Dover Death Records

Dover is the state capital and the seat of Kent County. The Delaware Office of Vital Statistics central office sits here on Federal Street. That makes Dover death records the simplest to order of any Delaware city, since the state hub, the Delaware Public Archives, and the Kent County Register of Wills are all within a few minutes of each other. This page lays out how to search Dover death records, where to go for certified copies, what the local city clerk holds, and the extra Dover resources such as Delaware State University's library and the city FOIA portal.

Dover Death Records at the State Office

The Office of Vital Statistics central office is in Dover inside the Jesse S. Cooper Building at 417 Federal Street, DE 19901. Phone is 302-744-4549. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed on holidays. Every Delaware death record from 1974 to the present is held on site here at the state office.

A certified copy of a Dover death record costs $25. Payment for mail orders must be a personal check or money order made out to "Office of Vital Statistics." Walk-in orders accept cash as well. Photo ID is required for every order, including mail. Forms and guidance are on the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics page.

Online ordering is also open through GoCertificates and VitalChek Network. Both add a service fee on top of the $25. The CDC maintains a one-page Where to Write summary with the Dover mailing address, fee, and payment rules.

Dover City Clerk Records

The Dover City Clerk's Office is at 15 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, DE 19903. Phone is (302) 736-7008. The office serves as the citywide Freedom of Information Officer for all public records requests. Dover has operated under a modified Council-City Manager form of government since 1929.

The City Clerk does not issue death certificates. Those are handled at the state office. The Clerk does handle other public records requests, council meeting minutes, and city code filings. Under 29 Del. C. § 10003(h), the city must respond to a FOIA request within 15 business days. Learn more at the Dover City Clerk page.

The FOIA Coordinator is Crystal Wheeler, who also serves as Records Manager. Assistance is at (302) 736-7008 or cityclerk@dover.de.us. The Clerk's office also oversees city elections and keeps a repository of ordinances, resolutions, and codes.

Dover FOIA Portal for Public Records

Dover runs an online FOIA request portal for public records that fall outside the state vital records system. Dover Police crime reports are held by the Records Unit and released to the victim listed on the report with photo ID. For a deceased victim, next of kin may get a Victim's Copy with proof of relationship at no fee. Reports are not released to anyone other than the victim unless a court-issued subpoena is in hand.

Submit a Dover FOIA request online through the portal at Dover FOIA. Requests can also be filed by email to cityclerk@dover.de.us, by mail to the City Clerk's Office at 15 Loockerman Plaza, or in person during business hours. Fire investigative reports are released only by court subpoena. A Statement of Verification is offered through the Fire Marshal's Office at (302) 736-7099.

Dover Police Records Unit hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone is (302) 736-7105. Call to verify that a report is ready before you drive over.

Delaware Public Archives in Dover

The Delaware Public Archives sits in Dover at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North. Phone is (302) 744-5000. It is the state's home for Dover death records older than 40 years. Research Room hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the room is closed on weekends and state holidays.

Certified vital statistics copies from the Archives cost $25 per copy. Plain paper copies made by staff are $0.50 per page. Copies made in the self-service microfilm room are $0.10 per page. A 4GB thumb drive is $10, or you may bring your own. The Archives' contact form lets you pick "Death Certificates" as the category.

Delaware death records older than 40 years become public records under state law. That rule also applies to Dover. A Dover death from 1985 or earlier can be viewed by any person for any reason. Public computers at the Archives offer free Ancestry.com access for Delaware residents.

The Archives also keeps the Kent County Almshouse Births and Deaths Database, which covers those born and those who died in the Kent County Almshouse from 1851 to 1901. Entries include the date of death, age, and sometimes a note about cause of death.

Dover University Library Archives

Delaware State University's William C. Jason Library is on main campus at 1200 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901-2277. Phone is 302-857-6191. The library houses the University Archives. Staff keep obituaries and death notices for DSU alumni and faculty. The archive also holds the Hornet student newspaper, The State Lantern, and other DSU student publications that include obituaries.

The University Archives pairs well with city obituary work. Searches at the Jason Library can turn up photos, alumni profiles, and faculty tributes that the state vital records do not hold. The genealogy research guide is at Delaware State University Library Archives. The William C. Jason Papers are preserved at the Delaware Public Archives as a separate digital collection.

The University Archives also holds the Office of Public Relations Photograph Collection and the Office of Alumni Relations Photograph Collection. Researchers often use these to confirm a date or place of death when the obituary is vague.

Dover Probate and Register of Wills

The Kent County Register of Wills sits at the Kent County Levy Court Administrative Complex, 555 Bay Road, 2nd Floor, Room 214, Dover, DE 19901. Phone is 302-744-2330. Walk-in hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To open a Dover estate in person, bring the original death certificate, the original will if one exists, an estimate of the decedent's assets and real estate, a list of next of kin with addresses, and a valid driver's license or passport. Appointments are needed. Fees are paid by cash, check, or money order. Full details are at Kent County Register of Wills.

Delaware probate is governed by Title 12 of the Delaware Code. Most Dover estates open and close at the Kent County Register of Wills. Older files from before 1900 have been moved to the Delaware Public Archives. An Online Estate Search lets you check whether a file is on record before you visit.

Nearby Delaware Cities

Dover sits in the center of the state. Harrington and Milford are both a short drive south in Kent County. The Kent County page covers the full county offices.

For death records in northern Delaware, see the pages for Wilmington and Newark.