Find Civil Court Records in Middletown
Middletown sits in southern New Castle County, and civil court records for the town pass through the county court system. The local Justice of the Peace Court 9 at 757 North Broad Street handles small claims, landlord-tenant cases, and minor civil matters for Middletown residents. Bigger civil cases over $25,000 are filed at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington. You can search Middletown civil dockets online through CourtConnect, or visit the clerk in person to pull a case file.
Middletown Overview
Justice of the Peace Court 9 in Middletown
Justice of the Peace Court 9 sits at 757 North Broad Street, Middletown, DE 19709. The phone is (302) 378-5221. The court handles both civil and criminal matters. Civil claims are capped at $25,000. Common cases here include landlord-tenant disputes, debt claims, small tort cases, and minor traffic matters. More JP Court info is at courts.delaware.gov/jpcourt.
Below is the New Castle County court locations page, where JP Court 9 is listed.
The court is close enough to Newark that some Newark residents file small claims here too.
JP Court civil fees are at courts.delaware.gov/help/fees/jpfees. A trespass claim under $1,000 has a $35 filing fee. A subpoena is $10. Appeals from JP Court go to the Court of Common Pleas, except for landlord-tenant possession cases, which go to a three-judge panel inside the JP Court.
| Office | Justice of the Peace Court 9 |
|---|---|
| Address | 757 North Broad Street Middletown, DE 19709 |
| Phone | (302) 378-5221 |
| Types | Civil and criminal |
Middletown Superior Court Civil Records
For civil cases over $50,000, Middletown residents file at the New Castle County Superior Court at the Justice Center in Wilmington. The address is 500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. The Superior Court line is (302) 255-0800. The Prothonotary handles civil filings on the first floor. Call (302) 255-0777 to book a public access terminal.
A Superior Court civil filing fee runs $175 to $300. Add the $10 Court Security Assessment Fee and a $0.50 per document technology fee. The full fee chart is at courts.delaware.gov/superior/fees. Civil cases in Superior Court can take a year or 18 months to final judgment.
Common Pleas and Chancery for Middletown
For civil claims over the JP Court cap but under $50,000, the Court of Common Pleas in Wilmington is the right office. Email CCPNCC_CivilFilings@delaware.gov for records requests. The state page is courts.delaware.gov/CommonPleas. The civil complaint filing fee is $85.
Equity cases, such as guardianships, trusts, estates, and business matters, go to the Court of Chancery. The office is at 500 N. King Street, Suite 11400. Call (302) 255-0544. A new Chancery case has a minimum filing fee of $410. See courts.delaware.gov/chancery for more.
Online Middletown Civil Court Records
The fastest way to look up a Middletown civil case is CourtConnect at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov. The portal covers Superior Court, Common Pleas, and JP Court dockets. You can search by name, business, or case number.
The state civil case search page at courts.delaware.gov/docket pulls from the same data set. CourtConnect shows the docket, party names, and scheduled hearings. Full documents are not always in the online file. For copies, call the court or visit the clerk.
Note: Guest access is fine for most lookups on CourtConnect, so you do not need to create an account.
What Middletown Civil Records Contain
A civil case file for a Middletown matter has the same parts as any other New Castle County case. The file starts with a complaint or petition. Over time, it grows with motions, answers, orders, and the final judgment. The docket lists every event in order.
Typical parts of a file:
- Complaint or petition
- Summons and proof of service
- Answer and counterclaims
- Motions, briefs, and replies
- Orders and final judgment
Most parts are public. Family Court matters and sealed filings are not. Juvenile records are blocked. Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and minor names are redacted under Rule 79.1. The Prothonotary does not clean filings for parties.
Middletown Property and City Records
Property records for Middletown are held by the New Castle County Recorder of Deeds and the county Assessor. Civil judgments can be recorded against real estate through the Recorder of Deeds. The Town of Middletown runs its own municipal services but does not keep civil court records. Middletown Town Hall sits at 19 W. Green Street. Council meets on the first and third Monday each month at 7:00 PM.
For open records held by the city itself, the state FOIA law at 29 Del. C. §§ 10001-10008 applies. The state FOIA page is delaware.gov/freedom-of-information-act. For the state code, see law.justia.com/codes/delaware/title-10.
Privacy Rule: Middletown filings that name a minor child must use only initials under Rule 79.1.
Historical Middletown Records
Older Middletown civil case files are held at the Delaware Public Archives at 121 Duke of York Street in Dover. Call 302-744-5000 or email archives@delaware.gov. The main page is archives.delaware.gov. The archives hold deeds, probate files, and court dockets from the colonial era forward.
Superior Court civil case files are kept for 20 years after final disposition. Judgments are held forever. Docket books and indices are also kept forever. Common Pleas cases run 7 years. JP Court civil cases run 5 years. Records of historical value may go to the archives rather than destroyed.
Federal Court Records for Middletown
Federal civil cases involving Middletown residents go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in Wilmington. The website is ded.uscourts.gov. Federal filings are not in CourtConnect. The court uses PACER for electronic access. You can register for a free PACER account at www.pacer.gov. Fees are billed quarterly.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware sits in the same building. Many large corporate bankruptcy cases in the country are filed there. Public terminals in the Clerk's Office let you print PACER files at $0.10 per page. The Help Desk is (302) 573-6170.
For legal research, the Delaware State Law Library at courts.delaware.gov/law-library is the official state library under 10 Del. C. § 1942. It is open to the public for review of statutes, court rules, and past opinions. Self-represented parties can use the library for free before filing a civil case.
Staff at the library can help you find the right volume or code section, though they cannot give legal advice. The library is inside the Kent County Courthouse in Dover, which is about 30 miles south of Middletown.
New Castle County Civil Court Records
Middletown is in New Castle County. All civil cases over the JP Court cap go to the county Justice Center. See the New Castle County page for more on fees, the Prothonotary, and online search.
Nearby Cities
Other cities in New Castle County that file at the Justice Center: