Wilmington Birth Records

Wilmington Birth Records are held by the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics, with the New Castle County branch office in nearby Newark serving Wilmington residents each day. You can search Wilmington Birth Records by visiting the Chapman Road office in Newark, by mailing a form to the Dover central office, or by placing an online order through a state-approved vendor. Older Wilmington Birth Records sit at the Delaware Public Archives once they pass the 72 year mark. Use the search tool below to start your request, or read on to find out where Wilmington Birth Records are kept and how to pull one.

Where to Get Wilmington Birth Records

Wilmington is the largest city in Delaware and the county seat of New Castle County. The state does not keep a city-level office for vital records in Wilmington. Instead, Wilmington Birth Records flow through the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics, or OVS. The New Castle County branch of the OVS serves Wilmington residents from an office in Newark, a short drive west of the city. The central office in Dover also fills Wilmington Birth Records by mail and backs up the branch offices.

The New Castle County OVS office sits at 258 Chapman Road, Newark, DE 19702. The phone is 302-283-7130. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. You can leave the counter with a certified copy of a Wilmington birth record the same day in most cases. The office takes cash, check, money order, and debit card.

If you can not make the trip to Newark, you can mail a request to the Dover central office at 417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901. You can also order a Wilmington birth certificate online through one of two state-approved vendors. Both paths end with a certified copy in the mail. The Wilmington Public Library at 10 E 10th St can point you to additional local history resources while you wait on your record.

How to Order Wilmington Birth Records

You have three ways to get Wilmington Birth Records. You can walk in. You can mail a form. Or you can order online. Each method asks for the same basics: a filled-out form, a valid photo ID, and the state fee.

The fee for a certified copy of a Wilmington birth record is $25. That fee is set by 16 Del.C. § 3132. The state rule caps the regular copy at $25 and the fancy heirloom version at $35. Pay by check or money order made out to the Office of Vital Statistics. The Newark branch also takes debit cards at the counter. Cash is not always taken, so call first if that is your only payment path.

Mail orders go to the Dover central office. Pack the form, a copy of your ID, and the fee into one packet. The office will pull the file, verify your link to the record, and send the certified copy back in the mail. Plan on a few weeks for mail-back delivery, longer during peak seasons.

Online orders run through two vendors. GoCertificates and VitalChek both take the request, verify your ID, and pass the order to the state. A service fee stacks on top of the $25 state fee. Most Wilmington Birth Records ordered online come back in a week or two by regular mail. Rush shipping costs more.

Who Can Get Wilmington Birth Records

Wilmington Birth Records under 72 years old are not open to the public. The state closes them under 16 Del.C. § 3110. Only a short list of people can ask for a certified copy. The Title 16 Chapter 31 Subchapter I of the Delaware Code sets the rules and the list.

Here is the list of people who can order Wilmington Birth Records for a person still living or for a recent birth:

• The person named on the record
• A spouse of the person named
• A child of the person named
• A parent or legal guardian
• An authorized legal representative

A court order can also open a sealed Wilmington birth record to a third party. The request must come on letterhead and must show the need. The state reads the request tightly, so most third-party orders fail without the court order.

If a Wilmington birth record is 72 years or older, the rules change. The 72 year public records rule in § 3110 lifts the confidentiality shield. Any researcher, family member, or member of the public can ask the Delaware Public Archives for a copy. The Archives treats older Wilmington Birth Records as open records once the time window passes.

Historical Wilmington Birth Records

Wilmington has a deep set of older birth records. The City of Wilmington kept its own birth register from 1881 to 1919 as part of the Justice of the Peace records. That run covers a core stretch of the city's growth years. Earlier births, from 1707 forward, show up in church rolls. The Wilmington Friends Meeting and the Holy Trinity Old Swedes Church both kept birth and baptism lists that fill in the pre-state period.

The Wilmington Genealogy Resources page lists the main pre-state sources for Wilmington Birth Records.

The page points researchers to Friends Meeting records from 1707, Old Swedes Church rolls from 1713, and the city register from 1881.

Statewide registration in Delaware began in 1861 under a law passed in 1860. That law broke down in 1863 and was replaced in 1881. General compliance with the 1881 law took until 1921 to reach a solid level. So a Wilmington birth record from the 1880s or 1890s may or may not show up in the state index. The city register is often the better source for that period.

The Delaware Public Archives holds the older Wilmington Birth Records, indexes, and related church rolls. The Archives is at 121 Duke of York Street, Dover, DE 19901. Visitors can search the microfilm in person, or send a request to the DPA visiting page. The Archives asks each email to hold to five specific references and to name the county, date, volume, and page for each record.

The Wilmington Public Library at 10 E 10th St, Wilmington, DE 19801, also keeps a local history room with Wilmington city directories, Sanborn maps, and old newspapers. These side sources can confirm a Wilmington birth date when the official register is thin.

Wilmington Birth Records Laws

The laws behind Wilmington Birth Records sit in Title 16, Chapter 31 of the Delaware Code. Chapter 31 is known as Vital Statistics. It sets up the Office of Vital Statistics, names the State Registrar as the keeper of Wilmington Birth Records, and spells out who can get a copy. The state legislature has split the chapter into two subchapters.

Under 16 Del.C. § 3101, the state sets the framework for how births in Wilmington get filed. Every live birth gets reported through DelVERS, the state's filing system for hospitals and home births. Under § 3104, the central office in Dover runs the work of the branch offices, including the New Castle County office serving Wilmington. Under § 3105, the State Registrar is the final keeper of Wilmington Birth Records.

Sections 3110 and 3111 set the access and penalty rules. Willful fraud on a Wilmington birth record can lead to a fine of up to $10,000 or up to five years in prison. Refusing to give required information to a registrar brings a smaller fine. Subchapter II, at delcode.delaware.gov, covers adoption, paternity, and stillbirth rules.

Under § 3126, an adoption in Wilmington triggers a new birth certificate. The court clerk files a report with the State Registrar once the adoption decree is final. The State Registrar seals the original Wilmington birth record and files a new one with the adoptive parents named. Under § 3127, a paternity order or a signed acknowledgment can amend a Wilmington birth record. The amended certificate does not show that paternity was declared after birth.

Wilmington Courts and Related Records

Wilmington is home to the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center at 500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. The phone is 302-255-0544. The Justice Center houses the Superior Court and the Court of Common Pleas for New Castle County. The courts do not issue Wilmington Birth Records, but court files can confirm a birth date in divorce, custody, or probate cases.

For marriage licenses, Wilmington couples go to the New Castle County Clerk of the Peace at 800 North French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. The phone is (302) 395-7780. The office issues licenses for $25 and performs wedding ceremonies. A license is good for 30 days. The 24-hour waiting period can be waived by the Clerk. Delaware's first same-sex marriage license was issued at this office on July 1, 2013.

The Sheriff's Office for New Castle County is at 800 North French Street, 5th Floor, Wilmington. The phone is 302-395-8450. The Sheriff's Office does not issue Wilmington Birth Records, but does serve court papers and handle civil process for cases that touch vital records.

The New Castle County Public Index ties together the vital records paths for Wilmington.

The index notes that Wilmington Birth Records go through the OVS, marriage records go through the Clerk of the Peace, and divorce records sit with the Family Court or Prothonotary.

Forms of ID for Wilmington Birth Records

The OVS asks for one valid photo ID with every Wilmington birth record order. The ID rule holds for walk-in, mail, and online orders. Acceptable forms include a Delaware driver's license, a state photo ID card, a government work ID, or a U.S. or foreign passport.

If you are asking as a spouse, parent, child, or guardian of the person named on a Wilmington birth record, bring proof of the link. That might be your own birth certificate, a marriage license, or a short certificate from the Register of Wills. The clerk reads the link before handing over the record.

Nearby Cities

Other Delaware cities near Wilmington file their birth records through the same Office of Vital Statistics system. Pick a city for local details.