Wilmington Background Check Records
A Wilmington background check pulls from the city police records unit, New Castle County court files, and the state's fingerprint system. Most people start with the Wilmington Police Department for local incident or collision reports. Court cases tied to a Wilmington address show up in the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center files. A full, fingerprint-based Wilmington background check still runs through the state. This page shows you where to go, what each office holds, and how to search Wilmington background check records step by step.
Wilmington Background Check Overview
Wilmington Police Department Records Unit
The Wilmington Police Department Records Unit is the first stop for a local Wilmington background check. The unit sits at 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. You can reach staff at (302) 576-3607. The non-emergency line is (302) 571-7300. Records staff handle requests for incident reports, arrest reports, and traffic collision reports tied to calls in the city. Full details on how to ask for a report are on the WPD records request page.
Only a narrow group of people can get a crime report from the WPD. Victims of a crime can pick up their own incident report free of charge. Legal representatives acting for a victim can also get a copy. Insurance companies tied to a collision can request a report for a claim. For everyone else, the department needs a subpoena or another legal tool before staff will release a copy. The unit does not hand out reports to curious third parties. Photo ID is checked each time.
Collision reports cost $20 each. You can mail a written request with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order for $20 made out to the Wilmington Police Department. Send it to the Records Unit at 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. Records staff work Monday through Friday during regular city hours. You can walk in with a photo ID, or you can mail your request. A digital evidence portal lives at www.WilmingtonDE.gov/Footage for people who need to upload video or other files tied to a case.
The WPD Records Unit also runs local fingerprinting for a range of Wilmington background check needs. That includes pre-licensing for teachers, nurses, real estate agents, and lawyers. It also covers volunteer work with children or older adults, firearm purchase paperwork, and immigration filings. Fingerprint cards from WPD are routed to the State Bureau of Identification in Dover for processing. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, and any agency forms your license board or employer gives you.
Note: Police reports from the Wilmington Police Department are not subject to release under the Delaware FOIA; victims, legal reps, and insurers can still ask for copies.
Wilmington Court Records at the Justice Center
Court cases filed in Wilmington run through the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. The courthouse is at 500 North King Street. The building holds Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, and Family Court for all of New Castle County. Case files tied to a Wilmington address often land here. You can learn more about the courthouse on the state's New Castle County Superior Court page.
The Prothonotary's Office is the civil filing desk. The phone is (302) 255-0777. The Court Clerk handles criminal files at (302) 255-0090. Both offices run Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Public access terminals inside the building let anyone pull up a docket by name or case number. Staff do not run a Wilmington background check for you, but the files can back up a search you do on your own.
We ran a search of the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center page at the Delaware Courts site while checking the lookup tools used for a Wilmington background check. The public listing shows hours, phone numbers, and street address. It is a solid first stop for anyone headed to court to pull a file.
Staff at the courthouse can tell you where to find a case file if you know the party name or the year. Copy fees run about 50 cents per page for a plain copy. Certified copies cost more. You may also want to use the state's civil case search tool online. The page at courts.delaware.gov/docket.aspx lets you look up party names, filing dates, and case types from home.
The Justice Center is the county seat for most background work in New Castle County. For a deeper look at county-level records, see the New Castle County background check page, which lays out the clerk offices, recorder of deeds, and county police records unit in one place.
Search Wilmington Cases on CourtConnect
CourtConnect is the state's free case search tool. It runs through a web browser and needs no sign-up for a basic search. You can use it for a Wilmington background check when the case was filed in Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, or the Justice of the Peace Court. Civil dockets show party names, case type, filing date, and the next event date. Criminal data on the public side is more limited.
Start at the state's civil case search. The tool also covers judgments against a person or a business. A phonetic search helps when a name is spelled many ways. A partial last name search helps when only part of a name is known.
We tested the civil case search while reviewing tools tied to Wilmington. The page groups links for ePayments, court forms, and docket reports.
For a deeper pull, try the CourtConnect portal. Civil filings back many years show up on the list. Criminal case details are more limited on the public portal. For the full criminal file, the clerk's office at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center is still the best way.
CourtConnect is on every day of the year. The site is run by the Delaware Judicial Information Center. It will not give you a full Wilmington background check on its own, but it is a strong free tool to back up your search.
Wilmington Fingerprinting and SBI Checks
A full state Wilmington background check is fingerprint-based. The State Bureau of Identification runs the program. Fingerprint capture is done through IdentoGO. The SBI lists two sites in Newark and one in Middletown that are easy to reach from Wilmington. You book a slot at uenroll.identogo.com and pick the right service code for your task.
State fees are $72 for a state-only check and $85 for a state and federal check. Common service codes tied to a Wilmington background check include 27RVGT for a personal certified criminal history, 27S8N2 for a handgun purchaser permit, 27S23V for an expungement application, and 27RX6F for an EMT. Use the code your licensing body or agency gives you. A wrong code means you have to pay and start over.
More info on the SBI process lives on the Delaware State Police SBI page. The state fingerprint process is laid out under Title 11, Chapter 85. That code gives the SBI the job of running the state's criminal history file.
Wilmington Library and FOIA Access
The Wilmington Public Library helps with local public records research. The library is at 10 East 10th Street. Reference staff can point you to court record guides, property records, and vital records tools. Card holders get access to genealogy databases and historical Wilmington newspapers. The main page is at wilmingtonde.gov.
The library keeps a local history collection, including Wilmington city directories and microfilm for old newspapers. This can help when you are looking for older files that may not be on any online Wilmington background check tool. The library also hosts links to the Delaware Public Archives at archives.delaware.gov. Staff will not run a search for you, but they will show you how.
The Delaware Freedom of Information Act is the main public records law in the state. It is coded at 29 Del. C. §§ 10001-10007. Most state and city records are open under this law. But police incident reports are not released under the FOIA. A victim can still ask WPD for an incident report. The Department of Licenses and Inspections handles city business license files, which are public. The department page at wilmingtonde.gov covers how to pull those files.
Most city FOIA requests get a response within 15 business days. Fees for copies and staff time can apply. Denials can be appealed to the Delaware Attorney General's Office within 60 days.
Other Wilmington Background Check Tools
The Delaware Sex Offender Registry is free and public. The SBI runs it. You can search by name, by city, or by ZIP code. A Wilmington search will show every tier II and tier III offender who lives, works, or goes to school in the city. Tier I names are more limited on the public list.
The Delaware Department of Correction inmate locator is free too. You can look up current custody by name, ID, or facility. The DOC's VINELink tool gives alerts when custody status changes. It works by phone, email, text, or TTY.
The Wilmington Police Department page at wilmingtonde.gov covers the department's crime stats, annual reports, and community programs. Non-emergency matters go to (302) 571-7300. The site also lists how to file a complaint about an officer or ask for a public records review.
Recorded property records, including military discharge records filed with the New Castle County Recorder of Deeds, are public. These can help round out a Wilmington background check when you are looking at property ties or DD-214 filings.
Note: A Wilmington background check is most complete when you combine a WPD records request, a New Castle County court search, and a state SBI fingerprint check.
Nearby Cities in New Castle County
New Castle County is home to Wilmington and a handful of other cities. Pick one below for local Wilmington background check resources tied to that town.