Harrington Marriage Records

Harrington marriage records are held by the Kent County Clerk of the Peace at 555 Bay Road in Dover. The state Office of Vital Statistics in Dover also keeps a central copy of each Harrington marriage record. Harrington is a small Kent County city best known as the home of the Delaware State Fair. Use the search tool below to begin your Harrington marriage records lookup. Read on for office details, fees, and rules.

Harrington Marriage Records at the Clerk of the Peace

Harrington is in Kent County, so Harrington residents use the Kent County Clerk of the Peace for every marriage record. The office is at 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901. Call (302) 744-2346 or email Clerk@kentcountyde.gov. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The drive from Harrington to Dover takes about 20 minutes.

Both people must show up together to apply for a license. Each spouse brings a valid DMV-issued ID, passport, or military ID with date of birth. Proof of address is part of the request. Anyone who was married before must bring a final divorce or annulment decree or a certified death certificate.

The resident fee is $70, and non-residents pay $100. Payment is cash only. A 24-hour wait starts once the license is issued. The license is good for 30 days. Ceremony fees run $50 for residents during regular hours and $75 after hours. Saturday ceremonies cost $100. The full rule set lives at kentcountyde.gov.

How to Order Harrington Marriage Records

A certified copy of a Harrington marriage record costs $25. Of that, $15 goes to support state domestic violence programs. Delaware marriage records stay private for 50 years. Inside that window, the office only releases copies to a spouse, a parent, a child, a legal guardian, or an approved agent.

Harrington residents have a few ways to order a Delaware marriage certificate. You can walk into the Clerk of the Peace office in Dover. You can visit the Office of Vital Statistics central office at 417 Federal Street in Dover. You can mail a paper request. Or you can use one of the state-approved online vendors.

The Kent County Clerk of the Peace is the office of record for every Harrington marriage record. The office page at kentcountyde.gov has the application rules, fees, and cash-only payment policy.

Office of Vital Statistics in Dover

The state Office of Vital Statistics central office is at 417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. Call (302) 744-4549. Harrington residents can stop by during weekday business hours for same-day service on most Harrington marriage records held by the state from 1969 forward.

The Dover office also processes every mail order for a Delaware marriage certificate, including those sent by Kent County residents. The state program page at dhss.delaware.gov has the full application form.

For online orders, use GoCertificates or VitalChek. Both send the request straight to the state office in Dover. The vendors charge a small service fee on top of the state fee.

Local Resources in Harrington

Harrington is a small city south of Dover. Its city hall does not issue Delaware marriage records, but the city website has useful contact info for residents. The city page at harrington.delaware.gov covers local services and events.

Harrington is the home of the annual Delaware State Fair, which draws large crowds each summer.

For older Harrington marriage records, the Delaware Public Archives in Dover is the right office. The archive holds marriage records older than 50 years. Call (302) 744-5000 or email archives@delaware.gov. The research room is open weekdays and the first and third Saturday of each month.

Officiants and the Marriage Form

The complete Delaware marriage form used for a Harrington ceremony is a three-page set. One page goes to the bride and groom. One page goes to the state file. One page stays with the officiant, who must keep it for at least one year under 13 Del. C. Section 114.

Under 13 Del. C. Section 107(b), a valid marriage license signed by the Clerk of the Peace must be in the officiant's hands before the ceremony. Within four days of the ceremony, the officiant sends the signed form back to the Kent County Clerk of the Peace. Since 1996, judges of Delaware's constitutional and statutory courts have had the power to solemnize marriages under S.B. 249.

Delaware Marriage Law in Harrington

Harrington follows state law under Title 13, Chapter 1 of the Delaware Code. Section 109 requires a license for every marriage. Section 115(b) gives the officiant four days to return the signed form to the Kent County Clerk of the Peace.

Both spouses must be at least 18 years old. Section 128 fines any officiant who runs a ceremony without a valid license or before the 24-hour wait has ended. Section 129 gives same-gender couples the same rights as different-gender couples.

The state regulation under 16 Del. C. Section 3104 lives at dhss.delaware.gov/dph/hp/vsregs. It governs how every branch office must handle Delaware marriage records, from filing to release.

Common reasons Harrington residents order a marriage certificate include:

• Legal name change after marriage
• Social Security or pension paperwork
• Insurance claims
• Immigration and visa applications
• Probate and estate cases

What Is on a Harrington Marriage Record

A modern Harrington marriage record lists the full name of each spouse, sex, Social Security number, date of birth, occupation, and residence at the time of the marriage. Parents' names and places of birth are on the form. Anyone who was married before lists the date and place of the earlier marriage and how it ended. The officiant signs the record and notes the date and place of the ceremony.

Processing times for Harrington marriage records vary by request method. Walk-in requests at the Kent County Clerk of the Peace in Dover or the Office of Vital Statistics central office are handled while you wait. Mail orders to the Office of Vital Statistics take two to four weeks. Online orders through GoCertificates or VitalChek can arrive in a few business days to a week depending on the shipping option chosen.

Harrington couples who plan to marry during the Delaware State Fair season should apply early. The fair draws large crowds to the city each July, and local hotels fill up. The Clerk of the Peace office in Dover is about 20 minutes from Harrington, so the drive is short for anyone who needs to apply in person or pick up a certified copy.

Related Pages

Harrington sits in southern Kent County. All Harrington marriage records are handled through the Kent County Clerk of the Peace in Dover.