How to check for liens on a property in Dover, DE
In Dover (Kent County), liens and lis pendens recorded against a property are in the Kent County Recorder of Deeds index, searched by the owner's name and the property, and judgments are kept by the court clerk, not the recorder. Each mortgage also needs a recorded satisfaction or release to be off the title. A HeritageDeed report does this for one address in Dover: $49, usually within minutes, with the source of every finding.
About Dover: The county seat of Kent County is Dover. Kent County borders New Castle and Sussex counties, and across the state line Cape May County, NJ, Caroline County, MD, Cumberland County, NJ, Kent County, MD, Queen Anne's County, MD and Salem County, NJ. Kent County has about 76,325 housing units, 72.5% of the occupied ones owner-occupied. Last verified November 9, 2026.
Step by step in Dover
- 1
Identify the parcel
Find the owner of record and the parcel number in the Kent County Assessment Office records: liens are indexed against the owner's name and the property.
- 2
Search the recorded liens
Search the Kent County Recorder of Deeds index under the owner's name and the property for liens, lis pendens and other notices.
- 3
Check every mortgage
A mortgage with no recorded satisfaction or release is still a lien of record; Delaware gives the lender 60 days after the debt is satisfied (including any satisfaction fee) (25 Del. C. § 2111).
- 4
Or order the report
A HeritageDeed report runs these searches for one Dover address and lists every finding with its source, $49, usually within minutes.
What the report checks in Dover
- Deeds, mortgages, releases, assignments and liens indexed under the owner's name with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds
- Federal court records matched to the owner
Not covered here
- State-court judgments that are not recorded with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds are not searched.
Questions
Are judgments recorded with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds in Dover?
State-court judgments that are not recorded with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds are not searched.
How long does a lender have to record a satisfaction or release in Delaware?
60 days after the debt is satisfied (including any satisfaction fee) (25 Del. C. § 2111). The recorder files a complaint with the Attorney General.
What does a HeritageDeed search in Dover not cover?
Documents are tied to the property by their legal description or address; any tied only by the owner's name are marked.
Is this title insurance?
No. It is a search of the public record for one Dover property. A lender closing a loan will still require a title insurance commitment from a licensed insurer.
More about Dover property records
Check the title of a Dover property
AI title search, $49 per report. Usually ready in about a minute. Full refund if we can't deliver.