Search Sussex County Unclaimed Money

Sussex County is Delaware's southernmost and largest county by land area, home to coastal communities including Lewes and Seaford, and to a large number of seasonal and part-year residents whose financial accounts can go dormant more easily than those of year-round residents. Unclaimed money in Sussex County flows through the same state system as the rest of Delaware, but the county also has specific resources for excess proceeds from sheriff's sales, probate-related unclaimed funds, and property records research. This page covers where to look for unclaimed money in Sussex County and how to access the right source for your situation.

Unclaimed Money Search for Sussex County Residents

The main tool for any Sussex County resident searching for unclaimed money is the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property portal. Under Title 12, Chapter 11 of the Delaware Code, all holders of dormant financial accounts must report to the state once dormancy periods are met. This includes banks, insurance companies, utilities, employers, and any other business holding unclaimed funds belonging to Sussex County residents.

Seasonal residents who spend part of the year elsewhere and full-time residents who have relocated are both common sources of unclaimed money in Sussex County. Utility deposits, refund checks, and savings accounts can go dormant without the owner realizing it. Searching the state database is free and takes just a few minutes. If your name does not appear, use the Online Request Form for property types not shown in standard results, such as bonds, money orders, and gift cards.

Delaware's annual MONEY MATCH program has returned over $5.6 million since 2021 to taxpayers whose unclaimed property matched their tax return data. Sussex County taxpayers who file state income tax returns may have already received a check without realizing it was an unclaimed money return. If you think funds may still be on file, search the portal at unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov and file through the standard claim process.

Sussex County Recorder of Deeds

Alexandra Reed Baker serves as the Recorder of Deeds for Sussex County. The office is at 2 The Circle, P.O. Box 827, Georgetown, DE 19947. Office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, with a recording window that closes at 4:00 PM. The phone number is (302) 855-7785, fax is (302) 855-7787, and email is deeds@sussexcountyde.gov. The office maintains more than two centuries of land records for the county, covering deeds, mortgages, releases, assignments, corporate filings, financing statements, federal tax liens, military discharges, and other documents related to real and personal property.

Online land records are searchable at deeds.sussexcountyde.gov/LandmarkWeb. Searching and viewing watermarked documents is free. To download or print without a watermark, the fee is $2.00 per page. Monthly subscriptions are available at $50.00 for a single user or $300.00 per month for a corporate account with up to 10 users. Users must agree to terms of use before accessing records and are advised to search all possible spelling variations of names.

Recording fees as of July 1, 2024 are $30.00 surcharge plus $1.00 maintenance fee plus $9.00 per page for deeds and mortgages. Certified copies are $5.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee. E-recording is available through four approved companies. The office does not retain original documents. Once recorded, originals are returned to the filer. Transfer on Death Deeds have been accepted since December 5, 2025, at a fee of $31.00 plus $9.00 per page.

The Sussex County Recorder of Deeds page provides information on recording requirements, fee schedules, available forms, and the Property Fraud Alert service that notifies you when a document is filed in your name.

Understanding property ownership history is often the first step in building an excess proceeds claim, since you must be able to demonstrate who held title at the time of a sheriff's sale. The Recorder of Deeds records provide that chain of title going back generations.

The online search portal at deeds.sussexcountyde.gov/LandmarkWeb gives free access to watermarked images of recorded documents dating back to the county's founding, with downloadable copies available for a per-page fee.

Available forms include the Affidavit for Realty Transfer Tax, First Time Home Buyer Affidavit, and redaction forms to remove personal identifying information or discriminatory language from previously recorded documents.

Sussex County Sheriff's Sales and Project Rightful Owner

The Sussex County Sheriff's Office holds sales on the third Tuesday of every month at 9:30 AM at the Sheriff's Office main conference room on the 2nd floor, 22215 N. Dupont Boulevard (Route 113 North), Georgetown, DE 19947. The office handles tax monition sales, mortgage foreclosures, and goods and chattels sales. The main phone is (302) 855-7830. Sales are advertised in the Sussex Post and one local newspaper two weeks before the sale date. An online sales listing is maintained at salesweb.civilview.com.

Registration for sales runs from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM on the day of the sale. A $4,000 deposit is required in cash or by cashier's/certified check, payable to the Sheriff of Sussex County. Personal and business checks are not accepted. All sales can be stopped up until 9:30 AM. Properties are sold as-is with no access granted until after confirmation. A 4% council fee applies to all sales, with a minimum of $500 and maximum of $10,000.

When a property sells for more than what is owed, the excess amount belongs to the former owner. These surplus funds are tracked through the Delaware Superior Court's Project Rightful Owner program. The Sussex County list is available at courts.delaware.gov/superior/rightfulowner/sussex_sale_a_b1.aspx. Past entries include significant amounts such as $148,284.82, $86,844.33, and $76,744.62, showing that real money can sit unclaimed from older sales.

Claiming these funds requires a title search completed within 60 days, a W-9, and certified supporting documents. A $75 filing fee applies, waived for amounts under $1,000. Free legal help for qualifying parties is available through Delaware Volunteer Legal Services at 1-888-225-0582.

The Sussex County Project Rightful Owner list shows all unclaimed excess proceeds from Sussex County sheriff's sales, listed alphabetically by former owner name with case numbers, sale dates, and court-held amounts.

The main Project Rightful Owner program page at the Delaware Superior Court covers all three counties and explains the full claims process, document requirements, and filing fee waiver rules.

The Delaware Superior Court Project Rightful Owner main page provides the overall program description, instructions for filing a claim, and links to the county-specific lists for New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.

If excess proceeds are not claimed, they may eventually escheat to the state as unclaimed property. Checking the Sussex County list regularly is the best way to make sure funds from older sales are not overlooked.

The Sussex County Sheriff's Office page covers sale schedules, types of sales, registration requirements, deposit rules, and the full set of terms and conditions that apply to bidders and successful purchasers at Sussex County auctions.

Buyers at Sussex County sheriff's sales must research properties through the Recorder of Deeds and the Prothonotary's Office before bidding, as properties are sold without any guarantee of clear title.

Sussex County Property Tax and Assessment

Sussex County's Finance and Treasury department manages property tax billing for more than 168,500 parcels across approximately 938 square miles. Tax bills are due September 30 each year, covering the fiscal year from July 1 through June 30. The county recently completed a court-ordered reassessment through Tyler Technologies, with new assessed values effective July 1, 2025. Contact the billing and collections manager Katrina Mears at (302) 855-7871 or (302) 855-7760 for tax payment questions.

Property tax refunds that go uncashed can become unclaimed money over time. If you have received a refund check from Sussex County that was never cashed, the funds may be reportable to the state as unclaimed property. A Refund Request Form is available online for requesting refunds on overpaid taxes. Payment Agreement forms are available for taxpayers who need a payment plan.

The online tax portal at sussexcountyde.gov/property-tax-information gives access to property tax data, payment information, and general information for all Sussex County parcels. A tutorial for using the portal is available at the county's website.

To search by parcel, you will need either the Parcel ID or the first owner name from the deed as it appears in the tax records. Alternate searches by billing address or property description are available through the linked Property Search page.

Sussex County Assessment Office

The Sussex County Assessment Office is responsible for creating and maintaining assessment records for all properties in the county. Director Chris Keeler oversees the office at Sussex County Administrative Office Building, Rooms 270 and 249, 2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947. Walk-in hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The main phone is (302) 855-7824. Visitors must check in with security in the county administrative offices lobby before going to the assessment offices.

You can search property records at property.sussexcountyde.gov by owner name, property address, parcel ID, or advanced search criteria. Information in the system is compiled from recorded deeds, plats, tax maps, surveys, and other public records. Assessment data reflects new values from the 2025 reassessment project. A Board of Assessment Review hears appeals from property owners.

The Sussex County Assessment Office page provides access to the property search portal, assessment appeal forms, exemption applications, and information about the 2025 reassessment project that established new market-based property values.

Assessment data is useful when researching a property connected to a sheriff's sale claim, verifying ownership details, or confirming that assessment records match deed records for a property you are tracing.

The Sussex County property search tool at property.sussexcountyde.gov provides current ownership and assessment data for all 168,500-plus taxable parcels in the county.

The property search system is separate from the deeds records search system. Use both together when doing comprehensive research on a Sussex County property tied to unclaimed money or excess proceeds.

Sussex County Register of Wills

The Sussex County Register of Wills handles estate administration, probate proceedings, will filings, and related matters for Sussex County. The office is located at Sussex County Courthouse Annex, 5 E Pine Street, P.O. Box 743, Georgetown, DE 19947. The main number is (302) 855-7875. Probate records in Delaware follow the same threshold rules as the rest of the state: an estate must be probated if the deceased owned more than $30,000 in personal property alone or any real property solely in their name.

Sussex County offers a range of estate-related forms, including the Certified Small Estate Affidavit Request Form, Estate Search Request Form, Accounting Form, Affidavit in Lieu of Receipts, and Beneficiaries Entitled to Share in Distribution. Real property forms include Jointly Held Real Property, Life Estate Termination, and Real Property Transferred On Death Deed Affidavit. Delaware has no estate tax return requirement and no inheritance tax return requirement, simplifying the process for most estates.

The Sussex County Register of Wills forms page provides all current probate and estate forms needed to open and close estates, file small estate affidavits, and handle other matters related to decedent property in Sussex County.

If an estate in Sussex County was opened but assets were never fully distributed to heirs, those funds may still be accessible through a court proceeding or may have been escheated to the state as unclaimed property.

Sussex County GIS and Mapping

Sussex County's GIS mapping portal covers more than 160,000 parcels with interactive layers for zoning, flood zones, 911 addresses, election districts, school districts, and library locations. The enhanced web-based portal launched in July 2015 and provides public access to the Sussex County Map Viewer at map.sussexcountyde.gov. Contact the Geographic Information Office at (302) 855-1176. Megan Nehrbas manages GIS data and 911 address assignments for the county.

The Sussex County GIS mapping applications page provides access to the interactive map viewer, Planning and Zoning land use applications, and other mapping tools used for property research and county planning purposes.

The GIS system is useful for verifying property boundaries, confirming 911 addresses for claims documentation, and understanding the land use context of a property tied to unclaimed money or sheriff's sale excess proceeds.

Cities in Sussex County

Sussex County includes several Delaware cities with local resources related to unclaimed money searches.

Nearby Counties

Sussex County is Delaware's southernmost county, bordered to the north by Kent County.