Harrington Family Court Records

Harrington Family Court Records cover divorce, custody, support, and adoption files for people who live in this small Kent County city. The case itself is heard at the Kent County Family Court in Dover, since Harrington does not have its own Family Court. To find Harrington Family Court Records, you can call the Kent County records unit, mail in a written request, or visit the courthouse in person. This page shows where to look and what to ask for.

Where Harrington Family Court Records Are Kept

Harrington sits in the south-central part of Kent County. It is a railroad town and home of the Delaware State Fair. The city itself does not run a Family Court. All family matters for Harrington residents flow to the Kent County Family Court at 400 Court Street in Dover. That is where case files are opened, held, and copied. The trip from Harrington to Dover is short, about 20 minutes up US Route 13.

You can learn more about court records for people who live here on the Harrington Public Records Center page, which lays out the full map of offices that serve the city.

The page shows that the Kent County Clerk of the Peace is the office of record for marriage licenses, while divorce files and custody orders stay at the Kent County Family Court in Dover.

Harrington Family Court Records include the divorce petition, the answer, financial affidavits, any settlement agreement, custody and support orders, hearing notes, and the final decree. Files from 1978 forward are held at the Dover Family Court. Older divorce files for Kent County may sit with the Prothonotary at the Superior Court at 38 The Green, Dover. Staff at the records window will tell you where to go based on the case year.

Kent County Family Court in Dover

The Kent County Family Court is the main court for all Harrington Family Court Records. The address is 400 Court Street, Dover, DE 19901. The main phone line is 302-672-1000. For record requests, call 302-672-1045 direct. The courthouse sits at the corner of River Road and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Ramp entrances and auto doors make the building easy to reach. A Resource Center on the first floor helps people who file without a lawyer.

Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court shuts down on state legal holidays. For the full contact list and map, see the Kent County Family Court page.

Harrington residents can also take care of some court matters at the local Justice of the Peace Court 6. The court is at 35 Cams Fortune Way, Harrington, DE 19952. The phone is 302-422-5922 and the fax is 302-422-1527. JP Court 6 handles minor criminal matters, traffic cases, and some small civil matters. Family cases still go to Dover. Civil suits go to Justice of the Peace Court 16 in Dover, as noted by the Kent County court records directory.

Records Unit staff can pull a case if you have the names of both parties and a rough case year. They will copy the file, redact private details, and charge a small fee. Mail requests are fine if you live out of state or cannot make the drive to Dover.

Search Harrington Family Court Records Online

Delaware runs an online case portal called CourtConnect. It covers civil cases from Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Court. You can search by last name, business name, or case number. Family Court case files are not in CourtConnect due to the state's strong family privacy rules. So Harrington residents will not find divorce or custody files in the public portal.

For related civil records, CourtConnect is still a good tool. Money judgments, liens, and small claims that came up during a family case may show there. The Family Court home page links to forms, FAQs, and filing packets for Harrington residents who need to start a case or request a copy.

Below is a helpful research page that covers records tied to the city.

The Harrington Genealogy Records page helps people trace older family matters through census rolls, church records, and city directories from the 1930s through the 1960s held by the Library of Congress.

For a full view of Kent County court options, the Kent County court page and the Kent County courts reference list every court in the county with phone numbers and addresses. Both pages are a good starting point when you are not sure which court holds your file.

Types of Harrington Family Court Records

The Family Court covers a wide set of case types. Divorce files are the most common. Custody orders, support cases, paternity cases, and adoption cases are all held there. Juvenile delinquency files for youth under 18 also sit at the Family Court.

Common record types for Harrington include:

• Divorce decrees and final judgments
• Custody orders and parenting plans
• Child support and alimony orders
• Protection from abuse orders
• Adoption files (restricted)
• Juvenile records (restricted)
• Name change orders

Divorce decrees are kept forever. Custody and visitation files stay on the books until the youngest child turns 21. Juvenile files are sealed at 18 and destroyed at 21 with some limits. Delaware keeps these rules under Title 13 of the Delaware Code. For the statute text, see Title 13 on Justia.

Not every record is open. Juvenile cases, adoption files, mental health cases, and sealed matters are held back from the public. Even divorce files can be trimmed to remove tax numbers, bank data, or notes about minor kids. The court will redact pages before it hands out copies to a non-party. For the full list of rules, read the Family Court Records Access page.

Delaware Family Law for Harrington Cases

All family law in the state sits under Title 13 of the Delaware Code. The rules apply the same way in Harrington as they do in Dover or Wilmington. For a divorce, at least one party must have lived in Delaware for six months. This rule comes from Title 13 § 1504. The parties also need to have lived apart for six months before a case can go forward. Delaware is a no-fault divorce state, so the ground is that the marriage is broken and cannot be fixed.

For custody, the court uses the best interests of the child test. Title 13 § 722 lists 14 factors that the judge must weigh. These include the wishes of each parent, the wishes of the child, the bond between child and each parent, the child's life at home and school, and the health of the people involved. Harrington parents who take a custody case to Dover should know these factors before they walk in. A short review of the Family Court site is a good first step.

Child support in Delaware runs on the Income Shares Model. The court looks at what a family would have spent on a child if the home stayed intact, then splits that number between the parents by income. Hearings in Family Court are private under § 726. That rule is the reason Harrington Family Court Records do not appear in the state's public online search. Only the parties, their lawyers, other courts, and some public agencies can see the full file as of right.

How to Request Harrington Family Court Records

There are three ways to ask for a copy of a Harrington family file. You can go in person, mail a written request, or call to set up an appointment. In-person visits are the fastest path. Bring a photo ID. Drive to 400 Court Street in Dover. The Records Unit is on the first floor. Staff will pull the file and copy pages while you wait. Fees are modest. A certified copy of a Kent County divorce record runs about $4 for the first copy, with a small add-on per page.

For a mail request, write a short letter with the full names of both parties, the year of the decree, and a check for the fee. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Send it to the Records Department at 400 Court Street, Dover, DE 19901. Turnaround time runs a few days to a few weeks, based on how busy the unit is.

Three types of copies are offered:

• Photocopy, for personal use or quick reference
• Certified copy, for Social Security, remarriage, or name change
• Exemplified copy, for use in another state or country

For birth, death, and marriage certificates, Harrington residents use the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics. The main office is at 417 Federal Street, Dover. Marriage licenses are issued by the Kent County Clerk of the Peace in Dover. Divorce decrees stay with the Kent County Family Court.

Local Records Resources in Harrington

Harrington runs under a Mayor-Council form of government. The city maintains its own public records through the City Hall office, including meeting minutes, ordinances, and permits. These are not Family Court Records but they can be useful in some family matters. For the city's own public records page, check the Harrington City Government site.

Below is the city's main web page.

The site links to the Harrington Police Department and to city council minutes, and it notes that city records requests fall under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act.

The Harrington Police Department handles arrest and incident reports for events that happen in town. These reports are not Family Court Records but they can show up as exhibits in a protection from abuse case. Requests go through Delaware FOIA. For serious criminal matters, the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna holds people from the Kent County area while cases work through court.

The Harrington Library, which has served the town since 1880, is a good stop for people doing family history research. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps from 1885 to 1919 and old city directories from the 1930s through the 1960s are held through the Library of Congress. These can help trace old addresses and kin ties that tie into older Family Court Records.

For property records that come up in a divorce case, the Kent County Assessor's office in Dover has tax maps, deeds, and assessment data. The Kent County Recorder of Deeds holds mortgages and liens. Both offices are in the county complex at 414 Federal Street, Dover.

Nearby Cities and Kent County

Harrington is part of Kent County, and all Family Court matters go to the Dover courthouse. If you live in a nearby city, the same court still hears your case. Pick a city below for a local guide.

View Major Delaware Cities