Find Criminal Court Records in Kent County
Kent County criminal court records live at the Kent County Courthouse in Dover. The Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and JP Court 16 all share the same 414 Federal Street address. The Family Court sits a short drive away on Bay Road. This page shows you the right office to call for each case type, the forms to file, and the online tools that point to Kent County criminal court records. Use the contacts below to find case dockets, court orders, and certified criminal history reports.
Kent County Criminal Court Records Overview
Superior Court Criminal Court Records
The Superior Court handles all felony criminal cases in Kent County. The court sits at 414 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. The mailing address is 38 The Green, Dover. Main phone is 302-735-1900. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Prothonotary's Office is on the 1st Floor, Room 140. That room is where you ask to review Kent County criminal court records for Superior Court cases.
The Kent County Courthouse sits on a 5.3-acre site near the downtown Dover Green. The full building holds the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, JP Court 16, Register in Chancery, Prothonotary's Office, and the Law Library. Attorney General and Public Defender satellite offices are also here. Free parking makes the Dover site easy to reach for most of the state.
The Kent County Superior Court location page lists the direct phone lines and hours for each division.
Security screening runs at the public entrance. The Law Library on site is open to the public and is useful for case research.
Note: Call the Prothonotary's Office at 302-735-1900 ahead of your visit to confirm the case file is ready to pull for review.
Kent County Common Pleas Criminal Court Records
The Court of Common Pleas handles most misdemeanor cases in Kent County. Phone is 302-735-3925. The court also holds preliminary hearings in felony matters, civil cases up to $75,000, and traffic appeals. The contact for most criminal court records work is Julie Brooks. The court shares the same Kent County Courthouse as the Superior Court, so a visitor can handle both courts in a single trip.
Victims of crime with a change of address can send an email to CCP_VICADDRESSCHANGE@DELAWARE.GOV. The court tracks victim contact info for notification about hearings. A protection from abuse order can tie into a criminal case, and staff can direct you to the right file when you come in for a review.
Preliminary hearings drive the early part of felony prosecutions. The judge hears early evidence, reviews the probable cause for arrest, and decides if the case moves up to Superior Court. This step creates its own docket in the Court of Common Pleas. Kent County criminal court records at this level often include waivers, bail motions, and early plea offers before the case transfers.
The Delaware Court of Common Pleas main page has direct links to forms and county contact info.
Walk-in filing runs during regular hours. The clerk can check a case number, confirm the next hearing date, and tell you what file to request.
Family Court and Juvenile Records in Kent County
Juvenile criminal matters in Kent County go to the Family Court. The office sits at 555 Bay Road, Dover. Phone is 302-736-0400. Juvenile records are confidential under state law. Access is limited to the juvenile, a parent or guardian, the attorneys of record, and authorized agencies. A court order can open a file to others if a judge finds good cause.
Juvenile expungement petitions follow state rules. A juvenile with a clean record for a set waiting period may qualify. The waiting period and type of offense drive whether a file can be sealed. Family Court staff can point you to the right petition form on the state forms page.
The Kent County Family Court page has office hours, contact numbers, and directions.
A protection from abuse order filed at Family Court can lead to criminal charges when broken. The criminal case then moves to the Court of Common Pleas or Superior Court based on the charge.
Sheriff's Office and Warrant Service
The Kent County Sheriff's Office sits at 555 Bay Road, Dover. Phone is 302-739-3184. The Sheriff handles civil process, court security, warrant execution, sheriff's sales, and concealed carry permits. Warrants from the Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas come to the Sheriff for service. A name on a warrant should be cleared through the court that issued it.
The Sheriff does not issue criminal history reports. For a certified report, use the Delaware State Police State Bureau of Identification. Fingerprints are required. The state bureau runs through IdentoGO at sites across Delaware.
Active warrants for serious crimes are sometimes listed on the state wanted persons site. Check the DSP wanted persons page before you call the court about a named person. Tips can be anonymous. A court record for a warrant will not exist until the case gets filed and an arraignment is held.
Local Police Criminal Court Records
Delaware State Police Troop 3 covers most of Kent County. Troop 3 is at 3755 Bay Road, Dover. Phone is 302-678-4300. State Police arrests feed into Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas criminal records. The Troop 3 page has district maps and contact info.
Dover Police Department handles arrests inside city limits. The main police station is at 400 S. Queen Street. The Records Unit is at 302-736-7105. Crash Reports are at 302-736-7106. Police reports tie to the case file at the court, but the police hold their own copies too. A request for a Dover Police report can be made in person during business hours.
Both agencies log arrests into the statewide DELJIS system. DELJIS is the official repository under Title 11, ยง 8605 of the Delaware Code. Public access to DELJIS is limited, but the court dockets tied to each arrest are open at the courthouse.
Kent County JP Court Criminal Records
Four Justice of the Peace Court locations sit in Kent County. JP Court 7 is at 480 Bank Lane, Dover, 302-734-4513. JP Court 8 is at 35 Cams Fortune Way, Harrington, 302-398-5360. JP Court 16 is at 414 Federal Street, Dover, 302-735-1940. JP Court 17 is at 100 Monrovia Ave, Smyrna, 302-653-2562. Each JP Court keeps its own set of criminal records for the cases heard there.
JP Courts hear minor crimes, traffic matters, and landlord-tenant cases. Misdemeanor appeals from JP Court go up to the Court of Common Pleas. A person looking for a JP Court criminal record should call the specific court that heard the case. Not every JP Court has online access tools. A phone call saves a wasted trip.
JP Court files use their own case number format. The Delaware Courts locations page lists each JP Court address, hours, and contact phone.
Note: Form MISC35 is the access form for most JP Court criminal court records. File it at the specific court where the case was heard.
Detention Facility Criminal Court Records
The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center is the primary adult male facility serving Kent County and the wider state. The center sits at 1181 Paddock Road, Smyrna, DE 19977. Phone is 302-653-9261. Many Kent County defendants who receive a sentence of incarceration end up here. A pre-trial detainee may be held at Vaughn as well, depending on bail status.
Inmate records at Vaughn show booking date, charges, sentence length, and release date. The Delaware Department of Correction holds the inmate records. A court file at the Kent County Courthouse still shows the full case record. For a case outcome, the courthouse is the first stop.
VINE, the victim notification service, covers Vaughn. A victim or witness can register to get updates when an inmate's custody status changes.
How to Request Kent County Criminal Court Records
Start at the Prothonotary's Office on the 1st Floor, Room 140 of the Kent County Courthouse. Bring the case number if you have one. If not, bring the defendant's full name and a date range. Staff search the index and pull the file. You review the file at the courthouse. Files cannot leave the building.
Forms for file requests live on the Delaware Courts forms page. Use Form ADM_ADM_03_A for Superior Court criminal files. Use Form MISC35 for JP Court access. Use Form CF49 to apply for a fee waiver with proof of income. Each form has instructions on the same page.
The Office of the Prothonotary page lists all filing fees and copy charges across civil and criminal matters. The CourtConnect portal does not show criminal case details, but can confirm a civil record tied to the same defendant.
Older Kent County criminal court records may have moved to the Delaware Public Archives on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover. The research room is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. A search catalog on the archives site helps you check before you visit.
Fees, FOIA, and Public Access
Copy fees at the Prothonotary run $2 per page for plain copies. Certified copies cost $15 for the first three pages, then $2 per page after. A fee waiver is possible with Form CF49 and proof of income. Mail requests take two to four weeks. In-person requests with an appointment are same-day in most cases.
Delaware's public records law lives at Title 29, Chapter 100 of the Delaware Code. The statute sets a 15 business day response time and lists exemptions for police and grand jury records. Court records follow court rules rather than FOIA. A denial of a police records request can be appealed to the Attorney General Public Trust Division.
The Sex Offender Registry is open to the public. Check a name at the state registry for tier level and address.
Kent County Cities Criminal Court Records
Kent County has three cities that feed into the county court system. Each city page below links to the local police records unit, fees, and contacts for that city.