Search Wilmington Divorce Records

Wilmington divorce records are held at the New Castle County Family Court, right in downtown Wilmington. The court sits at 500 N. King Street and holds case files for every divorce granted in the county from 1975 to today. Since Wilmington is the county seat, residents have the shortest trip to the Records Department of any New Castle County city. You can look up Wilmington divorce records in person, by mail, or through the state's free online court portal. Certified copies of divorce decrees are issued over the counter in most cases.

Where to Find Wilmington Divorce Records

Wilmington sits in New Castle County, so all divorce filings from the city go to the New Castle County Family Court. The court is located at 500 N. King Street, Suite 500, right in the heart of Wilmington. This makes Wilmington residents the closest of any New Castle County city to the Records Department. The Records Department itself is on the first floor in Suite 110. You can reach staff at (302) 255-2222.

The City of Wilmington does not keep divorce records at the municipal level. The city government portal directs residents to the county court for any divorce-related request. The city does handle public records requests under Delaware's Freedom of Information Act, but those cover city records like property assessments and police reports, not court files.

How to Search Wilmington Divorce Records

Wilmington residents have three main options to search divorce records. Online is fastest for basic case info. The CourtConnect portal is the state's free search tool. It shows case numbers, filing dates, party names, and docket entries for every Family Court case in Delaware. It does not have the full decree or any sealed papers. For those, you need the court itself.

In person, just walk into the Records Department at 500 N. King Street, Suite 110, with a photo ID. Staff can pull files and issue certified copies the same day for most recent cases. Older files may need to be retrieved from storage, which can take five to ten business days. Give staff both party names and a rough divorce date. A case number helps but is not always needed since indexes go back to 1975.

For basic info, have this ready:

• Full legal names of both parties at time of divorce
• Approximate year the case was filed
• Case number if you have one
• Government-issued photo ID for certified copies

Mail requests work for people who cannot visit the court. Send a written letter to: Records Department, Family Court, 500 N. King Street, Suite 110, Wilmington, DE 19801. Include both names, the divorce date, your contact info, and payment by check or money order.

Wilmington Divorce Records Fees

Copy fees match the Delaware schedule. A certified copy of a decree costs $4 for the first copy and $1 for each added copy asked for at the same time. Non-certified copies are $1 per page. Payment is taken in cash, check, money order, or credit card. Mail orders must include a check or money order made out to the Family Court.

If you just need to confirm a divorce took place, the DHSS Vital Statistics office in Newark at 258 Chapman Road offers verification letters at $25 for the first copy and $10 for each extra. This is not the decree, just a confirmation. It may be enough for passport updates or name changes at Social Security but not for court filings.

Pre-1975 Wilmington Divorce Records

Wilmington divorce cases from before 1975 are not at the Family Court. They live with the New Castle County Prothonotary's Office, in the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center at 500 N. King Street. Same building, different office. The Prothonotary keeps Superior Court records from 1935 to 1975 in files, bound volumes, and on microfilm. Name indexes cover the whole period.

The New Castle County Recorder of Deeds at 800 N. French Street may also hold property documents tied to Wilmington divorces. Quitclaim deeds and partition deeds from settlements get filed here. The image below shows the Recorder of Deeds site used for property research in divorce cases.

Online deed searches at the county website let you look up records by grantor or grantee name, which is helpful when tracing how a marital home was transferred after a Wilmington divorce.

For pre-1935 records, the Delaware Public Archives in Dover holds New Castle County divorce cases from the Court of Common Pleas and older Superior Court dockets.

Delaware Divorce Laws for Wilmington

Every Wilmington divorce case follows Title 13, Chapter 15 of the Delaware Code. Residency is six months in Delaware under 13 Del. C. § 1504. Grounds include irretrievable breakdown with six months of separation, incompatibility, misconduct, and mental illness under 13 Del. C. § 1505. Property splits use equitable distribution under 13 Del. C. § 1513.

Child custody is handled under Title 13, Chapter 7. The Family Court uses the best interest of the child standard. Parenting plans and custody orders get filed with the rest of the Wilmington divorce record. For cases with minors, some papers may be restricted to protect the children.

Types of Wilmington Divorce Records

A Wilmington divorce file normally has several documents. The petition starts the case. The answer or waiver comes next. Financial disclosures get filed mid-case. An ancillary matters order handles property, support, and alimony. The final divorce decree ends the marriage. When children are part of the case, a parenting plan and custody order go in the file too.

Most of these papers are open to the public at the Records Department. Some items with financial detail or information about minor children may be restricted or redacted. The court blacks out social security numbers, bank account numbers, and home addresses before giving out copies.

Wilmington Local Resources

The Wilmington Public Library maintains historical newspaper collections and city directories that can help with older family history research. The library holds Delaware newspapers on microfilm, some of which printed divorce notices when such publication was required by law. These sources help fill in gaps for cases from the 19th and early 20th centuries when court records alone may not be enough.

For legal help, Community Legal Aid Society (CLASI) serves low-income residents with a Wilmington office and a family law unit. Legal Services Corporation of Delaware also takes civil divorce cases. The Delaware State Bar Association runs a referral service for Wilmington family law attorneys. The Family Court website has self-help forms, step-by-step filing guides, and fee schedules for pro se filers.

Nearby Cities

Other New Castle County cities also file divorce cases at the same Wilmington Family Court. Pick a city below to find local info.

For records in other parts of the state, see the New Castle County page or browse all Delaware counties.