North Carolina Form AOC-CVM-200 is the Complaint in Summary Ejectment that a landlord files in small claims court to legally remove a tenant from a rental property in North Carolina. The form starts the eviction lawsuit, names the parties, lists the grounds for removal, and asks the magistrate to award possession, unpaid rent, damages, and court costs under N.C.G.S. Chapter 42, Article 3.
The form is short, but the consequences of getting it wrong are big. A single missed checkbox or wrong date can cause a magistrate to dismiss the case, sending the landlord back to square one while the tenant stays rent-free for another two to four weeks. According to the North Carolina Judicial Branch caseload reports, small claims courts process more than 180,000 summary ejectment filings each year, and roughly 1 in 5 are dismissed for procedural defects in the complaint itself.
Here is what this guide will teach you:
- 📋 How to read every box on AOC-CVM-200 and fill it out without errors
- 🏠 Which of the four grounds for eviction fits your case under § 42-26
- 💵 The exact 2026 filing fees, sheriff service fees, and payment methods
- ⚖️ How to file in paper counties, eCourts counties, and by mail
- 🛡️ How to avoid the top 10 mistakes that get summary ejectment cases dismissed
What the Form Is and Who Must File It
Form AOC-CVM-200, currently published with a revision date of December 2020 by the Administrative Office of the Courts, is the official Complaint in Summary Ejectment used in every one of North Carolina’s 100 counties. It is the document the landlord (the “plaintiff”) files to start a fast-track eviction case in front of a magistrate. The form must be paired with a Magistrate Summons (AOC-CVM-100), which the clerk issues to the tenant (the “defendant”) so they have notice of the court date.
Any landlord who wants to legally remove a tenant must file this form. That includes the property owner, a co-owner, an heir who inherited the rental, a property management company acting as the owner’s authorized agent under the North Carolina State Bar’s authorized-agent rule, and an attorney representing the landlord. A non-attorney property manager may sign and file AOC-CVM-200 for the owner, but cannot argue the case at trial without crossing into unauthorized practice of law under N.C.G.S. § 84-4.
The form solves one specific problem: it lets a landlord recover possession of the property in about 30 days instead of the months it would take to sue under regular civil procedure. The trade-off is that the magistrate can only award possession plus money damages up to the small claims jurisdictional limit of $10,000. Anything bigger has to go to district court.
The form does not work for commercial leases that contain their own remedies clause, for guests with no lease, for foreclosure-related removals, or for hotel stays under 90 days. Filing AOC-CVM-200 against the wrong type of occupant gets the case dismissed and exposes the landlord to a wrongful eviction counterclaim under § 42-25.6.
Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need
Gather everything below before you open the form. Walking into the clerk’s office with missing pieces means a wasted trip and another week of unpaid rent. Use this pre-filing checklist:
- The signed lease. You need the lease to prove the rental relationship, the monthly rent, and any breach clauses. Without it, the magistrate has nothing to enforce, and the case can be dismissed for lack of evidence under Rule 41.
- A current rent ledger. This shows the exact amount owed and the date each payment was missed. A sloppy ledger lets the tenant argue you miscounted, which can cut your judgment in half.
- The 10-day demand letter for nonpayment cases. N.C.G.S. § 42-3 requires a 10-day written demand before suing for unpaid rent unless the lease waives it. Skip the demand and the magistrate will dismiss.
- The notice to quit for holdover or breach cases. The notice period depends on the tenancy type under § 42-14, ranging from 2 days for week-to-week to 30 days for year-to-year.
- Proof of service of the notice. Keep the certified mail receipt, the hand-delivery affidavit, or the posting photo with date stamp. Without proof, the tenant denies receiving it and you lose.
- The full property address with unit number. Vague addresses like “Apt B” without a street number make the writ of possession unenforceable when the sheriff arrives.
- The tenant’s full legal name and any co-tenant names. Naming only one of two co-tenants leaves the other in possession after judgment.
- A military status check from the Defense Manpower Data Center. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act requires you to certify whether the tenant is on active duty, and a false certification is a federal crime.
- Filing fee in the correct payment form. As of 2026 the fee is $96 for summary ejectment, plus $30 per defendant for sheriff service under § 7A-305.
- A photo ID for the person signing the verification. Clerks now check ID at the counter in most counties to deter fraudulent filings.
If any of these is missing, the safer move is to wait one more day and gather it than to file a defective complaint that gets tossed.
Where to Get the Form and How to Access It
The official PDF lives on the North Carolina Judicial Branch website at the AOC-CVM-200 form page. The form is free, fillable, and printable, and is the only version a magistrate will accept. Do not download knock-off versions from third-party landlord sites because the AOC updates the form periodically and an outdated version can be rejected at the counter.
You can also pick up a paper copy at the Clerk of Superior Court’s office in the county where the rental property is located. Every county courthouse keeps a stack at the small claims window, and clerks will hand you one at no charge. The court locator tool shows the address and hours of every clerk’s office.
In the eCourts counties running the Odyssey system as of 2026 (which now covers more than 60 counties including Wake, Mecklenburg, Durham, Harnett, Lee, and Johnston), the form is generated inside the eFiling portal at File & Serve when you start a new summary ejectment case. The portal walks you through the same fields and produces a PDF that matches AOC-CVM-200.
Spanish-speaking landlords and tenants can use the bilingual version of AOC-CVM-201 for reference, but the filed complaint must be in English. Filing a Spanish-only version gets it kicked back at intake.
Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out AOC-CVM-200 Line by Line
The form fits on one page, front and back. Work top to bottom and do not skip any field, even fields that look optional. Below is every box, in order, with the six-element walkthrough for each.
County Box (Top Left)
The first field asks which county your case belongs in. Write the name of the county where the rental property sits, not where you live and not where the tenant works. Print it in all capital letters in the small box at the top left of the form, like WAKE or MECKLENBURG.
For example, Maria Lopez owns a duplex in Cary, which sits in Wake County, so she writes WAKE in the county box even though she lives in Durham. The nuance: if the property straddles a county line, file in the county where the front door is located, because that controls jurisdiction under § 42-28.
The most common mistake is putting the landlord’s home county here, which causes the clerk to reject the filing for improper venue and forces a refile. A misconception is that you can pick a “friendlier” county; venue is fixed by statute and cannot be shopped.
File No. Box
Leave this box blank. The clerk assigns the file number when you file the complaint, and writing in your own number confuses the docketing system. The clerk stamps a number like 26 CVM 4421 in this box at intake.
For example, Marcus Reed, a property manager filing for a portfolio owner, leaves the file no. box empty and lets the Mecklenburg clerk stamp the assigned number. The nuance: in eCourts counties the system auto-generates the file number once you submit, so the field is auto-filled and you should not type anything.
A common mistake is reusing an old file number from a prior case against the same tenant, which makes the clerk think you are amending an old case and routes the new filing to the wrong magistrate. The misconception is that quoting an old file number speeds things up; it actually slows everything down.
In The General Court Of Justice / District Court Division
This pre-printed header tells you the case is being filed in district court, small claims division. You do not write anything here, but you do need to confirm the “Small Claims” box is the correct division for your case. AOC-CVM-200 is exclusively a small claims form.
For example, Janet Nguyen, who is owed $14,000 in back rent, cannot use AOC-CVM-200 to recover all of it because the small claims cap is $10,000 under § 7A-210. She files for possession plus the $10,000 cap and sues separately in district court for the rest.
The common mistake is using AOC-CVM-200 to chase damages above $10,000, which forces the magistrate to either cut your award or transfer the case. The misconception is that you can split one rental debt into multiple small claims; you cannot, because of the rule against claim-splitting.
Name And Address Of Plaintiff
Enter the landlord’s full legal name and mailing address. If the landlord is an individual, use the legal name as it appears on the deed, like Maria Elena Lopez. If the landlord is an LLC or corporation, use the exact entity name as registered with the NC Secretary of State, like Lopez Holdings, LLC.
For example, Lopez Holdings, LLC, 412 Main Street, Cary, NC 27511 goes on the line. The nuance: if the property is owned by a trust, name the trustee in their capacity, like Carla Lopez, Trustee of the Lopez Family Trust. A P.O. Box is acceptable for the mailing address but the entity must still be a real registered owner of record.
The most common mistake is filing under a “doing business as” name like Lopez Rentals when the deed says Lopez Holdings, LLC. Magistrates dismiss these cases for lack of standing because the named plaintiff has no legal interest in the property. The misconception is that the d/b/a is good enough; it is not, and the AOC will reject the filing.
Name And Address Of Defendant(s)
List every adult tenant on the lease. Use full legal names, not nicknames. If you do not know a co-tenant’s full name, use the best information you have plus and all other occupants. The address should be the rental address, including unit number.
For example, Carlos Mendez and Ana Mendez, 88 Pine Street Apt 3B, Raleigh, NC 27604 covers both spouses on the lease. The nuance: if a child is over 18 and living there as a tenant, name them too, even if they did not sign the lease, because § 42-26 requires every adult occupant to be named.
A common mistake is naming only the lease signer when a spouse or roommate also lives there. The sheriff cannot remove an unnamed adult, so the eviction fails and you start over. The misconception is that “and all other occupants” alone is enough; courts require named individuals where their identities are known.
Plaintiff Is The (Owner / Agent / Attorney) Box
Check exactly one box telling the court your relationship to the property. The choices are Owner, Agent, or Attorney for Plaintiff. An LLC member checks Agent if the member is filing on behalf of the LLC and is not an attorney.
For example, Marcus Reed of Triangle Property Management checks Agent because he files on behalf of the property owner under a written management agreement. The nuance: under State Bar 2002 Formal Ethics Opinion 9, an authorized agent can sign and file but cannot argue at the hearing.
The common mistake is checking Owner when you are actually a property manager, which is unauthorized practice of law and exposes you to bar prosecution. The misconception is that the manager is the owner for legal purposes; only the deed-holder is the owner.
Ground 1 — Failure to Pay Rent (Box 1)
Check this box when the tenant has not paid rent and the lease lets you sue for nonpayment. You must also fill in the lease date, the rent amount, the due date, the amount currently due, and confirm the 10-day demand was made under § 42-3.
For example, Maria Lopez writes that the lease was signed 03/01/2025, rent is $1,450 due on the 1st of each month, and $2,900 is now owed because the tenant skipped April and May 2026. The nuance: late fees, NSF fees, and utility reimbursements do not count as “rent” unless the lease specifically labels them as additional rent.
The most common mistake is suing the day rent is late instead of waiting the 10-day grace period required by statute and lease. The case is dismissed and the tenant gets free legal ammunition. The misconception is that the lease’s 5-day grace period replaces the 10-day demand; it does not, unless the lease expressly waives the statutory demand.
Ground 2 — Holding Over After End of Lease (Box 2)
Check this box when the lease term has ended and the tenant refuses to leave. Fill in the lease end date and confirm you gave the proper notice required by the tenancy type under § 42-14: 7 days for month-to-month, 2 days for week-to-week, and 30 days for year-to-year.
For example, Janet Nguyen writes that the month-to-month tenancy ended on 04/30/2026 after she gave a 7-day written notice on 04/22/2026. The nuance: if the tenant paid rent after the notice expired and you accepted it, you may have waived the holdover claim and need to start over with a fresh notice.
The common mistake is sending a 30-day notice for a month-to-month tenancy out of caution and then suing on day 8, which confuses the magistrate about which notice controls. The misconception is that a verbal notice counts; it does not under North Carolina case law.
Ground 3 — Breach of Condition in Lease (Box 3)
Check this box when the tenant violated a specific lease condition and the lease contains a forfeiture clause that allows termination for that breach. You must identify the breach and confirm any cure period in the lease has expired.
For example, Marcus Reed checks Box 3 and writes Unauthorized pet (pit bull) kept in unit since 02/15/2026 in violation of Section 14 of the lease. The nuance: the lease must contain a re-entry or forfeiture clause; without one, breach alone does not trigger summary ejectment under Stanley v. Harvey, 90 N.C. App. 535.
The common mistake is suing for a “breach” that is really nonpayment dressed up, like late fees, which fails because nonpayment has its own ground and its own demand process. The misconception is that any lease violation supports eviction; only material breaches that the lease specifically lists as forfeiture grounds qualify.
Ground 4 — Criminal Activity or Drug-Related Activity (Box 4)
Check this box for criminal activity that threatens health or safety, or for drug activity, under § 42-63. This ground requires either a conviction, a controlled-substance complaint, or specific facts showing the activity occurred at the property.
For example, Triangle Public Housing checks Box 4 and writes Defendant arrested 03/12/2026 for sale of cocaine inside Apt 3B; charges in 26 CRS 1422. The nuance: a mere arrest is enough if you can prove the underlying activity at the hearing, but a conviction makes the case far stronger.
The common mistake is using Box 4 for noisy parties or domestic disputes that are not criminal under state law, which leads to dismissal. The misconception is that any police visit qualifies; only the conduct listed in § 42-63 does.
Demand for Possession Section
This pre-printed paragraph asks the court to put the landlord back in possession of the premises. You do not write anything here unless the form has a blank for the property address; if so, repeat the rental address from the defendant box.
For example, the address line reads 88 Pine Street Apt 3B, Raleigh, NC 27604, matching what is in the defendant box. The nuance: the address you list here is the address the sheriff will use when executing the writ of possession, so any typo can stop the eviction at the doorstep.
The common mistake is listing a different unit number here than in the defendant box, which makes the writ unenforceable. The misconception is that the sheriff will figure out the right unit; sheriffs follow the writ literally.
Money Damages Section
Enter the total dollar amount you are asking for, broken into past-due rent, damages, and court costs. Do not include future rent that has not yet come due, because magistrates cannot award rent that is not yet owed.
For example, Maria Lopez writes $2,900 past-due rent + $0 damages + $96 court costs for a total of $2,996. The nuance: if your lease has a valid late fee clause capped at 5% of the monthly rent under § 42-46, you can add it; anything above 5% is illegal and triggers tenant counterclaims.
The common mistake is padding the demand with fees the lease does not authorize, which can flip the case into a tenant win on counterclaim. The misconception is that you can ask for “rent through trial date”; magistrates only award rent through the day of judgment.
Verification and Signature Block
Sign and date the form at the bottom in front of a notary or the clerk. The verification is a sworn statement that the facts are true to the best of your knowledge under Rule 11, and a false verification is perjury under § 14-209.
For example, Maria Lopez signs as Maria E. Lopez, Manager, Lopez Holdings, LLC and dates it 05/24/2026. The nuance: clerks in most counties will notarize for free at the counter, so do not pre-notarize unless you are mailing the complaint.
The common mistake is signing a printed name only without an actual signature, which voids the verification. The misconception is that an electronic signature in the eCourts portal is the same as a handwritten one; the portal uses an authenticated e-signature linked to your File & Serve account, which the statute treats as equivalent.
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Affidavit
The form contains a separate SCRA affidavit certifying whether the defendant is on active military duty. Run the tenant’s name and last four SSN through the DMDC SCRA database, print the result, and check the matching box.
For example, Marcus Reed runs Carlos Mendez through DMDC, gets a “not on active duty” certificate dated 05/24/2026, and checks the not in military service box. The nuance: if the tenant is on active duty, you must request appointment of an attorney for the servicemember and the case slows down significantly under 50 U.S.C. § 3931.
The common mistake is checking unknown without doing the DMDC search, which is a federal crime if the tenant is actually serving. The misconception is that “I asked the tenant” counts as due diligence; only the DMDC search counts.
Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios
Three named landlords show how the form looks for the most common fact patterns.
Scenario 1: Maria Lopez — Nonpayment of Rent
| Form Section | What Maria Enters |
|---|---|
| County | WAKE |
| Plaintiff name and address | Lopez Holdings, LLC, 412 Main Street, Cary, NC 27511 |
| Defendant name and address | Carlos Mendez and Ana Mendez, 88 Pine Street Apt 3B, Raleigh, NC 27604 |
| Plaintiff role box | Agent (Maria is LLC manager, not an attorney) |
| Ground checked | Box 1 — Failure to pay rent |
| Lease date / monthly rent / due date | 03/01/2025 / $1,450 / 1st of month |
| Past-due rent | $2,900 (April + May 2026) |
| 10-day demand date | 05/10/2026, certified mail #7022… |
| SCRA affidavit | Not in military service (DMDC cert dated 05/24/2026) |
| Money judgment requested | $2,996 total |
Scenario 2: Janet Nguyen — Holdover After Month-to-Month Termination
| Form Section | What Janet Enters |
|---|---|
| County | DURHAM |
| Plaintiff name and address | Janet Nguyen, 217 Oak Drive, Durham, NC 27701 |
| Defendant name and address | Robert Hayes, 904 Cedar Lane, Durham, NC 27703 |
| Plaintiff role box | Owner |
| Ground checked | Box 2 — Holding over after end of term |
| Tenancy type and end date | Month-to-month, ended 04/30/2026 |
| Notice to quit date | 7-day notice mailed 04/22/2026 |
| Past-due rent | $0 (possession only) |
| SCRA affidavit | Not in military service |
| Money judgment requested | $96 court costs only |
Scenario 3: Triangle Property Management — Breach of Condition
| Form Section | What Marcus Enters |
|---|---|
| County | MECKLENBURG |
| Plaintiff name and address | Charlotte Investors, LP c/o Triangle Property Mgmt, 50 Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 |
| Defendant name and address | Tasha Williams, 1200 Elm Avenue Apt 7, Charlotte, NC 28204 |
| Plaintiff role box | Agent |
| Ground checked | Box 3 — Breach of condition |
| Description of breach | Unauthorized pit bull in unit since 02/15/2026, violating Section 14 of lease |
| Cure period status | 10-day cure period expired 05/01/2026 |
| Past-due rent | $0 |
| SCRA affidavit | Not in military service |
| Money judgment requested | $96 court costs + $250 cleaning damages = $346 |
How to File the Completed Form
You have three filing channels, and each county supports at least two of them.
In person at the Clerk of Superior Court. Bring two copies of AOC-CVM-200 plus AOC-CVM-100, your lease, your demand letter, and your SCRA certificate. The fee is $96 for the complaint plus $30 per defendant for sheriff service under § 7A-305. Most clerks accept cash, check, money order, and Visa/Mastercard with a small convenience fee. The clerk stamps a file number and a court date, usually 7–14 days out, and your proof of filing is the stamped copy you take home. Find your clerk at the court locator.
By mail. Send the signed, notarized complaint along with the summons, attachments, and a check made payable to Clerk of Superior Court to the courthouse for the county where the property sits. Mail filings can take 3–5 business days to dock and sometimes get rejected for missing signatures, so this channel is the slowest. Your proof of filing is the certified mail green card paired with the file-stamped copy the clerk mails back.
Online through eCourts File & Serve. In counties live on Odyssey (Wake, Mecklenburg, Durham, Harnett, Lee, Johnston, and 50+ more as of 2026), file at the eCourts File & Serve portal. The portal walks you through each field, accepts credit card payment for the $96 plus the $30 service fee, and emails you a file-stamped PDF as proof. Processing is usually same-day or next-business-day. The full list of live counties is at the eCourts services page.
After filing, the sheriff serves the summons on the tenant by personal delivery or by posting plus mailing under § 42-29, and the case is set for hearing.
What Happens After You File
The clerk schedules the hearing 7 to 14 days after filing in front of a magistrate. The sheriff serves the tenant under § 42-29, which allows posting on the door plus first-class mail if personal delivery fails. Either side can appear with or without a lawyer.
At the hearing, the magistrate hears live testimony and reviews the lease, ledger, demand letter, and any photos. If the landlord wins, the magistrate signs a Judgment in Action for Summary Ejectment (AOC-CVM-401) ordering possession and any unpaid rent and damages.
The tenant has 10 days to appeal to district court under § 7A-228. To stay in possession during the appeal, the tenant must post a bond equal to the rent that will accrue, under § 42-34. If no appeal is filed and no bond is posted, the landlord may file a Writ of Possession (AOC-CVM-410) on day 11, and the sheriff posts the writ and removes the tenant within 5 business days.
Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form
- Filing in the wrong county. Wrong venue causes the magistrate to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.
- Suing under the wrong owner name. A d/b/a or trade name has no standing, and the case dies on a name objection.
- Skipping the 10-day demand under § 42-3. Without the demand, nonpayment cases get dismissed even if every dollar is owed.
- Using the wrong notice period for holdover. A 2-day notice on a month-to-month tenancy is fatal because § 42-14 requires 7 days.
- Naming only one of two adult tenants. The unnamed adult stays after the writ runs and you start over.
- Checking multiple grounds without facts to support each. Magistrates dismiss “kitchen sink” complaints when no ground is fully proven.
- Skipping the SCRA affidavit. A blank SCRA box voids the judgment if the tenant is later found to be active duty.
- Listing future rent as past-due. The magistrate cuts the award and may sanction the landlord for an inflated demand.
- Forgetting to sign the verification. An unverified complaint is a nullity under Rule 11.
- Filing without a forfeiture clause for breach cases. No clause means no remedy under Stanley v. Harvey.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do
- Do verify the tenant’s name with the lease to make sure spellings match exactly, because a misspelled name is a free defense.
- Do attach the lease, ledger, and demand letter to your filing copy so the magistrate sees the full picture at hearing.
- Do run the DMDC SCRA check within 30 days of filing to keep the certificate current.
- Do file in the county where the property sits, not where you live, because venue is jurisdictional.
- Do bring photo ID to the clerk’s office because most counties now require it.
- Do keep a stamped copy of every page after filing as your proof until the writ executes.
Don’t
- Don’t accept partial rent after filing without a written non-waiver agreement, because acceptance can waive the breach.
- Don’t use AOC-CVM-200 for damages over $10,000 because that exceeds small claims jurisdiction under § 7A-210.
- Don’t self-help evict (changing locks, shutting off utilities) because it triggers treble damages under § 42-25.6.
- Don’t appear at the hearing as a non-attorney agent and try to argue, because it is unauthorized practice of law under § 84-4.
- Don’t backdate any document, because magistrates spot date inconsistencies fast and dismiss for lack of credibility.
- Don’t pad the money demand with illegal late fees because § 42-46 caps them at 5% or $15.
Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help
Pros of pro se filing
- Pro se filing saves the $400–$1,200 attorney fee for a routine nonpayment case, which matters on a single-unit rental.
- The form is short and the official AOC-CVM-200 instructions are written for the general public.
- Magistrates routinely handle pro se landlords and explain procedural questions at the bench.
- You learn the process once and can repeat it for future tenants without paying again.
- Filing yourself avoids the delay of waiting for a lawyer’s calendar to open up, which can save 7–10 days.
Cons of pro se filing
- Property managers who are not the owner cannot argue at the hearing without an attorney under § 84-4.
- A defective complaint can hand the tenant a counterclaim under § 42-25.6 and create personal liability.
- Complex cases involving Section 8, HUD-VASH, or fair-housing defenses often outrun the average pro se filer.
- Counterclaims for habitability under § 42-42 can flip a winning case into a loss without skilled cross-examination.
- Appeals to district court trigger formal Rules of Civil Procedure that are hard to navigate without counsel.
FAQs
Do I file in the county where I live or where the property is?
No. File only in the county where the rental property is located, because venue for summary ejectment is fixed by statute under § 42-28, no matter where the landlord lives.
Can a property manager sign AOC-CVM-200 for the owner?
Yes. A non-attorney property manager can sign and file as the owner’s authorized agent under State Bar 2002 FEO 9, but cannot present argument or examine witnesses at the hearing.
Do I write the rent due through trial or only through filing date?
No. Write only rent that is past-due as of the filing date, because magistrates will not award rent that has not yet accrued and may reduce a padded demand at the hearing.
Should I check more than one ground box?
No. Check only the ground you can fully prove, because checking extra boxes invites the tenant to attack the weakest one and can taint the entire complaint with credibility problems.
Do I need a notary if I file in person?
No. Most county clerks notarize the verification at the counter for free, so you can sign in front of the clerk and skip the trip to a separate notary.
Does filing AOC-CVM-200 freeze the tenant’s right to pay rent?
No. A tenant can still pay rent and cure a nonpayment case before judgment, and acceptance of full rent generally waives the suit unless you have a non-waiver clause in your lease.
Can I include attorney’s fees in the money demand?
Yes. You can include attorney’s fees only if the lease awards them and only up to 15% of the unpaid rent under § 6-21.2, and you must give the statutory notice first.
Do I name a tenant who never signed the lease but lives there?
Yes. Every adult occupant must be named, even if only one signed the lease, because the sheriff cannot remove an unnamed adult once the writ issues.
Is the SCRA affidavit really required for civilians?
Yes. The affidavit is required in every case regardless of military status, and a false certification is a federal crime under 50 U.S.C. § 3931, so always run the DMDC search.
Can I file AOC-CVM-200 online in every county?
No. Only counties live on the eCourts Odyssey system accept eFiling as of 2026, and paper counties still require in-person or mailed filings.
Do I have to wait the full 10 days after the demand before filing?
Yes. Filing on day 9 makes the complaint premature, and the magistrate will dismiss it for failure to comply with § 42-3, forcing you to redo the demand and refile.
What if I checked the wrong ground box after filing?
No. You cannot quietly fix it; you must move to amend before the hearing or voluntarily dismiss and refile, because filing a corrected version without leave is treated as a new case and may need a new fee.
Does winning the small claims case end the eviction?
No. The tenant has 10 days to appeal to district court under § 7A-228, and only after that window closes without an appeal-bond can the landlord get a writ of possession.
Can I evict a Section 8 tenant the same way?
Yes. You file the same AOC-CVM-200, but you must also serve the local housing authority and follow HUD’s good-cause requirements for voucher tenants under 24 C.F.R. § 982.310.
Related reading
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-CV-100 (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-CVM-201 + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-CVM-202 + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-CVM-300 (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-CVM-403 + FAQs
- How to Fill Out North Carolina Form AOC-SP-602 (w/Examples) + FAQs