Dover Dissolution Of Marriage Records
Dover Dissolution Of Marriage records are kept at the Family Court at 400 Court Street in Dover. Dover is the capital of Delaware and the county seat of Kent County. The Family Court, the Delaware Public Archives, and the Office of Vital Statistics all sit within a short drive of each other. That makes Dover a one-stop city for any Dissolution Of Marriage search, historical or modern. This page covers how to search, what copies cost, and where older divorce files live.
Dover Overview
Where To Find Dover Dissolution Of Marriage Records
The Family Court for Kent County sits at 400 Court Street, Dover, DE 19901. The Records Department line is 302-672-1045. Public counter hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Every Dissolution Of Marriage case granted in Kent County from 1979 to the present has a file here.
For older divorces, the Superior Court Prothonotary at 38 The Green, Dover, DE 19901 holds records before 1975. Staff can pull files with a case number or party names. Delaware Supreme Court rules redact Social Security numbers, account numbers, and full dates of birth from any public file.
| Office | Kent County Family Court |
|---|---|
| Address | 400 Court Street Dover, DE 19901 |
| Records Phone | 302-672-1045 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM |
The screenshot below shows the Kent County Levy Court, the seat of Kent County government in Dover. Browse the page at co.kent.de.us.
Kent County Levy Court runs the county's seven elected Commissioners, the Recorder of Deeds, and other county offices at 555 Bay Road, Dover. The court itself does not handle divorce, but the Recorder of Deeds office may come up during the property division portion of a divorce case.
How To Search Dover Divorce Records
To search Dover Dissolution Of Marriage cases online, use CourtConnect. The portal covers Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Court civil cases. Family Court cases have limited online visibility. CourtConnect may show the case number and filing date but not the full decree.
For the full file, visit the Family Court Records Department at 400 Court Street. Bring a photo ID and the names of both parties. A clerk will pull the case. Plain copies are $1 per page and certified copies are $4 per page, payable in cash, check, money order, or credit or debit card.
The Kent County Courthouse at 414 Federal Street in Dover houses the Court of Common Pleas, the Superior Court, and Justice of the Peace Court 16. The Family Court at 400 Court Street is nearby, in its own building separate from the main courthouse. Court records are maintained by the Clerk of Court and are accessible under the state Freedom of Information Act, though some records are restricted, such as juvenile matters and adoptions.
Public court records and dockets can be accessed through the Delaware Courts website and the Delaware Judiciary's Case Search portal. In-person visits to the Kent County Courthouse at 414 Federal Street require ID and basic case information. Staff assist with locating documents but cannot provide legal advice to filers.
Required search details:
- Full names of both parties
- Approximate year of the divorce
- Case number, when known
- Photo ID for any certified copy
Processing time is usually 1 to 3 business days for in-person requests and 10 to 15 business days for mail requests. The Records Department can also handle phone inquiries to confirm whether a case exists.
Dover Office Of Vital Statistics And Dissolution Of Marriage
The Delaware Office of Vital Statistics sits in Dover at 417 Federal Street. The office houses birth records from 1940 to the present and death and marriage records from 1972 to the present. It also keeps a divorce index from 1935 to the present.
The Vital Statistics office can verify that a divorce took place in Delaware but cannot issue a certified copy of the decree. For certified divorce copies from 1976 to the present, you contact the Family Court in the county where the divorce was granted. For certified copies before 1976, you contact the Prothonotary in that county. The Delaware Health Statistics Center sits at 417 Federal Street and can be reached at 302-739-4776.
Delaware Vital Records are confidential under state statute. They are released only to the person themselves, immediate next of kin, or legal representatives such as attorneys or funeral directors. This is different from court records, which are open to any interested party under the state Freedom of Information Act.
Delaware Public Archives In Dover
The Delaware Public Archives sits in Dover at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North. The research room is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. The phone line is (302) 744-5000, and the email is archives@delaware.gov. The Archives holds divorce records from before 1978 and card-index divorces from as early as 1790, when divorces were granted by Acts of the State Legislature.
The screenshot below shows the Delaware Public Archives FAQ, which answers most questions about access and fees. Read the FAQ at archives.delaware.gov/general_faqs.shtml.
The Archives charges $0.50 per page for staff copies and $10.00 per certified divorce decree. Email or mail orders run $10.00 for 1-10 pages and up to $30.00 for 41-50 pages. Any order over 50 pages is sent digitally.
Pre-1900 divorce material can also be requested from the Delaware Legislative Council, Legislative Hall, P.O. Box 1401, Dover, DE 19901. Divorces granted by private acts of the General Assembly are part of the legislative record and are not at the Family Court.
Filing A Dover Dissolution Of Marriage
Dover residents file their Dissolution Of Marriage case at the Family Court at 400 Court Street. Under 13 Del. C. ยง 1504, the petitioner or respondent must have lived in Delaware for six months before filing. On most grounds, the parties must have been separated for six months as well.
Parents of minor children must attend a Parent Education Class. The certificate of completion goes into the case file. The court offers mediation services at 400 Court Street to help spouses settle disputes. For self-represented parties, the Resource Center has forms and self-help computers, and the State Law Library in Dover provides access to Delaware statutes and case law.
Every Dover divorce starts with Form 442, the Petition for Divorce/Annulment. The filing fee is typically $150 to $165. The petition is paired with Form 240 (Information Sheet) and Form 441 (Vital Statistics Sheet). The Delaware Courts divorce forms library covers all 68 divorce-specific forms the Family Court uses.
Note: For anyone tracing a very old Dover divorce, records before the state took over vital registration around 1935 may exist only as private acts of the General Assembly held at the Delaware Public Archives.
Kent County Divorce Records
Dover is the county seat of Kent County. For the full county guide with fees, offices, and historical records, visit the Kent County page.
Nearby Delaware Cities
These cities are also in Kent County or file through the Kent County side of Family Court.