Search Kent County Deed Records

Kent County deed records are kept at the Recorder of Deeds office at 555 Bay Road in Dover. The office records every deed, mortgage, and lien for property in the county. Online search goes back to January 30, 1874. Paper books cover earlier years. Searching and viewing are free. Anyone can look up a property by grantor name, grantee name, book and page, or parcel ID. This page covers how to search, where to go, and what you pay for each kind of copy.

Kent County Recorder of Deeds

The Kent County Recorder of Deeds is led by Hon. Eugenia Thornton. Darin Dell serves as Deputy Recorder. The office records Kent County's property documents so they are searchable and properly formatted under Delaware law. Staff cannot help with a title search, but they will point you to the search terminals in the lobby.

A drop box for deeds materials sits outside the building. This lets you lodge a document after hours or on a day when you don't want to wait at the counter. The office also offers a professional library with reference guides, fact sheets, and form samples. Most who use the library are title searchers, paralegals, and real estate attorneys, but citizens are welcome too.

Search Kent County Deed Records Online

Kent County runs a free online search for deeds back to January 30, 1874. The county also keeps older books on the shelf at the Dover office for years before that date. The Kent County Deeds and Property Records page has all the search links in one spot.

The Kent County Real Property Search System is the main tool. Type a name in the search box and you'll see matching records right away. The system runs on the US Land Records platform. The office adds new recordings as quickly as possible. Watermarked viewing is free. Printing or downloading a clean copy costs $2 per page for casual users or $75 per month for an unlimited subscription.

Search tips for Kent County:

• Try every spelling variation of a last name
• For corporations, schools, and churches, watch for how the name was entered in the original index
• Use a date range to narrow results when a name is common
• Cross-check with the property records search if a name returns too many hits

Property details come from a second system. The Kent County Property Records Search is run by the Levy Court and ties together assessment, tax, and deed data. Search by address, owner name, or parcel number. Results show ownership, source of title, sale prices, transfer dates, legal descriptions, and a full history of assessments.

Don't have a computer? Visit the Recorder of Deeds office at the Kent County Building on Bay Road. Several terminals are open for the public. Staff will print pages for $1.00 each.

Kent County Deed Record Types

The Recorder of Deeds office in Kent County takes more than simple deeds. You'll find deeds, mortgages, federal tax liens, easements, assignments, and plot plans on file. The office also collects transfer tax for Kent County as part of each closing.

Common Kent County filings:

• Warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds
• Mortgage documents and satisfaction pieces
• Federal tax liens and lien releases
• Easements, right-of-way grants, and deed restrictions
• Assignments of mortgage
• Plot plans and subdivision maps
• Transfer on Death deeds (new as of Dec. 5)

Kent County recently began recording Transfer on Death deeds under the new state law. The deed names a beneficiary who will get the property when the owner dies, with no probate. The owner keeps full control during life and can revoke the deed at any time. This is a simple way to pass a Kent County home to an heir without a trust.

Kent County Deed Records Fees

Recording a two-page deed in Kent County costs $56. A standard 20-page mortgage runs $231. A two-page power of attorney costs $51. Each extra page on any document adds $10.

Copy fees at the Kent County office:

• Online printing: $2 per page
• Monthly unlimited subscription: $75
• Staff-printed copy: $1 per page
• Certified copy: $3 at the counter

Transfer tax in Kent County is 1.5% to the state plus 1.5% to the county, split 50/50 between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise. First-time home buyers can have the county share waived if they meet the Delaware test. The buyer cannot have owned a home in any state before, and the property must be their primary home within 90 days of settlement.

Historical Kent County Land Records

Kent County land records reach back to the time when the Dutch first granted lands in the area. Records from 1646 to 1657 are tied to Dutch grants, and records from the Duke of York period run until 1680. Some of the earliest paper was destroyed during the Revolutionary War. A few gaps exist for those years. The Delaware Public Archives in Dover holds much of what survived.

Online records in Kent County start on January 30, 1874. Before that date, you have to work with microfilm or bound books. The FamilySearch Library has a full run of Kent County deeds from 1680 to 1850 and indexes from 1680 to 1873 on microfilm. These copies are a good backup when the county office can't find a specific record or when you're working on genealogy.

The Kent County office also offers a free Property Fraud Alert. The alert sends an email any time a new document gets filed with your name on it. This catches title fraud early and gives the property owner a chance to act fast. The sign-up takes a few minutes on the county's website.

Kent County Deed Records Research Tips

Researching Kent County deed records takes a mix of tools. Start with the online search at uslandrecords.com for anything after 1874. Note the book and page when you find a hit. That book and page will match the paper volume in the Dover office if you later need a certified copy.

For older records, the state archives in Dover is usually the next stop. The archives keeps a deed roaster that lists transfers from 1747 to 2009 sortable by grantor, grantee, tract, and date. If the roaster shows a hit that the Kent County office can't find online, staff at the archives can pull the paper file for a small fee.

The Kent County office also keeps fact sheets on common deed-related topics. Topics include how to add or remove a name, how to record a Transfer on Death deed, and how to ask the recorder to strike old race-based covenants from a deed. The fact sheets are free at the counter and online.

Cities in Kent County

These Kent County cities file deeds through the Dover Recorder of Deeds.

Nearby Delaware Counties

Looking for records in another county? Try these.