New Castle County Unclaimed Money

Searching for unclaimed money in New Castle County starts with the Delaware state portal, but several county-level offices also hold or track funds that may belong to you. The county is home to Wilmington, the state's largest city, and is the most populous of Delaware's three counties. Resources here include excess proceeds from sheriff's sales through Project Rightful Owner, probate-related unclaimed funds at the Register of Wills, and property and court records that can help trace the origins of missing assets. This page covers all the key sources for unclaimed money in New Castle County and how to access each one.

Start with the Delaware Unclaimed Money Search

All dormant financial accounts in New Castle County follow the same path as everywhere in Delaware. When a bank, employer, insurance company, or other holder cannot reach the owner for the required dormancy period, they report and remit the funds to the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property. The primary search tool is the official portal at unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov. Searching by name is free and open to anyone.

New Castle County residents have the same rights as all Delaware residents under Title 12, Chapter 11 of the Delaware Code. You can file a claim at any time. There is no fee. The state holds property indefinitely. If your name does not appear in the main database, use the Online Request Form for property types like gift cards, bonds, and money orders that are not always visible in standard search results.

The MONEY MATCH program may have already returned funds to you. Each September, Delaware automatically mails checks to taxpayers whose identities match unclaimed property records. Over $5.6 million has gone out through this program since 2021. If you did not receive a check but believe you have unclaimed money in the system, file a standard claim through the state portal.

New Castle County Recorder of Deeds

The New Castle County Recorder of Deeds is located at 800 N. French Street, 4th Floor, in the Louis L. Redding City/County Building in Wilmington. Michael E. Kozikowski, Sr. serves as Recorder of Deeds. The office maintains all land transaction records for the county, including deeds, mortgages, assignments, satisfactions, easements, federal tax liens, and UCC filings. Land records date back to 1673. These records can be useful when tracing property ownership connected to unclaimed money or excess proceeds from sheriff's sales.

Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM, and Friday, 8:00 AM to 12:45 PM. The recording cutoff is 4:00 PM daily. You can reach the main office at (302) 395-7721 and document search support at (302) 395-7792.

Two search systems are available. The occasional user portal at NewCastle.dts-de.com/PAXWorld/ is free to search and charges $1 per page to view documents. Public access terminals are also available in the office during business hours at no charge. Certified copies require the county's official request form and fees set under Delaware Code Title 9, § 9607. Recording fees run $30 statewide document fee plus $5 technology fee, and $13 per page for deeds and mortgages.

The New Castle County Recorder of Deeds document search page provides access to the public records portal along with information about recording requirements, fee schedules, and e-recording services available through approved vendors.

These records are especially useful when researching the title history of a property involved in a sheriff's sale or when verifying ownership as part of a Project Rightful Owner claim. Records go back to 1673 and provide a continuous chain of title for most New Castle County properties.

Frequent users such as title companies and attorneys can access the subscription portal at NewCastle.dts-de.com/PAXSubscription/ for $100 per month with unlimited document access.

E-recording is available through approved vendors for registered users. Documents returned after e-recording go back to the submitter via their submitter account. Social security numbers should be removed from all documents before recording since recorded documents are viewable by the public.

Parcel Search and Property Data

The New Castle County Parcel Search is a free tool for looking up property ownership, tax information, and sales history. You can search by parcel number or street address. No account or registration is required. The system shows property owner information, parcel numbers, lot size, subdivision name, zoning classification, land and structure assessments, county and school taxable values, tax payment history, and property characteristics like year built and square footage.

Assessment appeals have an annual deadline of March 14 at 4:00 PM. Online appeals are accepted through the county portal. Filing an appeal with the Board of Assessment Review is free. New Castle County assessments are based on 1983 property values, a baseline that differs significantly from current market values. The Assessment Division is at 87 Read's Way, New Castle, DE 19720, and can be reached at (302) 395-5520.

The New Castle County Parcel Search tool gives free access to property ownership records, tax histories, and building information for all parcels across the county's 14 municipalities, including Wilmington, Newark, and Middletown. This tool is useful for identifying the current owner of a property tied to a sheriff's sale, verifying addresses for a claim, or confirming tax payment status on a parcel of interest.

Sheriff's Sales and Excess Proceeds

The New Castle County Sheriff's Office conducts auctions on the second Tuesday of every month at 10:00 AM at 800 N. French Street, 1st Floor Council Chambers, Wilmington. Sheriff Scott T. Phillips oversees the office, which handles three types of sales: Lev Fac (mortgage foreclosure), Vend Exp Monition (tax sale), and Vend Exp Judge (judgment sale). The office is on the 5th Floor of the Louis L. Redding City/County Building. Main contact is (302) 395-8450.

When a property sells for more than what is owed in liens and mortgages, the leftover amount is excess proceeds. Those funds belong to the former property owner but are held by the court until claimed. A 4% council fee applies to all sheriff's sales, with a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $10,000. The balance of any winning bid is due by the third Monday of the month following the sale in certified funds.

To claim excess proceeds from a New Castle County sheriff's sale, use the Delaware Superior Court's Project Rightful Owner program. The county-specific list is available at courts.delaware.gov/superior/rightfulowner/newcastle_sale_a_b1.aspx. The list is alphabetical by the last name of the property owner at the time of the sale and includes the property address, court-held amount, sale date, and case number. A $75 filing fee applies, waived for amounts of $1,000 or less.

Required documents for a Project Rightful Owner claim include a title search from a reputable company completed within the past 60 days as of the sale date, a State of Delaware Substitute Form W-9, and certified copies of supporting documents. All petitions must be e-filed through File & ServeXpress, with one hard copy filed conventionally with the Court. Free legal help is available through Delaware Volunteer Legal Services at 1-888-225-0582.

The New Castle County Sheriff's Office page provides the current sale schedule, bidder registration requirements, deposit instructions, and information on the types of sales conducted each month at the county courthouse.

Former property owners who believe a sale generated excess proceeds should check the Project Rightful Owner list before contacting the sheriff's office, since amounts are held by the Superior Court rather than the Sheriff's Office once a sale is confirmed.

Register of Wills and Probate Records

Unclaimed funds frequently sit in estates that were never fully administered or distributed. The New Castle County Register of Wills handles all probate matters for the county. The office is located at 800 N. French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. Office hours are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The main number is (302) 395-7800.

In Delaware, an estate must be probated if the deceased owned more than $30,000 in personal property in their name alone, or if they owned real property solely in their name. A Small Estate Affidavit can be used to transfer assets without full probate if the personal property is $30,000 or less and no real estate is solely held. After probate is complete, a new deed must be recorded with the Recorder of Deeds to take legal ownership of real property distributed from the estate.

For a $2.00 fee per name, the Register of Wills office will search its records and send a letter listing what is available. Historical will records are also available on microfilm at the University of Delaware and the Delaware Public Archives. Probate records include wills, administrations, guardian accounts, estate inventories, real estate appraisals, and Orphans' Court records. E-filing through the File & Serve Delaware system is required for most probate documents in New Castle County.

Court Connect and Civil Records

Delaware Court Connect provides free public access to civil case information for Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Court cases. Search by party name, case number, or attorney at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov. You can view case schedules, judgments, and court orders without creating an account. Basic case information is available at no cost.

Court records are useful for tracing judgment liens on property, verifying the status of a case connected to a sheriff's sale, or looking up cases related to estate disputes. Judgment liens that appear in court records may affect claims on unclaimed funds. If you are researching a property connected to excess proceeds, checking Court Connect for active judgments against the former owner can help clarify what you are dealing with before you file.

Delaware Court Connect is the statewide public portal for searching civil court records, including Superior Court and Court of Common Pleas cases involving New Castle County parties and properties.

Guest access is free and requires no registration. Court Connect covers all three Delaware counties, making it useful for tracking cases that may cross county lines or involve parties in multiple jurisdictions.

GIS Mapping and Property Records

New Castle County's GIS system provides interactive mapping with parcel boundaries, owner names, assessed values, aerial photography, zoning districts, and flood zone data. The FirstMap GIS system is available free to the public at apps-nccde.hub.arcgis.com. The county's online maps have been updated with new aerial images from the reassessment project.

GIS data is useful for locating properties tied to unclaimed funds, verifying addresses in a parcel search, and confirming boundaries when preparing documents for a Project Rightful Owner claim. The system covers all parcels in the county across all 14 municipalities.

The New Castle County GIS mapping portal provides free public access to interactive property maps with parcel data, ownership information, and layers for zoning, flood zones, and aerial photography across the entire county.

The GIS portal also supports property research related to deed history and assessment data, making it a useful companion to the parcel search and Recorder of Deeds document systems.

Cities in New Castle County

Several major Delaware cities are in New Castle County. Each has local finance and public safety resources connected to the unclaimed money search process.

Nearby Counties

New Castle County borders Kent County to the south, and together the two counties connect to Sussex County, Delaware's southernmost county.