Johnston County Registrar Craig Olive Discusses Tech, Veteran Programs, and Passport Services

Jonathan Breeden:
Alright, here we go. Three, two, one…

Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden. On today’s episode, we have Johnston County Register of Deeds, Craig Olive. He’s going to talk with us about what his office does—how you can get your passport through his office, his Thank a Veteran program, and the efforts he’s made to help people avoid becoming victims of identity theft.

Craig Olive is probably one of the most cutting-edge Registers of Deeds in the country, and he’s right here in Johnston County. I don’t think people realize that, which is why I wanted him to come on the podcast.

But before we get to that, I want to remind everyone to like, follow, or subscribe wherever you’re hearing this—YouTube, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, or any of our other social channels. New episodes come out every Monday, so check back weekly and explore our past interviews, including guests like County Commissioner Patrick Harris, Miss Teen America Hanley House, local dentist Dr. Tim Sims, Economic Development Director Chris Johnson, and Commissioner Bill Stovall.

Jonathan Breeden:
Thanks for coming on, Craig.

Craig Olive:
Thank you, Jonathan. It’s a pleasure to be here. I appreciate you doing this.

Jonathan Breeden:
Let’s start with a little background. Who are you, and where are you from?

Craig Olive:
I’m Craig Olive. I was born and raised in Johnston County on a family farm. I’m 59 years young and come from a big family—fifteen kids including me. My dad was a farmer and worked in insurance. My mom went back to school at 45 to become a nurse and worked at WakeMed for 15 years.

I graduated from Smithfield-Selma High School. At the time, I was working at Hardee’s in Smithfield, moving into management. After nine years, I was tired of working the midnight shift. I saw an opening for a Driver’s License Examiner and took that. I’d been involved in politics since I was thirteen—Ronald Reagan inspired me. I later became Chairman of the Young Republicans.

My dad passed away when I was 16, and my mom later showed me an old newspaper clipping. Turns out, my dad was also the Young Republican Chairman in Johnston County in the early ’60s. I had no idea.

Jonathan Breeden:
So when did you become a driver’s license examiner?

Craig Olive:
In 1989. I started in Durham, transferred to Smithfield, and eventually became the Senior Examiner at the first driver’s license office in Clayton. I stayed there until I decided to run for office—I love history, I love Johnston County. Our office is like a museum—preserving history one page at a time.

Jonathan Breeden:
And those records go back to the 1700s, right?

Craig Olive:
Yes, sir.

Jonathan Breeden:
So why did you run for Register of Deeds?

Craig Olive:
Because I saw a need for modernization. Everything was on paper—you had to walk into the office to see anything. I wanted to put records online to help attorneys and the public. We needed to embrace technology. I was elected in 2002 and was the first Republican Register of Deeds that I know of.

Jonathan Breeden:
Can you explain what the Register of Deeds does in North Carolina?

Craig Olive:
We handle land records, deeds, deeds of trust, powers of attorney, and separation agreements—anything someone wants on public record. We also handle birth certificates, death records, and marriage licenses. Military discharges are also recorded but kept confidential.

Jonathan Breeden:
I didn’t know you could get married anywhere in NC after getting a Johnston County marriage license.

Craig Olive:
Yes, as long as it’s on North Carolina soil. That changed sometime after my parents’ time—in 1959, they had to return to Johnston County to marry. Now, anyone ordained—including those ordained online—can officiate, although I’m not sure how the courts view those.

Jonathan Breeden:
How many records do you process each year?

Craig Olive:
Roughly 1,300 births and over 1,000 marriages. We can’t perform ceremonies ourselves by law, but people can go to the courthouse or offsite for that.

Jonathan Breeden:
What are your office hours?

Craig Olive:
8 to 5, Monday through Friday. But our records are available online 24/7. We’ve been digitizing since 2005–2006. We scan records in-house and outsource when necessary. We were one of the first in the nation to electronically file plat maps.

Jonathan Breeden:
Can people apply for documents online?

Craig Olive:
Yes, they can apply for marriage licenses, and request birth, death, or marriage certificates online. We’ll mail them out.

Jonathan Breeden:
Is your office self-funded?

Craig Olive:
Yes. We generate around $6–8 million a year depending on the economy. We’ve returned over $4 million in unused funds to the county since 2002.

Jonathan Breeden:
Let’s talk about passports.

Craig Olive:
We saw the need and became the second county in the state to offer passport services. We take photos for $10 and make about $35 per passport. It’s a big convenience and revenue generator.

Jonathan Breeden:
Let’s talk about the Thank a Veteran program.

Craig Olive:
Veterans deserve our respect. Many local merchants offer discounts to veterans, but proof is needed. Carrying a DD-214 can be risky—it contains sensitive info. So, we allow veterans to record their DD-214 and we issue a photo ID card they can use for discounts. Over 1,000 veterans have participated.

Jonathan Breeden:
And you’ve also been proactive with identity theft.

Craig Olive:
Yes. We’ve hosted shred events for 15 years to help protect people’s private info. I pushed legislation to allow Registers of Deeds to redact Social Security numbers from public records—something we can now do with software. Governor Bev Perdue signed it into law.

Jonathan Breeden:
And you offer a fraud alert system?

Craig Olive:
Yes. If someone records a document with your name on it, you’ll be alerted by email. It’s free and available at jcro.org.

Jonathan Breeden:
And even if the document might be fraudulent, you have to record it if it meets formatting standards?

Craig Olive:
Correct. If it meets the statutory requirements, we must record it. Whether it’s legitimate is for the courts to decide.

Jonathan Breeden:
Final question: What do you love most about Johnston County?

Craig Olive:
I love helping people. I fight unnecessary fee increases and always try to serve every citizen—low-income or high-income. I’m here to serve the public.

Jonathan Breeden:
You’re up for re-election in 2026?

Craig Olive:
Yes, I plan to run again. There are 24 Registers on that cycle.

Jonathan Breeden:
Well, thank you Craig Olive, Johnston County Register of Deeds, for joining us on The Best of Johnston County Podcast. Don’t forget to like and subscribe and leave us a review. This podcast is for you—it’s about what makes Johnston County great.

Until next time, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.