Kent County Property Records

Kent County property records are maintained by the Recorder of Deeds office in Dover and go back to the 1700s. You can search deeds, land records, and other recorded documents online for free, or visit the office in person to research the history of any property in Kent County.

Kent County Recorder of Deeds Office

The Kent County Recorder of Deeds is led by the Honorable Eugenia Thornton, Recorder, and Darin Dell, Deputy Recorder. The office is at 555 Bay Road in Dover. Its mission is to record Kent County property documents so they are searchable and formatted in line with state law. The office handles everything from basic deed recording to public education about how property records work.

The office provides a number of services beyond simple document recording. Staff maintain a professional library resource for title searchers, paralegals, and attorneys. The office also handles community relations through press releases and public presentations. One standout service is the free Property Fraud Alert system, which notifies property owners when a document is recorded in their name. The office says it operates on the principle that it works for the citizens of Kent County.

Walk-in visits are welcome during regular hours. Recording hours end at 3:00 pm each weekday, so plan accordingly if you need to file a document. There is a drop box outside the office for those who arrive after hours.

The office provides a photographic tour of the public space, which includes the Public Access Property Records Research Library, a Customer Service Desk, a Title Searcher Workstation, Historic Deeds Records going back centuries, and public access computers for searching records on-site.

The screenshot below was captured from the official Kent County Recorder of Deeds department page at kentcountyde.gov.

The department page outlines office services, legal requirements for recording, and links to forms and fact sheets used by the public and legal professionals alike.

Search Kent County Property Records Online

Searching Kent County property records online is free. The Recorder's office gives the public two main tools to find recorded documents. Both are available at any time, from any device with internet access.

The first tool is the Kent County Real Property Search on US Land Records. This system holds certified real property indices and images going back to January 30, 1874. New recordings are added quickly as documents come in, but you should check the certification dates when searching recent filings. Searching and viewing watermarked documents is free. If you want to remove the watermark to download or print a document, the fee is $2.00 per page. You can also subscribe for a flat monthly fee if you need to print many documents. No registration is needed for casual one-page access.

Names in the system are searchable as written on the legal documents. For non-human parties like corporations, churches, cemeteries, or government bodies, you should check the Kent County DE Indexing Standards to understand how those names are entered. Adobe Reader is required for printing, and the site uses pop-ups for download functions. Technical support is handled by Avenu Insights Web Support.

The image below shows the US Land Records search interface, captured from i2g.uslandrecords.com.

The system provides access to more than 150 years of recorded property documents in Kent County, with both index searching and image retrieval available to the public at no cost for basic viewing.

Kent County Levy Court Property Records System

The Kent County Levy Court Property Records System is a separate tool from the Recorder's database. It gives access to public property information through a map-based interface or by entering an address, owner name, or parcel identification number.

This system is useful for looking up current ownership, source of title, sales prices, transfer dates, legal descriptions, land and building descriptions, and assessment history. It covers the kind of information you would want before buying property or researching a parcel's background. The interface uses an interactive map, which makes it easy to explore by location rather than just by name or number. Users must click "I Agree" to accept a disclaimer before accessing the system. Kent County Levy Court notes that while all attempts have been made to ensure correctness, no guarantee can be made and use is at the user's own risk.

The screenshot below was taken from the Kent County Levy Court property records search page.

The Levy Court system complements the Recorder's deed search by providing assessment and ownership data in a user-friendly map format, making it a practical first stop for general property research.

Resident Services and How to Use the Records

The Recorder's office resident services page covers the most common things people need to do with property records. You can search deeds, learn how to research the history of your home, register for the Property Fraud Alert program, record a new document, or request that unlawful language be redacted from an older deed.

One of the most common questions the office gets is: "How do I change my deed?" The short answer is that you can't change a deed once it's recorded. Instead, you must make a new deed and record it along with the original. This creates what is called a "chain of title" that stretches back to before Delaware was a state. The office provides a factsheet titled "Why Can't I Change my Deed?" to help people understand this process. For anyone planning to convey property, the office strongly recommends working with a real estate attorney and a professional title searcher.

The office also publishes "Who, Why, Where & How of Property History Research" along with a companion workbook for citizens who want to research a property's full history on their own. These resources are available through the resident services page.

The image below is from the Kent County Recorder of Deeds resident services page.

The resident services page is the main hub for citizens looking to take action on property documents, from free online searching to recording new deeds and accessing public education materials.

Property Fraud Alert Program

Kent County offers a free Property Fraud Alert program through the Recorder's office. It is one of the more practical tools available to homeowners. Once you register your name, the system monitors all documents recorded by the office and sends you an email notification within a few days any time a document is recorded matching your name.

This kind of transparency can be a real safeguard. Deed theft and unauthorized liens do happen, and catching them early matters. If you see a transaction you do not recognize, you will know about it within a week at most. That gives you time to act before the problem gets worse. Registration is free and takes only a few minutes through the resident services page. There is no cost to stay enrolled.

Transfer on Death Deed

Delaware added the Transfer on Death Deed (TODD) in 2025. It is a low-cost option for property owners whose estate consists mainly of real property. The TODD lets you name a beneficiary who will receive your property at death without going through probate. You keep full ownership and control during your lifetime and can revoke the deed at any time.

No attorney is required to record a TODD, but the Recorder's office recommends consulting one before you file. The office provides information about TODDs, links to news articles, forms, a list of advantages and disadvantages, and a slide presentation that Recorder Thornton gives to the public on request. The legal basis for the TODD is Delaware Code Title 25 Chapter 2. You can find forms and further details through the Recorder's resident services page.

Delaware Law and Kent County Recorded Documents

The Recorder of Deeds office operates under Delaware Code Title 9 Chapter 96. That law requires recorders to be elected to four-year terms and sets out what they must record, including deeds, mortgages, releases, powers of attorney, and plats. Documents submitted for recording must include the county parcel ID number and a "prepared by" line on the first page. These are not just technicalities. Missing either one can delay or prevent recording.

Rules for how deeds must be written, executed, acknowledged, and recorded come from Delaware Code Title 25 Chapter 1. This chapter also covers chain of title requirements. Understanding these rules matters if you are preparing a deed yourself or reviewing one you received.

Delaware's Realty Transfer Tax is set out in Delaware Code Title 30 Chapter 54. The standard rate is 3%, split between buyer and seller. Kent County receives 7.12% of its distributed share from these collections. The transfer tax applies to most property sales and must be paid at the time of recording.

Fair housing protections under Delaware Code Title 6 Chapter 46 prohibit discriminatory deed covenants. If you find unlawful or discriminatory language in an older deed, the Recorder's office can help. The office provides a guide to researching restrictive language and a redaction request form. Language that violates Delaware Code sections 9 Del.C. 9605(b) or 9 Del.C. 9627 related to race, religion, sex, disability, or other protected characteristics can be removed from the public record.

The following are key documents typically handled by the Kent County Recorder of Deeds:

• Warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds
• Mortgage documents and releases
• Powers of attorney
• Plats and subdivision maps
• Transfer on Death Deeds
• Financing statements and UCC filings

Historical Property Records and Archives

Kent County property records go back to the colonial period. The Recorder's online search tool provides access to electronic deed records from the 1700s to the present. That is a significant archive, and it is available to anyone with internet access at no cost for basic viewing.

For records that predate electronic indexing, or for research into Delaware's broader land history, the Delaware Public Archives holds historical land records from all three counties. The Archives is a good resource for genealogical research or property history going back to the earliest days of settlement. Records there cover transfers, grants, and other land documents from before Delaware became a state. If the Recorder's online system doesn't go back far enough for your research, the Archives is the next stop.

Cities in Kent County

The following cities in Kent County have dedicated property records pages with local courthouse and filing information.

Note that Milford straddles both Kent and Sussex counties. Property records for Milford parcels may be held by either the Kent County or Sussex County Recorder of Deeds depending on the parcel location.

Nearby Counties

Delaware has three counties. If you need property records from outside Kent County, the other two counties maintain their own Recorder of Deeds offices with separate search systems.