New Castle County Background Check Records

A New Castle County background check pulls from court files, police records, and state fingerprint data. The Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington holds the main civil and criminal case files for the county. The New Castle County Police Department runs a records unit for county-level incidents. The Delaware State Police Troop 2 in Newark handles fingerprinting by appointment. This page walks you through how to search New Castle County background check records, where to go in Wilmington, and what each office in the county does.

New Castle County Superior Court Records

The Superior Court for New Castle County sits at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. The address is 500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. This is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the county. It hears felony criminal cases. It also hears civil cases where the amount in dispute is over $50,000. Appeals from lower courts move up here, too. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The court has two main record offices. The Prothonotary's Office holds civil case files. The phone number for civil is (302) 255-0777. The Court Clerk's Office holds criminal case files. The phone number for criminal is (302) 255-0090. Case files can be viewed in the public viewing room during business hours. Copies cost 50 cents per page for plain copies. Certified copies run $25 per document plus copy fees. Cash, check, or money order is accepted.

For most New Castle County background check research, you can start online with CourtConnect. The free portal shows civil dockets, judgments, and basic case info. Full criminal files still need an in-person visit. The Prothonotary's Office keeps judgment dockets. Lien searches are run here, too. Forms for civil filings are handed out at the office. You can also learn more on the Superior Court New Castle page.

A New Castle County background check that covers court history should look at both Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas. The lower court handles misdemeanors and smaller civil cases. Both courts feed into CourtConnect for civil records.

New Castle County Police Records Unit

The New Castle County Police Department runs a records unit at its main building. The address is 3601 North DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720. Phone is (302) 573-2800. The Records Unit is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except on holidays. You can visit the unit or send a written request by mail. For a copy of an incident report, you need the date, time, and location of the event. For accident reports, you need the report number, crash date, and the names of the people involved.

The unit keeps incident reports, accident reports, and arrest records made by county police. Certified copies have a fee. Victims of a crime can get a copy of their report at no charge. Insurance companies can pull accident reports with the right paperwork. Juvenile records stay closed. Open investigation files are held back, too. Requests are answered within 15 business days under 29 Del. C. §§ 10001-10007, the Delaware FOIA.

See the New Castle County Police records page for the full list of services and forms.

The county police work with the Wilmington Police Department, the Newark Police Department, and the Middletown Police Department on major crimes. A New Castle County background check that covers local arrests may need a request to more than one agency. The records unit can point you to the right office.

Delaware State Police Troop 2 Fingerprinting

Troop 2 is the Delaware State Police post for northern New Castle County. The address is 100 LaGrange Avenue, Newark, DE 19702. Phone is (302) 739-2528. You can call this number to set an appointment. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The office is closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An appointment is required for fingerprinting at Troop 2.

Troop 2 is on Route 40 in Bear, next to Keene Elementary School. The site is just west of the Fox Run Shopping Center, between Route 72 and Route 896. The Troop covers Bear, Glasgow, and Christiana. It also covers stretches of I-95 and Route 40. The Criminal Investigations Unit here handles felony cases. The Traffic Section handles crashes.

Fingerprinting here is part of the SBI system. The SBI operates under Title 11, Chapter 85 of the Delaware Code. You bring photo ID. You need a service code from the group asking for the check. The code tells the system which kind of report to pull. A wrong code means you have to pay and start over.

The Troop works with Newark PD and Middletown PD. Records requests go to the DSP FOIA Coordinator. Evidence seized in a case is held at the Troop. More info is on the Troop 2 page and the full fingerprint program is on the SBI page.

New Castle County Sheriff's Office

The New Castle County Sheriff's Office is based at the county courthouse, 500 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Phone is (302) 571-7774. The Sheriff handles court security. The office serves civil process. It also moves inmates to and from court.

The Sheriff's Office does not patrol streets. County police and local city police take those calls. The Sheriff does run sheriff sales. Sales cover foreclosure properties and tax sale properties. Notice of a sale is posted at the courthouse and in local papers. Bidder records and sale results are kept by the office. Evictions under court order go through this office, too. The Sheriff also manages concealed carry permit paperwork in New Castle County.

For court security, the Sheriff covers Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Family Court. Records of process service are kept on file. The office works with local police on warrant service.

New Castle County Correctional Records

The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington is the main booking and hold site for New Castle County. People arrested in the county are processed here. The facility houses adult male inmates either awaiting trial or serving a sentence. Booking includes fingerprints, a photo, a property check, and a medical screen.

To find an inmate, use the Delaware DOC Inmate Locator. The search takes a name, ID, or facility. The system shows current location, custody status, projected release date, and sentence info. A mugshot may be shown. VINELink sends alerts on custody changes by phone, text, email, or TTY. Service is free and runs all day, every day.

The facility offers school, job training, and substance abuse programs. Medical and mental health staff are on site. Visitation runs on weekends and holidays. Visitors must be pre-approved and bring photo ID. Older custody files may need a formal request to the DOC Records Unit. These kinds of records round out a New Castle County background check for recent cases.

New Castle County Recorder of Deeds

The Recorder of Deeds office holds real estate records for the county. The address is 800 North French Street, 1st Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. Phone is (302) 395-7700. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Records go back to the 1600s. Land title work often starts here.

The office keeps deeds, mortgages, liens, and UCC filings. You can search by address, name, or document type. Plat maps for subdivisions are filed here. Military discharge records (DD-214) are kept here, too. This is often a quiet but useful stop when doing a New Castle County background check. A lien or a judgment may appear here that did not show up in a court search. Realty transfer tax is also collected at this office.

Plain copies cost $2 per page. Certified copies run $5. Cash, check, and credit card are accepted. Notary service is on site for items that need to be recorded.

The office has a public imaging system. Online searches work for many record types. In-person access gives you the full microfilm and paper back files. More is on the Recorder of Deeds page.

How to Search New Castle County Records

Start with the free court portal. Go to CourtConnect and run a search by name. The civil side is solid. The criminal side is thin on detail. If you need a full criminal file, head to the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. The clerk can pull the file for you.

For a certified personal criminal history, book an appointment through IdentoGO at uenroll.identogo.com. The service code for a personal copy is 27RVGT. The fee is $72. The report can only be issued to the person who was fingerprinted. It is not valid for any agency or licensing body. For those, a different profession-specific code must be used.

Use the following steps as a rough plan:

• Run a name search on CourtConnect
• Check the DOC Inmate Locator
• Look up the Sex Offender Registry
• Request police records from New Castle County PD or Wilmington PD
• Pull recorder of deeds files for liens or judgments

For a sex offender search, the SBI runs the state registry under Chapter 41 of Title 11. Results are public. This is a quick add to any New Castle County background check.

Fingerprinting in New Castle County

New Castle County has three SBI fingerprint locations. Two are in Newark and one is in Middletown. The Troop 2 site in Newark at 100 LaGrange Avenue is by appointment only. The partner sites in Newark and Middletown may offer evening and weekend hours. Check the SBI page for the full list and hours.

Law enforcement prints, such as for some out-of-state concealed carry rules, must be done at 600 S. Bay Rd in Dover. That site is in Kent County but is the only full-service law enforcement site in the state. Most people do not need it. Most people can use any IdentoGO site.

Bring a valid photo ID. A Delaware license works. A state ID from any state works. A passport works. You do not need a birth certificate or social security card. The fee for a state-only check is $72. A combined state and federal check is $85. Payment is taken in most common forms, but always confirm at the site.

FOIA Requests in New Castle County

Delaware FOIA is at 29 Del. C. §§ 10001-10007. Agencies have 15 business days to respond. The response can be records, a denial, or a note asking for more time. Each office has a FOIA coordinator. The coordinator is your first stop for a records request at a county or state office.

You can send a state-level request using the portal at sos.delaware.gov. County offices often have their own intake forms. The New Castle County FOIA process is handled through the department holding the record. A written request is best. Name the records, the dates, the parties, and the subject clearly. This helps the agency find the file.

Exemptions cover personnel files, trade secrets, and some police records. Denials can be appealed to the Attorney General within 60 days.

Cities in New Castle County

Several cities sit inside New Castle County. Each one has its own police department. Each one has its own records unit. These city-level records may show arrests, incidents, and traffic stops not handled by the county police.

Major cities in the county include Wilmington, Newark, Middletown, Delaware City, and the City of New Castle. Wilmington is the largest. The Wilmington Police Department runs its own records unit. Newark has its own records unit and forms. Middletown also has a police records team and runs a fingerprinting program of its own. Delaware City and the City of New Castle have smaller police units with their own record files.

A full New Castle County background check should touch the city-level records when the person lived or worked inside a city. The county police records unit only holds files for county patrol. A city police file will not show up in a county-only search.

Other Delaware Counties

Delaware has three counties. Kent and Sussex sit south of New Castle. Pick a county below for its local background check resources.

View All Delaware Counties