockets run long — a morning calendar call can stretch well past lunch. You cannot step out to add time, because if your name is called and you are not there, you have a much bigger problem than a parking ticket.
| Option | Cost | Our take |
|---|---|---|
| Parking deck or lot (4th & Church, Cherry/6th/Trade, City Hall North) |
About $1/hour, roughly $9 daily max | Best choice. You take a ticket on the way in and pay on the way out. No phone needed while you're inside, no clock running out on you. |
| On-street (PayByPhone) | $1.50/hour | Only if you must. Sit in your car, open the app, and buy five or six hours — far more than you think you need. Then lock the phone in your trunk before you walk to the building. |
| Get dropped off | Free | Underrated. Have someone drop you at the door and keep your phone. They can pick you up when you're done. |
| Liberty Plaza deck | Free for summoned jurors only | Not available to defendants, witnesses, or family. Parking there without a summons risks a citation. |
If your session expires, the city's time-violation fine is $30. And if you accumulate three unpaid parking tickets each more than 90 days old and are then found parked illegally, the city can put a wheel lock on your car — you'd have to pay every outstanding fine plus the wheel-lock fee at the Revenue Office in the Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building to get it off.
Everyone walks through a metal detector and puts their belongings through an X-ray machine. You do not need a photo ID to enter the state courthouse for a public proceeding — but bring one anyway. You will need it for the clerk's office, for paying costs, and for anything else you may end up doing that day.
To get through the line faster: leave the backpack and the oversized tote at home. Carry your paperwork in a folder. Empty your pockets before you reach the front of the line. Weapons, knives, and recording devices will be confiscated.
If your case is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, none of the above applies the same way. Federal court requires a government-issued photo ID at the door and has its own electronics policy. Check your paperwork carefully — it tells you which court you're going to.
Nobody expects you to own a suit. What the court expects is that you took the day seriously. The judge sees hundreds of people; how you present yourself is part of the impression the court forms of you, and the judge has wide discretion over how your day goes. Dress like you're going to a job interview or a funeral.
A judge can send you out of the courtroom to change. If that happens, you may lose your place on the calendar and you may miss your case being called — which turns a clothing problem into a failure-to-appear problem.
Children are allowed in the courtroom. But court requires near-total silence — a crying child interferes with the recording system the court relies on, and the judge or bailiff can ask you and the child to leave.
Find the bailiff or courtroom deputy. Give them your name and tell them you have a small child with you. Then, if your child gets restless, you can step out into the hallway — and the bailiff will come get you when your case is close to being called.
That thirty-second conversation is the difference between waiting in the hallway and being marked as failing to appear. If childcare is possible for that day, take it. But if it isn't, this is how you handle it.
If you don't show up for a criminal case in North Carolina, the court can issue an order for your arrest, and the clerk can add a $200 failure-to-appear fee under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-304.
Two things worth knowing. That fee is not charged if, within 20 days of the missed date, you either come to court to answer the charge or otherwise dispose of it. And if you missed court because of an error by a court official, a prosecutor, or law enforcement, the court is required to waive it.
If you have already missed a court date, do not wait. Call a lawyer today. The window to fix it quietly is short.
No. Under an administrative order effective November 10, 2025, the public may not bring cell phones, smart phones, smart watches, smart glasses, tablets, laptops, or cameras into the Forsyth County Courthouse. Attorneys, jurors with a valid summons or badge, law enforcement on duty, and several other categories are exempt. There are no public lockers, so leave your device in your vehicle or at home.
On-street parking downtown costs $1.50 per hour and is paid through the PayByPhone app. It is free after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend. Nearby parking decks run about $1.00 per hour with a daily maximum around $9.00. An expired on-street session results in a $30 time-violation ticket.
A photo ID is not required to pass through security at the Forsyth County state courthouse for a public proceeding. Bring one anyway — you will likely need it at the clerk's office or to pay costs. Federal court is different and does require government-issued photo ID at the entrance.
Business casual or better. A collared shirt or blouse, dress slacks or khakis, and closed-toe shoes are appropriate. Avoid shorts, ripped jeans, tank tops, flip-flops, hats, sunglasses, and graphic t-shirts. A judge can order you out of the courtroom to change, which can cause you to miss your case being called.
Yes, children are permitted, but the courtroom requires silence and the judge or bailiff may remove a disruptive child and the accompanying adult. If you must bring a child, tell the bailiff as soon as you enter so you can wait in the hallway if needed and still be called for your case.
Sessions typically begin at 8:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., but you must go by the time printed on your paperwork. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Plan to arrive at least 45 minutes before your scheduled time.
The court may issue an order for your arrest and the clerk may assess a $200 failure-to-appear fee under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-304. The fee is not assessed if you appear or dispose of the charge within 20 days of the missed date, and the court must waive it if the failure resulted from an error by a judicial official, prosecutor, or law enforcement officer.
At Greenwood Law you work directly with the attorney who stands beside you in court. If you have a court date in Forsyth County, let's talk before it gets here.
Call 336-661-8788Last reviewed August 2026. Sources: Forsyth County Administrative Order 25R001747-330 (Nov. 6, 2025); N.C. Judicial Branch, Forsyth County Courthouse; City of Winston-Salem Parking Regulations; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-304.
This page is general information about courthouse logistics in Forsyth County, North Carolina. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Court rules, parking rates, and administrative orders change — confirm details before your court date, and talk to a lawyer about your specific case.
