New Castle County Felony Records
New Castle County felony records are on file at the Superior Court in Wilmington. The county is Delaware's largest, and its court handles the highest volume of felony cases in the state. You can pull New Castle County felony records through CourtConnect, the online portal run by the Delaware Judiciary. If you need a certified copy or the full case file, you can visit the clerk at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. Local police in Wilmington, Newark, Middletown, and Delaware City also keep arrest and incident reports tied to felony charges. Pick the path that fits your search.
New Castle County Overview
Superior Court for New Castle Felony Records
The Superior Court in New Castle County is the trial court for all adult felony cases in the county. It sits inside the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center on North King Street in Wilmington. The court also hears civil cases over $50,000. Its criminal docket runs year round.
For New Castle County felony records, you work with two staff groups at the courthouse. The Court Clerk keeps criminal case files and dockets. The Prothonotary keeps civil files, judgment liens, and related papers. Both are in the same building. You can view basic case info on Superior Court pages at the Delaware Judiciary site.
| Office | New Castle County Superior Court - Criminal Division |
|---|---|
| Address |
Leonard L. Williams Justice Center 500 N. King Street Wilmington, DE 19801 |
| Phone | (302) 255-0800 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
Copy fees at the Superior Court run $5 for the first page and $1 per extra page. Certified copies add a $5 fee on top of the per-page charge. Public access terminals are free to use, but a 24-hour advance appointment is needed. You can file a written Application for Access to Court Records on Form ADM_ADM_03_A if you need records that are not open through CourtConnect.
Common Pleas and New Castle Felony Records
The Court of Common Pleas is the other key court for New Castle County criminal records. It handles misdemeanors and takes preliminary hearings for felony cases before they move up to Superior Court. You will find it in the same Wilmington building, on the Lower Level 1.
Records at Common Pleas cover drug cases below the felony threshold, theft and property crimes, and the first appearance stage for felony records. You can visit the clerk in person during business hours to pull a file. The Common Pleas website has contact info and forms for all three counties.
| Address | 500 N. King Street, Suite 500, Lower Level 1, Wilmington, DE 19801 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (302) 255-0900 |
| Civil Filings Email | CCPNCC_CivilFilings@delaware.gov |
New Castle County Prothonotary
The Prothonotary's office takes civil filings tied to felony records. That includes judgment liens for restitution, court costs, and bail forfeitures. The Prothonotary also records civil judgments against real property in New Castle County.
The office is on the Lower Level 1 of the Justice Center. The phone is (302) 255-3948. You can email ProthonotaryNCC@delaware.gov with a case number. A case number will get you faster results than a name search, but staff can look up cases either way. Basic docket info is also on Prothonotary pages at the state site.
Note: Bring a valid photo ID when you visit the Prothonotary, and plan for short waits during the lunch hour between noon and 1 PM.
New Castle County Sheriff's Office
The New Castle County Sheriff handles service of legal papers, warrant service, and courthouse security. The sheriff does not run a public jail. Arrestees go to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution for pre-trial detention. The sheriff also processes concealed carry permit applications for county residents.
The image below is from the New Castle County Sheriff's Office page, where you can find contact info and forms for civil process work.
The sheriff can confirm that a warrant tied to a felony case exists, but full warrant data is held back from the public for safety reasons.
| Address | 500 N. King Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (302) 395-8450 |
| sheriff@newcastlede.gov |
Searching New Castle County Felony Records Online
CourtConnect is the quickest way to pull New Castle County felony records from home. The portal covers Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas cases. You can search by last name, business name, or case number. The Delaware case ID for a county felony case looks like N21A-CR-001234.
The search returns the docket, filing dates, party names, and scheduled hearings. Sealed cases and juvenile records do not appear. Some personal data is redacted to protect victims and witnesses. To view full documents or get certified copies, you must contact the clerk in person. Visit CourtConnect to start a search.
Pro tip: use the business entity search for cases tied to a company. Otherwise, a last name plus first initial gets you the cleanest hit list for New Castle County felony records.
New Castle County Recorder of Deeds
The Recorder of Deeds sits in the Louis L. Redding County Building at 800 N. French Street in Wilmington. The office keeps deeds, mortgages, and judgment liens on real property. For felony records, the Recorder matters when a court enters a civil judgment that attaches to the defendant's property.
Online search is free to run at the county site, but viewing a document runs $1 per page. A $100 monthly subscription gets unlimited access. Call (302) 395-7700 for help. The Recorder of Deeds page walks you through each tool.
SBI Felony Records Checks in New Castle
For a statewide rap sheet that covers New Castle County felony records and the rest of Delaware, the State Bureau of Identification is the right stop. SBI has an office at 1407 N. DuPont Highway in Dover and eight other fingerprint sites across Delaware, including one in Wilmington.
Fees and what you get:
- $72 for a Delaware-only check
- $85 for a Delaware and FBI combined check
- $5 for each extra certified copy
- Valid photo ID required at the fingerprint session
Pay by money order or certified check made out to Delaware State Police. The full set of SBI pages is at dsp.delaware.gov. You can also see the DELJIS portal for public-facing tools tied to criminal history data.
Note: The SBI office in Dover is the main print site for state checks, but Wilmington and State Police Troop sites also serve New Castle County residents.
Inmate Records for New Castle County Felonies
Felony defendants from New Castle County often pass through the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington for pre-trial detention. Sentenced males may move to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna. Women go to the Baylor Women's Correctional Institution. All three sites are run by the Delaware Department of Correction.
DOC runs a public inmate lookup. You can search by name or by DOC offender ID. The tool shows facility, custody level, and release date. Visit doc.delaware.gov to run a search.
Expunging a New Castle County Felony Record
Delaware law allows some felony records to be expunged after a waiting period. The rules sit in Title 11 of the Delaware Code, with Chapter 86 covering the full expungement process. Mandatory expungement applies to acquittals, dismissals, and nolle prosequi dispositions. Discretionary expungement applies to some convictions after five years for most misdemeanors and seven-plus years for most felonies.
Violent felonies, sex offenses, and DUIs are not eligible for expungement in Delaware. For other felony records, you can file a petition with the Superior Court. The Delaware Courts forms portal holds more than 25 expungement forms. Pick the right one for your case type, fill it in, and file with the Prothonotary.
FOIA and New Castle County Felony Records
Delaware's Freedom of Information Act lets any person ask for public records from a state or local agency. The law sits in 29 Del. C. Chapter 100. Response time is 15 business days, with a 30-day extension allowed on complex requests. The Attorney General's FOIA page is a good starting point for any request tied to New Castle County felony records.
FOIA will not open every file. Active investigation records, intelligence files, and personnel data stay out of reach. Juvenile records, attorney-client notes, and trade secrets are also exempt. If your request is denied, you can appeal to the Attorney General within 60 days. You can also seek access via the Delaware Sex Offender Registry for that subset of felony records.
Cities in New Castle County
New Castle County is home to several cities that each keep their own police records. All felony cases from these cities go up to the Superior Court in Wilmington.
Nearby Counties
The other two Delaware counties border New Castle to the south. If you are not sure which court handles your felony case, start with the address where the offense took place.