Sussex County Arrest Records

Sussex County arrest records come from the Georgetown-area courts, the Sussex County Sheriff, Delaware State Police Troop 4, and city police units like Seaford, Lewes, and Milford. Bookings in Sussex County run through the Sussex Correctional Institution on DuPont Boulevard. Files feed into DELJIS and the State Bureau of Identification. This guide shows how to search arrest records in Sussex County, where to file a request, and what each office keeps on hand.

Sussex County Sheriff's Office

The Sussex County Sheriff's Office sits at The Circle, PO Box 589, in Georgetown, DE 19947. Call (302) 855-7830 to reach the office. Sussex County's sheriff and deputies are certified state constables with arrest powers, but the office mostly handles civil process and court security. Most general patrol work is done by Delaware State Police and city police units. The office is open Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

The Sussex County Sheriff page is shown here.

At sussexcountyde.gov/sheriff, you can find notices on recent arrests and wanted persons. The full address is 22215 DuPont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947. Record requests follow the Delaware FOIA rules set out in Title 29, Chapter 100 of the Delaware Code.

Under 29 Del. C. § 10002(l)(4), a person may obtain their own arrest or criminal record upon proof of identity, even when third-party access is blocked. The State Bureau of Identification in Georgetown also runs a print site for background checks.

Sussex County Courthouse Records

The Sussex County Courthouse sits at 1 The Circle, Suite 2, Georgetown, DE 19947. Call the courthouse at (302) 855-7055. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with public access starting at 8:30 AM. The building houses the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, Family Court, and the Justice of the Peace Courts for Sussex County.

The Sussex County Superior Court page is shown here.

As shown on courts.delaware.gov/locations/superior_sx.aspx, the Superior Court hears felony cases and civil matters over $50,000. Cell phones and personal communication devices are not allowed in the Sussex County Courthouse, so leave them in your car.

Sussex County also has four Alderman's Courts, sitting in Georgetown, Rehoboth Beach, Seaford, and Laurel. These handle traffic, misdemeanor, and civil ordinance cases. Criminal court files are not online in Sussex County. To pull a file, visit the courthouse during business hours.

Court staff need the name of the litigant, the case number, or the filing or hearing date to find a record. Copy fees are $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page after.

Sussex County Background Checks and Inmate Lookups

The State Bureau of Identification handles criminal background checks for Sussex County at $52, payable by credit card, certified check, or money order. Requesters must bring rolled fingerprint cards and valid photo ID. The local SBI desk does not take cash in Sussex County. The Georgetown SBI print site sits among the nine official SBI locations across Delaware.

Delaware CourtConnect at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov has online civil case info for the Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Courts in Sussex County. The portal is free and runs any time of day. The Superior Court Criminal Unit in Georgetown handles felonies, while the Court of Common Pleas takes misdemeanor and civil matters.

For inmate lookups on Sussex County arrests, use the Department of Correction inmate locator. The Sussex Correctional Institution is the main booking and detention site for the county. It is at 23203 DuPont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947, phone (302) 856-5280. The facility houses adult male inmates and processes bookings for all of Sussex County.

For open warrants in Sussex County, the DELJIS Online Wanted Person Review lets you search active warrants by first and last name. The Delaware State Police arrest archive at dsp.delaware.gov/category/arrest also posts press releases on fresh Troop 4 arrests across the county.

Types of Sussex County Arrest Records

Sussex County criminal records sit under Delaware Code Title 11, Chapter 85. Records fall into four main groups:

• Arrest records from the sheriff and local police forces
• Court records of arraignments, pleas, trials, and sentencing
• Conviction records from final judgments
• Incarceration records from county and state prison stays

An arrest record shows only that someone was taken into custody. It does not prove guilt. A conviction record shows that a court found the person guilty. Felony files cover crimes with potential prison time over one year. Misdemeanor files cover smaller offenses.

Adult criminal records in Sussex County are generally open to the public. Juvenile records are sealed under Title 10, Chapter 9. Records retention runs 7 to 10 years for Court of Common Pleas criminal cases after final disposition. Traffic cases stay on file 3 to 5 years.

Law Enforcement Agencies for Sussex County Arrest Records

Several agencies keep criminal and arrest records in Sussex County. Contact details below show where to start each kind of request.

Key Sussex County law enforcement contacts:

• Sussex County Sheriff's Office: 22215 DuPont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947, (302) 855-7830
• Superior Court of Delaware, Sussex County: 1 The Circle, Suite 2, Georgetown, (302) 855-7055
• Delaware State Police Troop 4: 23652 Shortly Road, Georgetown, DE 19947, (302) 856-5850
• DELJIS: Carvel State Office Building, 820 North French Street, Wilmington, (302) 577-8787

Troop 4 in Georgetown handles state-wide highway calls and rural patrol. Troop 7 covers Lewes and the coast. Fresh Troop 4 arrests post to the DSP Arrest Archives. Operation "Golden Horseshoe" was a multi-agency drug probe in Sussex County that led to 40 arrests and over 190 criminal charges. It brought in Seaford PD, Georgetown PD, and other agencies.

The Delaware Criminal History Unit at kids.delaware.gov does child-facing background checks that include out-of-state abuse and sex offender data.

How to Search Sussex County Arrest Records

Court records in Sussex County are open to the public under Delaware's FOIA, Title 29, Chapter 100, § 10003. This rule presumes that public records stay open to review unless a law says otherwise. Free access options in Sussex County include:

• In-person review at the Sussex County Courthouse during business hours
• Public access terminals at the courthouse for case search
• Delaware CourtConnect basic case info
• Sussex County court calendars for hearing dates
• Delaware Courts legal opinions and orders pages

Copy fees apply but inspection is free. Under Section 10003 of the Delaware Code, the agency must reply to a FOIA request within 15 business days. Records that stay restricted include juvenile files, mental health matters, Family Court records with minors, sealed orders, and grand jury files.

Delaware Supreme Court Administrative Directive No. 2000-5 sets the redaction rules for personal identifiers like Social Security numbers. These are stripped from public copies before release.

Clean Slate and Expungement in Sussex County

Delaware's Clean Slate law from 2021 wipes many arrest and conviction records for people who stay crime-free. The auto process began August 1, 2024. Read the rules at aclu-de.org/en/csde. Under 11 Del. Code § 4372, a person need not disclose an arrest or conviction that has been expunged.

To check your record in Sussex County, stop by the prothonotary at the Georgetown courthouse, use the public access terminals, or request a certified criminal history from SBI for $72. The Sex Offender Central Registry lists names by workplace or zip code and is free to search.

Cities in Sussex County

Seaford, Milford, and Lewes are the main Sussex County cities with local police records units. Pick one below to learn how to request records in that area.

Nearby Counties

Kent County sits just north of Sussex County, and New Castle County sits above Kent. Each county has its own courthouse and records portal.