New Castle County Civil Court Records
New Castle County is home to the largest court in Delaware. All civil court records for the county are held at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington. The building houses the Superior Court, the Court of Chancery, the Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, and several Justice of the Peace Courts. You can search the county's civil dockets online or visit the clerk in person. This page shows you how to do both and which court holds what type of case.
New Castle County Overview
Leonard L. Williams Justice Center
The Leonard L. Williams Justice Center is the main courthouse for New Castle County. The address is 500 N. King Street in Wilmington. The building is also called the New Castle County Courthouse. Inside, you will find every major civil court in the county, plus the offices that hold the case files. The courthouse is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. You can read more about the county court system at courts.delaware.gov/locations/newcastle.
Below is a screenshot of the New Castle County court locations page on the state court site. The page at courts.delaware.gov/locations/newcastle lists every JP Court, address, and phone.
Use this page as the index for every court in the county.
| Office | Leonard L. Williams Justice Center |
|---|---|
| Address |
500 N. King Street Wilmington, DE 19801 |
| Superior Court | (302) 255-0800 |
| Common Pleas | (302) 255-0900 |
| Website | courts.delaware.gov/locations/newcastle |
New Castle County Superior Court Civil Records
The New Castle County Superior Court handles civil cases where the amount in controversy is over $50,000. It also hears felony criminal cases and appeals from lower courts. The Prothonotary is the civil clerk for the Superior Court. The Prothonotary's office is on the first floor of the Justice Center. Call (302) 255-0777 to reach the office. For the state page on the court, see courts.delaware.gov/locations/superior_nc.
Below is the New Castle Superior Court page.
This is the court that handles big civil suits, and the Prothonotary keeps every file here.
The Judgment's Office on the first floor has six public access terminals. You can look at the docket or the image of any public document on these machines. Access is by appointment only. Email the Prothonotary with "Public Access" in the subject line or call to schedule. Copies are printed by the clerk and charged per page under Rule 77(F). A detailed fee chart is posted at courts.delaware.gov/superior/fees. A civil filing runs $175 to $300 plus a $10 Court Security Assessment Fee. A technology fee of $0.50 per document applies under Rule 79.1.
Note: Public access terminals at the Justice Center are by appointment only, so call ahead before your visit.
Court of Common Pleas in New Castle
The Court of Common Pleas sits in the same building. It handles civil cases up to $50,000. Call (302) 255-0900 for the court. Email CCPNCC_CivilFilings@delaware.gov for filings. The state page for the court is courts.delaware.gov/CommonPleas.
The Common Pleas filing fee for a civil complaint is $85. The same fee applies to a petition for name change. An appeal from the Justice of the Peace Court is $135. All fees are non-refundable. For the full list, see courts.delaware.gov/help/fees/ccpfees. The court uses eCourtPlus for electronic filings, case searches, and calendar lookups. Most attorneys file online. Self-represented parties can still file on paper at the clerk's window.
Court of Chancery in Wilmington
The New Castle County Court of Chancery is on the eleventh floor of the Justice Center, Suite 11400. Call (302) 255-0544. Hours are the same as the rest of the building. This court is famous for handling corporate disputes. Many Fortune 500 lawsuits pass through here. Read more at courts.delaware.gov/chancery.
The screenshot below shows the county Chancery location page.
Chancery files are held by the Register in Chancery, not the Prothonotary.
A new Chancery case costs a minimum of $410 to file. Fees scale up based on case type and the number of defendants. A $2 per page docketing fee also applies. Petitioners must notarize their signatures. Pro se filers can file for themselves, but a Delaware lawyer must represent any company. The Register in Chancery will copy documents for $1.50 per page if you cannot bring your own.
Online Access to New Castle Civil Court Records
The fastest way to look up a civil case in New Castle County is CourtConnect. The portal is at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov. You can search by name, business, or case number. The search covers Superior Court, Common Pleas, and JP Court cases.
The state also runs a civil case search page at courts.delaware.gov/docket. Both tools pull from the same data. Not every document is online. For a full copy, you still need to call or visit the clerk. The Register of Wills for probate files is separate and not in CourtConnect. Use the New Castle County Register of Wills page for probate records.
Historical New Castle County Records
Old civil case files are transferred to the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. The archives hold deeds, probate files, and court dockets from the colonial era forward. The main page is archives.delaware.gov. Email archives@delaware.gov for remote lookup.
For federal civil cases that arose in New Castle County, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware at ded.uscourts.gov is the right office. Federal bankruptcy cases also go through the court in Wilmington.
Privacy Rule: Parties must redact Social Security numbers, minor initials, birth dates, and bank account numbers under Rule 79.1. The clerk does not check.
Cities in New Castle County
Every city in New Castle County files civil cases at the Justice Center in Wilmington. A JP Court location may handle small claims or landlord-tenant cases closer to home.
Other Delaware Counties
If the case you need is not in New Castle County, check the other two counties. Each one has its own courthouse and clerk.