New Castle County Property Search
The government of New Castle County, Delaware, preserves official records relating to real property (lands and improvements to land) within its jurisdiction. These records, known as "property records," contain essential real estate data, including details about liens, mortgages, and other encumbrances on local properties. A property search is performed to retrieve these, and related New Castle County Public Records.
Property searches are necessary for various reasons, most of which surround verifying a real estate transaction, uncovering the history of a piece of property, resolving legal disputes or issues involving property (e.g., property shares, wills, and boundary lines), and determining a property's value and tax implications.
New Castle County's primary property records custodian is the Recorder of Deeds. The New Castle County Recorder of Deeds receives, processes, and records all land transaction documents for the county and serves as the local repository for property records, among other responsibilities. However, one can still find property records in other local offices, such as the Office of Assessment.
Are New Castle County Property Records Public?
Yes, New Castle County property records are accessible to the public. Per Delaware's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), records that state and local government bodies produce, collate, receive, compile, or maintain while conducting public business or that relate to public interest or purposes, regardless of physical form, are considered "public records". Consequently, property records held by the New Castle County Recorder of Deeds and other local public bodies (as defined in 29 Del. C. § 10002(k)) are subject to the FOIA.
Because the Delaware FOIA permits access to governmental records, any citizen can inspect or copy property records maintained by public authorities in New Castle County.
However, specific categories of records are exempt from the public disclosure requirement. These records are not disseminated upon a property search. Examples include credit card and bank account numbers, Social Security numbers (first five digits), business trade secrets, plans or specifications for state-owned properties, and records barred explicitly by statute or common law. Title 29, Section 10002(o) of the Delaware Code lists the complete FOIA exemptions.
What Do New Castle County Property Records Contain?
New Castle County property records contain various details about real property situated in the county, such as:
- Legal Documents: Documents used to transact or convey interests in real estate, such as deeds and deed restrictions, easements, mortgages (assignments and satisfactions of mortgage), land contracts, federal tax liens, and plot plans
- Sales History: Grantor (seller) and grantee (buyer) names, the sale date, and the sale amount
- Ownership Details: The names and addresses of previous and present property owners.
- Property Information: This includes the property address, legal description, parcel number, subdivision, structure characteristics (year built, condition, occupancy, year renovated), acreage, property class, lot size, and other essential information about a parcel
- Assessment/Tax Information: Information about property assessments for tax purposes. For example, assessed values, tax rates, and payment history (tax bills, payment dates, paid amounts, due balances)
- District and zoning information
Where to Perform a New Castle County Property Lookup
Members of the public can perform a New Castle County property lookup via these means:
- Stop by the New Castle Recorder of Deeds office or Office of Assessment during regular working hours
- Access the county recorder's Document Search portal.
- Access the Office of Assessment's New Castle County Parcel Search website.
How to Perform a Property Owner Lookup in New Castle County
Often called a title search, a property owner lookup reveals information about a property's current ownership. It uncovers a current property owner's name, address, and, sometimes, contact information. A researcher may also find past ownership history and other relevant property details.
To perform a property owner lookup in New Castle County, one may visit the Recorder of Deeds office during normal working hours to search documents that convey title to real property (i.e., deeds).
800 North French Street
4th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
Phone: (302) 395-7700 | Phone: (Document Search): (302) 395-7792
Fax: (302) 395-7732
Hours
In-person requesters can inspect records at no charge, but the Recorder of Deeds charges 50¢ per page for copies. One should check the office's fee schedule for other applicable costs.
The Recorder of Deeds also provides a Document Search web portal that users can access with a name (Last Name/Organization or First Name). No fee applies to search for land transaction documents on the website, but users must pay $1 per page to view any document. The Recorder of Deeds advises frequent users to create a subscription account for unlimited access, charged at $100 monthly.
Alternatively, a person can utilize the New Castle County Parcel Search to look up real property ownership information. The site can be searched with a parcel number or address (partial or complete). Available data includes a current property owner's name, owner address, and deed history.
How to Find New Castle County Property Records Online
Members of the public can access online databases provided by local authorities (as explained earlier) to find New Castle County property records online. In addition, there are several third-party aggregator websites that feature property search databases.
An individual can typically search a third-party database with a name, street address, and, sometimes, a unique identifier (like a parcel or document number). Interestingly, users may be offered an expansive search consisting of property records in New Castle County and other U.S. regions (states and municipalities). However, they may be charged a fee to search for documents or obtain detailed information.
How to Find Property Owner by Address for Free
A property address search to find the current owner of a property in New Castle County can be conducted on the Parcel Search website.
- On a browser, go to the New Castle County official website.
- Select "Parcel Search" from the menu.
- Provide a street number or street name in the specified search boxes.
- Click "Search".
No fee applies to obtain ownership information and other property details through the New Castle County Parcel Search website.
New Castle County Property Tax Lookup
A property tax lookup fetches tax information associated with a piece of real estate. This search is valuable to different parties, including property owners, real estate agents, prospective buyers, and tax agencies.
For a homeowner, a property tax search helps determine tax obligations (including tax exemptions) and ensures that tax payments are up-to-date. Meanwhile, a potential real estate buyer may conduct a property tax lookup to find out the tax implications of purchasing a property. A real estate agent may search property tax records to ascertain the existence of delinquent taxes that may affect a property's value, and a local tax agency may look up such records to verify a taxpayer's compliance with the applicable tax laws.
A New Castle County property tax lookup can be executed on the county's Parcel Search website. One may also contact or visit the Office of Assessment during regular business hours. The office maintains tax parcel and map information for the County of New Castle.
How to Find New Castle County Property Appraiser
Property appraisers determine the fair market value of real estate. These professionals boast a deep understanding of the real estate market and trends. As such, they can conduct accurate and in-depth inspections and produce written reports on real property values. These reports are typically useful for real estate planning and development, tax assessments, insurance or mortgage applications, and property conveyance.
Per Delaware's License Law and Rules and Regulations, all property appraisers operating within the state require certification or licensing from the Council on Real Estate Appraisers, a licensing board/commission under the Division of Professional Regulations (DPR).
The DPR maintains records on all licensees. Consequently, individuals looking for property appraisers in New Castle County can search the DPR's online professional licensure system (DELPROS).
Here's how to search DELPROS:
- On the search homepage, click "Search & Verify License".
- Choose to search by "Individual" or "Facility". Note: Typically, the system advises the entry of an individual/facility's name (complete or partial) and a profession to return a match. However, if attempting to search all licensed appraisers within a particular jurisdiction, continue to the next step.
- Fill out the city, state, and profession fields (if uncertain of the license type, leave it blank). Then, click "Search".
Search results include licensee full names, professions, license types, license statuses, license/approval numbers, and zip codes. Inquirers can select any "License/Approval Number," followed by "View More Info," to find extra information, such as the license issue date, license expiration date, and licensee disciplinary information (if any).
New Castle County Property Assessor
The New Castle County Office of Assessment (the county's property assessor) oversees the identification and assessment of all real property within the county for taxation purposes. The office also approves tax exemptions for eligible taxpayers. Below is the county assessment office's physical address and contact information:
87 Reads Way
New Castle, DE 19720
Phone: (302) 395-5520
