Delaware marriage records
Who holds it: Clerk of the Peace of each county issues marriage licenses, records the returned certificates and issues certified copies; the State Office of Vital Statistics (DHSS) also issues certified copies. Marriage records over 50 years old are at the Delaware Public Archives (through 1975).1
On this page
Fee
$25 per certified copy of a marriage license/certificate (waived for active military members and spouses with valid military ID), whether issued by Vital Statistics or a Clerk of the Peace. New Castle County's Clerk of the Peace adds a one-time $2.50 processing fee on mail orders.2
Who may order
Certified copies held by Vital Statistics are confidential for 50 years: available to the registrants, their spouse, children, parents or guardian, or authorized representative, and others who show the record is needed to protect personal or property rights or for genealogy. After 50 years marriage records become public. County Clerks of the Peace apply the same rule: New Castle issues certified copies only to the parties named on the license or their attorney / holder of a power of attorney; records 50+ years old may be bought by anyone.3
How to search and order
- How to order
- From the county Clerk of the Peace (New Castle, Kent, Sussex) or the Office of Vital Statistics (in person in Dover, Newark or Georgetown, by mail, or via vendors VitalChek/GoCertificates). Kent County's 'Order Certified Copies' link goes to the GoCertificates.com vendor (extra fee).4
Fees
- Marriage license fee
- Statute sets a $10 license fee (13 Del. C. § 108); Kent County's Clerk of the Peace lists a $70 total for Delaware residents and $120 total for non-residents (cash only); Sussex County lists $50 (residents) or $100 (non-residents) plus a $20 recording fee on every license, waived for active U.S. military and veterans. Apply at least 24 hours before the ceremony; license valid 30 days; ceremony must be in Delaware.5
Related records in Delaware
- Divorce records: who holds it
- Family Court of the county where the divorce was granted issues certified copies of decrees; the Office of Vital Statistics keeps divorce records for statistics only.2
- Older records: public vital records
- Archives holds birth certificates 72+ years old (through 1953), death certificates 40+ years old (through 1985), marriage certificates 50+ years old (through 1975); certified copies $25.00 each. Delaware vital records before 1913 are incomplete.6
How Delaware handles it
- Only three counties, each with elected row offices: Recorder of Deeds (land records), Register of Wills (probate, acting as clerk of the Court of Chancery) and Clerk of the Peace (marriage licenses). Courts are state-run, not county-run.7
Marriage records in Delaware counties with a full guide
The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County | Clerk of the Peace8 | — | — |
| New Castle County | New Castle County Clerk of the Peace9 | — | $25.00 per certified copy plus a one-time $2.50 processing fee (mail: money order or certified check payable to Clerk of the Peace)9 |
| Sussex County | Clerk of the Peace / Marriage Bureau10 | — | — |
For any other county, see the county list on the Delaware guide.
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Delaware office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Rules in other states: marriage records in every state. Everything else in Delaware: Delaware public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 10 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Clerk of the PeaceSussex County Governmentarchived copy
- Delaware Code Title 16, Chapter 31, Subchapter II - Registration Requirements (incl. §§ 3128, 3132)Delaware General Assembly
- Delaware Code Title 16, Chapter 31, Subchapter I - Vital Statistics General Provisions (incl. § 3110)Delaware General Assembly
- Office of Vital StatisticsDelaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Healtharchived copy
- Marriage LicensesKent County Clerk of the Peacearchived copy
- Visiting & Researching at the Delaware Public Archives (fees, vital records, records availability)Delaware Public Archives
- Delaware Code Title 12, Chapter 25 - Register of WillsDelaware General Assembly
- Clerk of the PeaceKent County Levy Courtarchived copy
- Certified Copies of RecordsNew Castle County Clerk of the Peace
- Department and Division Listing | Sussex CountySussex County, Delaware