Kent County Probate Court Records

Kent County probate court records document how estates are settled for residents of Delaware's central county. All filings including wills, administration accounts, estate inventories, and letters testamentary are held at the Kent County Register of Wills in Dover. The office has served as the county's probate authority since records begin in 1680. Searching Kent County probate court records can be done online through state databases for older filings, or by contacting the Register of Wills directly at 555 Bay Road in Dover for recent estate cases. This page covers office details, fees, what documents to bring, and historical record resources.

Kent County Register of Wills

The Kent County Register of Wills office is responsible for recording wills after death and overseeing all estate matters filed in the county. The Register is D.J. Cox. The office is at the Kent County Levy Court Administrative Complex at 555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214, Dover, DE 19901. Phone is 302-744-2330, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Walk-in hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and Friday 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

Appointments are required to open an estate and to close an estate in Kent County. Once a Deputy reviews your paperwork, you will be contacted to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are accepted during office hours but appointments take priority. All fees are payable by cash, check, or money order only. No credit cards are accepted at the Kent County Register of Wills.

The Kent County Register of Wills office records all estate filings as permanent records and ensures compliance with Delaware law and county policies. All estate matters are maintained permanently, which means records from recent decades are accessible at this office rather than through the Delaware Public Archives.

The Kent County Register of Wills page at kentcountyde.gov lists current forms, filing requirements, and contact details for the Dover office.

The office oversees appointments of personal representatives and administers estate proceedings from opening through final settlement.

Opening an Estate in Kent County

To open an estate in Kent County in person, you need the following: the original death certificate, the original will if one exists, an estimated value of assets solely owned by the decedent as of the date of death, an estimated value of any real estate solely owned by the decedent, a list of the decedent's next of kin with full name, relationship, and address including zip code, and a valid driver's license or passport if you are not a U.S. citizen. These requirements come directly from the Kent County Register of Wills office.

If you are opening an estate by mail instead of in person, you will need to include all the items listed above plus a completed Case Information Sheet, any required renunciation forms, and a copy of your valid driver's license or passport rather than the original. Mail all documents to the office at 555 Bay Road, Room 214, Dover, DE 19901. Calling ahead at 302-744-2330 to confirm what specific forms are needed for your situation is a good first step.

Filing fees for Kent County estates are set by the Kent County Levy Court and Delaware State Code. Filing a petition costs $5.00 for two pages or $10.00 for more than two pages. Fees for granting letters vary depending on the value of the estate, starting at $1.00 for estates under $30,000. Additional fees apply for certified copies, short certificates, and other services. All fees are non-refundable once services are rendered.

Estates where the decedent's personal property is valued at $30,000 or less and they owned no real estate solely in their name may qualify for the small estate affidavit process under Delaware law, simplifying the administration significantly.

Searching Kent County Probate Court Records

Kent County probate court records from 1680 through approximately 1925 are indexed at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. The archives database lets you search by name and county. New Castle and Kent County probates are on self-service microfilm in the Research Room at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover, open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Email archives@delaware.gov to order copies. Staff respond within 10 business days with a price quote.

For cases after 1925, contact the Kent County Register of Wills directly at 302-744-2330. More recent cases can also be searched through the Delaware CourtConnect system by party name. CourtConnect shows active and recent probate case dockets but does not contain full historical records.

Historical Kent County probate resources include Kent County Wills (1680-1860), an Index to Wills (1680-1948), Kent County Guardian Accounts, and Probate Case Files (1935-1955). Leon DeValinger's "A Calendar of Kent County, Delaware Probate Records, 1680-1800" (1944) provides a published alphabetical index to early probate records and includes every name mentioned in the wills.

Historical newspaper probate notices from Kent County provide additional context. The famous Ridgely will case from 1904, which involved settlement of a $450,000 estate filed through the Dover probate system, demonstrates the long-standing use of the Kent County Register's office in major estate matters. Historical notices appeared in the Delaware State Reporter (published in Dover) and the Milford Beacon.

Kent County court information, including contact details and case access options, is available through the Kent County courts overview page.

Note: The Delaware Public Archives Research Room in Dover and the Kent County Register of Wills are both located in Dover. You can visit both in a single trip if you need historical and recent records.

Historical Kent County Probate Records

Kent County was created on August 8, 1673, named for Kent in England. Its county seat is Dover. Probate records in Kent County date to 1680 and are among the most complete historical estate records in Delaware. The county borders both New Castle County to the north and Sussex County to the south. Kent County is one of few counties in the country that borders another county with the same name across a state line, sharing that distinction with Kent County, Maryland.

Available probate records at the Delaware Public Archives include Kent County Wills (1680-1860), the Index to Wills (1680-1948), Guardian Accounts, and Probate Case Files (1935-1955). FamilySearch provides access to many of these collections digitally, with some available to browse online and others accessible only at a Family History Center.

Historical probate practices in Kent County required administrators to post notices in six public places throughout the county and insert notices in newspapers for six weeks. The Register of Wills in Dover granted letters of administration and letters testamentary as part of this formal process. The historical Kent County probate records from Genealogy Trails document many 19th and early 20th century estate cases and demonstrate how the system operated before modern filing methods.

Cities in Kent County

All Kent County residents file estate matters at the Register of Wills in Dover, regardless of which city they live in. Select a city below for specific local resources and research information.

Other communities in Kent County file probate records at the same Register of Wills office in Dover at 555 Bay Road.

Nearby Counties

Kent County is bordered by New Castle County to the north and Sussex County to the south. If you are researching an estate from the Milford area, note that Milford spans both Kent and Sussex counties.