Find Marriage Records in Kent County
Kent County marriage records are held by the Clerk of the Peace at 555 Bay Road in Dover. The office issues licenses to couples who plan to marry in Delaware, logs the signed form returned by the officiant, and provides certified copies to those who qualify. The state Office of Vital Statistics in Dover also keeps a central set of Kent County marriage records. Use the search tool below to begin looking up Kent County records.
Kent County Overview
Kent County Clerk of the Peace
The Kent County Clerk of the Peace sits at 555 Bay Road in Dover. You can reach the office at (302) 744-2346 or by fax at (302) 760-4763. Email goes to Clerk@kentcountyde.gov. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Both people must show up together to apply for a license. If one applicant does not speak English, a third-party translator age 18 or older must come along and show valid ID. A DMV-issued driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID is required. 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. Anyone on probation or parole needs an original permission letter from a probation officer.
The resident fee for a Kent County marriage license is $70. Non-residents pay $100. Payment is cash only. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the application. The license is valid after a 24-hour wait and expires 30 days from the issue date. The ceremony must take place inside Delaware.
The official page at kentcountyde.gov covers the full set of rules.
It also links to the Clerk of the Peace email address and explains which IDs are valid at the counter.
| Office | Kent County Clerk of the Peace |
|---|---|
| Address | 555 Bay Road Dover, DE 19901 |
| Phone | (302) 744-2346 |
| Clerk@kentcountyde.gov | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. |
How to Order Kent County Marriage Records
A certified copy of a Kent County marriage record costs $25. Of that, $15 goes to the State of Delaware to support domestic violence programs. The Clerk of the Peace will only fill the request when the person asking is a spouse, a close family member, or an approved agent. Delaware marriage records stay private for 50 years from the date of the ceremony.
For in-person orders, visit the Dover office with a valid photo ID. The clerk can run a name search and print the copy. For mail orders, send a written request with both spouses' names as they appeared on the license, the date of the ceremony, a phone number, and a check or money order made out to Kent County. Add a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
The Kent County Clerk of the Peace is the office that holds marriage records for Kent County. The office page at kentcountyde.gov has contact info and the full set of request steps.
Note: A certified copy of a Kent County marriage record can also be ordered from the Office of Vital Statistics if the marriage took place from 1969 to the present.
Ceremony Fees
The Clerk of the Peace office in Dover can also run the ceremony. The fee is set by the county budget, and payment is cash only.
Ceremony fees for Delaware residents and active-duty military are:
- Monday to Friday during regular hours: $50
- Monday to Friday after hours: $75
- Saturdays: $100
- Out of office: $100
Non-residents pay $100 for regular hours, $125 after hours, $150 on Saturdays, and $100 out of office. Every license recorded in the Kent County Marriage Bureau also carries a $20 recording fee.
Office of Vital Statistics in Dover
The central Office of Vital Statistics for the entire state sits in Dover at 417 Federal Street. The phone number is (302) 744-4549. Kent County residents can stop by during regular hours for same-day service on Kent County marriage records issued from 1969 forward.
The Office of Vital Statistics in Dover processes all mail-in requests for Delaware marriage records. The address for mail is the Office of Vital Statistics, Jesse Cooper Building, 417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. Legal requests from attorneys must use the OVS legal template and come on official letterhead. A photo ID copy and a check or money order must be in every request packet.
For online orders, the state works with GoCertificates and VitalChek. Both services send the request straight to the state office. The request form is on the state page at dhss.delaware.gov.
Older Kent County Marriage Records
Kent County marriage records older than 50 years have been moved to the Delaware Public Archives at 121 Duke of York Street in Dover. Staff can pull a file by bride or groom name if you know the approximate year. Call (302) 744-5000 or email archives@delaware.gov to begin a genealogy request.
The research room is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The visiting guide explains the rules for the research room, including the ban on pens.
Kent County genealogy data lives at the archive as well. Early Kent County marriage records date from the early 1800s. The guide to vital statistics records shows what the archive holds by record type and by year.
Kent County has 17 towns in addition to the cities of Dover and Harrington, and the City of Milford is shared with Sussex County. The towns include Bowers, Camden, Cheswold, Clayton, Farmington, Felton, Frederica, Hartly, Houston, Kenton, Leipsic, Little Creek, Magnolia, Smyrna, Viola, Woodside, and Wyoming.
Delaware Marriage Law in Kent County
Marriage in Kent County follows Title 13, Chapter 1 of the Delaware Code. Section 109 bars any marriage from being held without a valid license. Section 110 lets the Clerk of the Peace refuse the license if any legal bar is known, such as one applicant being under the influence of alcohol or a drug.
Section 115(b) gives the officiant four days after the ceremony to return the signed marriage form to the Clerk of the Peace in the county where the license was issued. Section 129 gives same-gender couples the same status as different-gender couples under all state marriage laws.
The regulation that governs the Office of Vital Statistics comes from 16 Del. C. Section 3104. The full rule set is at dhss.delaware.gov/dph/hp/vsregs. It lays out what a branch office must do and which forms the state registrar has approved for certified copies.
Cities in Kent County
These cities in Kent County use the Clerk of the Peace in Dover for marriage licenses and for certified copies of Kent County marriage records.
Kent County also has 17 towns including Camden, Smyrna, Clayton, Felton, Frederica, and Cheswold. Residents of any Kent County town can apply for a marriage license at the office in Dover.
Nearby Counties
Kent County sits between New Castle and Sussex. Each neighboring county runs its own Clerk of the Peace for Delaware marriage records.