Delaware, New Castle County
Where Wilmington's records are kept. Wilmington has its own city government, police department, permit and planning office and utility office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Wilmington's own offices, along with State of Delaware offices; the New Castle County offices are on our New Castle County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
The City of Wilmington site links 311 service requests, public records requests, police report copies and online payment of water, sewer, tax, permit and parking ticket bills.
Open official site City of Wilmington, DelawarePolice & jail
The CALEA accredited Wilmington Police Department serves Delaware's largest city with 305 sworn officers, and posts CompStat reports, crime mapping and its year end report.
Open official site Wilmington Police DepartmentPolice & jail
Crime victims get incident reports free at police headquarters, 300 North Walnut Street, and collision report copies are requested in writing with a $20.00 check or money order.
Open official site Wilmington Police Requesting Copies of ReportsCity records
Wilmington takes Delaware Freedom of Information Act requests through its online FOIA Request Portal and posts its FOIA policy and a list of FOIA contacts for each city department.
Open official site City of Wilmington FOIA RequestsCity records
Licenses and Inspections on the 3rd floor of the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, 800 N. French Street, handles code enforcement and rental and housing inspections for Wilmington buildings.
Open official site Wilmington Department of Licenses and InspectionsCity records
Wilmington bills water, sewer and stormwater monthly, with payment online, by phone through 311, by mail or at the drop box in the City/County Building lobby, plus payment plans.
Open official site Wilmington Water, Sewer and Stormwater BillFederal
FBI wanted posters, from the Ten Most Wanted list to fugitives, terrorism suspects, kidnapped and missing persons, bank robbers and seeking information cases; tips go to tips.fbi.gov.
Open official site FBI Most WantedPolice & jail
Delaware Department of Correction page that points people to VINELink to check the custody status of an offender held in Delaware and to sign up for phone, email or text alerts.
Open official site Delaware DOC Locate an InmateState records
USAGov explains how to get certified copies of birth and death certificates, copies of marriage and divorce records, and replacements for lost or stolen government ID cards.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Copies of Vital Records and IDsCounty court
The federal judiciary's national index of district, bankruptcy and appellate court cases. Searching needs a free PACER account; pages cost $0.10, capped at $3 per document, with quarterly charges of $30 or less waived.
Open official site PACER Case LocatorProperty records
USAGov sends you to your state's unclaimed property office, which holds most unclaimed money, and to federal searches for back wages, pensions, IRS refunds, savings bonds and deposits from failed banks.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Unclaimed MoneyVital records
The Social Security Administration explains survivor benefits, monthly payments to eligible relatives of workers who paid Social Security taxes before death, including who qualifies, possible amounts and when to report a death.
Open official site Social Security Survivor BenefitsPolice & jail
U.S. Department of Justice search of public sex offender registries from every state, territory and many tribes by name or ZIP code; address radius searches cover only states that send coordinates.
Open official site Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteProperty records
USAGov explains checking your registration through Can I Vote, which opens your state's election website, and advises doing it before the state deadline, which can be up to 30 days before an election.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Confirming Voter RegistrationCounty court
Federal judiciary guide to finding a case in PACER: search the court where it was filed for current data, or the nationwide PACER Case Locator, updated daily. A PACER account is required.
Open official site PACER Find a CaseState records
Delaware Public Archives at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover, with digital archives, a collections portal, digital ancestry records, a research room, historical markers and FOIA requests.
Open official site Delaware Public ArchivesCounty court
Wilmington court at 824 N. Market Street, third floor, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays; it lists recent Chapter 11 filings, the hearing calendar, opinions, mediation details and trustees' final reports.
Open official site U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of DelawareCounty court
The Delaware Judiciary's website for the Supreme Court, Court of Chancery, Superior, Family, Common Pleas and Justice of the Peace courts, with civil case search, electronic filing, ticket payment and court locations.
Open official site Delaware CourtsEverything else, organized
15 more Wilmington sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Useful local context without burying the official record links above.
Local profile
Wilmington, a place of 70,898 people, is the seat of New Castle County. Court and property records sit with New Castle County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of Delaware. Wilmington's own offices are in the cards above, and our New Castle County page lists each county office.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in Delaware is run by the Delaware Department of Elections and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online registration where Delaware offers it, polling places and the local election office for Wilmington.
Deeds for property in Wilmington are recorded by the New Castle County Recorder of Deeds, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our New Castle County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in Delaware come from the state vital records office, Delaware Office of Vital Statistics. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.