Delaware People Search

Delaware is small and runs its courts and prisons at the state level, so a search can start with the state case index, the Division of Corporations and the Department of Correction, then the recorder of deeds of the right county. The sex offender registry and vital records are listed further down.

• Delaware Courts CourtConnectPublic case index of the Delaware state courts
• Division of Corporations entity searchRegistered agents, status and filing history; LLC members are not listed
• Department of Correction inmate locatorState inmates by name or SBI number, with location and release date
• New Castle County Recorder of Deeds document searchDeeds and other recorded documents for Wilmington and Newark

Summary: More than two thirds of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware. With its Court of Chancery and only three counties, Delaware is a compact state for people and business research.

Delaware has three counties: New Castle, Kent and Sussex. Because so many companies are registered here, a Delaware business search often turns up companies run thousands of miles away.

Court and professional license records are searched at the state level, while land records and tax assessments stay with the counties. The Delaware Freedom of Information Act governs public records, and Delaware courts have generally read it in favor of disclosure.

The Delaware Courts website links every state court, from the Supreme Court to the Justice of the Peace Courts.

• Delaware CourtsAll state courts, Supreme Court to Justice of the Peace

Delaware also has the Court of Chancery, an equity court that hears many of the country's major corporate disputes. The Superior Court hears felonies and larger civil cases, the Court of Common Pleas hears misdemeanors and smaller civil cases, the Family Court hears domestic relations, and the Justice of the Peace Courts hear landlord tenant cases, small claims and traffic.

CourtConnect, linked in Where to Look, is the courts' public online case index.

Unlike court records, property records in Delaware remain at the county level. Each of the three counties operates its own Recorder of Deeds office and parcel search portal. Property transfer records in Delaware are public and searchable by owner name, address, or parcel ID.

With only three counties, it is practical to search all three for a person's property.

Delaware's Division of Corporations, linked in Where to Look, registers companies formed under the Delaware General Corporation Law, many of them run from other states, and the Court of Chancery hears many of the country's major shareholder disputes.

• Division of Professional Regulation license look-upReal estate, medical, cosmetology and construction trade licenses

• Delaware Sex Offender Central RegistryDelaware State Police registry by name, ZIP code or area

• Delaware Office of Vital StatisticsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates for eligible requesters

Delaware allows individuals to verify their own registration status online. Bulk access to voter rolls is limited to political parties, campaigns, and certain authorized researchers under Title 15 of the Delaware Code.

• Department of Elections voter lookupCheck your own registration and polling place

• Delaware Public ArchivesState records from the colonial period on, with land and court records

Each of the three counties keeps its own property records, and all three use the state courts.

New Castle County

The most populous county, with Wilmington, the largest city, and Newark, home of the University of Delaware. The Court of Chancery's main courthouse is in Wilmington.

• New Castle County parcel searchOwner, assessment and tax records by parcel or address

Kent County

Home to Dover, the state capital, and Dover Air Force Base. Kent County is agriculturally significant and contains much of the state government administrative infrastructure.

• Kent County Recorder of DeedsDeeds and other recorded documents for Dover and Kent County
• Kent County Public RecordsOur Kent County page with court, property and county office links

Sussex County

Delaware's southernmost and largest county by area, with the beach towns of Rehoboth, Lewes and Bethany and much of the state's farmland. Its population has grown fast, much of it from retirees.

• Sussex County Recorder of DeedsDeeds and other recorded documents for Georgetown and Sussex County
• Sussex County AssessmentProperty assessments and owner records

A full Delaware search covers the state case index, the Division of Corporations and the recorders of three counties.

Research Tip: Because Delaware's Division of Corporations holds registrations for entities whose real operations are based elsewhere, always cross-reference a Delaware-registered LLC against the registered agent's address and the operating state's Secretary of State records. A Delaware registration alone tells you very little about the actual beneficial owner.

Common Mistake: Assuming Delaware corporate records reveal ownership. Delaware LLCs are not required to disclose their members or managers in public filings. To trace actual ownership, researchers must rely on court filings, SEC disclosures (for public entities), or lawful subpoena processes.

Delaware operates under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act (29 Del. C. § 10001 et seq.), which presumes public access to government records unless a specific exemption applies. Delaware courts have generally interpreted FOIA expansively in favor of transparency.

Privacy Tip: Delaware has enacted the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act (effective 2025), giving residents new rights to access, correct, and delete their personal data held by covered businesses. The law imposes obligations on commercial data processors but does not restrict access to government public records.

Delaware keeps government records open while LLC ownership stays private, since members and managers are not named in public filings.