Find People Records in Kent County

A Kent County people search leans on county offices in Dover, the state capital. The county has a busy courthouse, a deed office with files back to the 1700s, and a 24-hour Justice of the Peace court. You can search court cases, pull land records, look up a marriage license, or file a FOIA request. Most tools work online. A few still need a walk-in or mail request.

Kent County People Search: Levy Court

Kent County is run by the Levy Court. The county home page at kentcountyde.gov is the hub for the Recorder of Deeds, the Register of Wills, the Clerk of the Peace, the Assessment Office, and Public Works. From the site you can find meeting agendas, minutes, budget papers, and the FOIA portal. Kent County posts Levy Court meeting minutes online for public review.

FOIA requests go through a web form on the county site. The 15 business day response clock under 29 Del. Code Chapter 100 applies to each request. Each office has a named FOIA coordinator who can help shape a request if the scope is not clear.

The image below is the main Kent County site.

Use the site to jump to the right office for the record you need. The main phone menu will route a general call as well.

Kent County Recorder of Deeds for People Search

The Recorder of Deeds is at 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901, on the first floor. Phone is (302) 744-2314. Fax is (302) 736-2035. Email is Recorder@KentCountyDE.gov. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Recording hours end at 3 p.m. A drop box sits outside for after-hours filings.

The Hon. Eugenia Thornton is the Recorder. Darin Dell is the Deputy Recorder. This office records and keeps all real estate papers for Kent County. That covers deeds, mortgages, liens, federal tax liens, UCC filings, and subdivision plats. Records go back to the 1700s, with certified papers from January 30, 1874 to the present.

The image below is the Recorder of Deeds page at kentcountyde.gov.

You can book recording times, pick up fee sheets, and reach staff for questions on a past filing here.

The online search site for Kent County is at i2g.uslandrecords.com. Watermarked viewing is free. A $2 per page fee covers non-watermarked downloads and prints. A $75 per month subscription gives unlimited access for frequent users. You can search by name, instrument number, book and page, or a date range.

Below is the Kent County land records site.

Recording fees run $50 for the first page and $5 for each extra page on standard papers. Certified copies are $10 for the first page and $2 for each extra page.

Property Fraud Alert is a free email service. The office sends you a note when a file is recorded under your name. Signup is through the county site.

Kent County Court People Search

The Kent County Courthouse is at 414 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. The Prothonotary's Office at (302) 735-1910 keeps civil court records and divorce records back to 1975. The Superior Court handles felony cases and civil matters over $75,000 at this same address. The Court of Common Pleas sits here too. For civil case searches, Delaware Court Connect covers the public docket.

Family Court for Kent County is at 400 Court Street, Dover. Phone is (302) 672-1000. This court hears divorce, custody, child support, adoption, juvenile matters, and domestic violence protective orders. Certified divorce copies cost $4. Non-certified copies cost $1.

JP Court 7 is at 480 Bank Lane, Dover. Phone is (302) 739-4554. This court is open 24 hours. That is the spot for bail payments after hours and for some weekend arraignments. Civil cases up to $25,000 and peace orders are filed here too.

The Clerk of the Peace is at the Kent County Administration Building, 555 Bay Road, Dover. Phone is (302) 744-2346. The Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps Kent County marriage records from March 2002 to the present. Older marriages go to the Office of Vital Statistics or the Delaware Public Archives.

Vital Records and Background Checks

The Kent County Office of Vital Statistics is at 417 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Phone is (302) 744-4549. This site is the central office for all three county locations. You can order birth, death, and marriage certificates in person Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Birth certificates are $25 for the first copy, with $10 for each extra copy in the same order. Death and marriage copies follow the same fee pattern. The Dover office also takes mail orders.

For background checks, the State Bureau of Identification handles the certified criminal history for all Delaware residents at dsp.delaware.gov. Fingerprint sites in Kent County include Dover. Sign up for an IdentoGO slot at uenroll.identogo.com. The state-only check runs about $52. Results go back to the agency that asked for the check. A personal copy is only given when you dispute charges on the file under federal rules.

The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna is the main Kent County state prison. Inmate lookups for the facility go through the DOC inmate locator. VINELink alerts can notify you by text or email when custody status changes. Victims can sign up for notice when an inmate is released, transferred, or dies.

Pro license checks go through DELPROS. The tool covers doctors, nurses, lawyers, real estate agents, barbers, and more. Voter records are at ivote.de.gov. The Kent County Office of the Department of Elections is in Dover at elections.delaware.gov. The state FOIA portal at delaware.gov/freedom-of-information-act covers any Kent County record a named agency holds.

Kent County Archives and Sex Offender Data

Older Kent County records are at the Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North, Dover. The Archives holds naturalization files, military files, probate records, court books, town council minutes, and more. Dover is both the county seat and the home of the state Archives, so a Kent County family line is often easier to trace than one from another county.

The Delaware Sex Offender Registry at sexoffender.dsp.delaware.gov covers Kent County along with the rest of the state. A zip code search of Dover, Smyrna, or any other Kent town shows local Tier II and Tier III offenders. You can also sign up for email alerts for a given zip. Offenders must register with SBI within three days of conviction or a change of address under 11 Del. Code § 4120-4121.

Cities in Kent County

Dover is the county seat. Harrington and Milford also have city pages on this site. Milford spans both Kent and Sussex, so the right county depends on the exact address.

Nearby Delaware Counties

Kent is the middle county. The next county to the north is New Castle. Sussex lies to the south.