How to find out if a property in Dover, DE has a mortgage
A home loan in Delaware is usually secured by a mortgage, recorded with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds; it stays a lien of record until a satisfaction or release is recorded, which Delaware law requires within 60 days after the debt is satisfied (including any satisfaction fee) (25 Del. C. § 2111). 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
Find each mortgage
Search the Kent County Recorder of Deeds index under each owner's name for mortgages recorded since they took title.
- 2
Match the satisfaction or release
For each one, look for a recorded satisfaction or release that refers to it by document number or book and page. Delaware gives the lender 60 days after the debt is satisfied (including any satisfaction fee) (25 Del. C. § 2111).
- 3
Treat the unmatched as open
A mortgage with no satisfaction or release of record is still a lien until the lender records one, even when the loan was paid.
- 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 Dover records show
In Delaware, deeds and mortgages are recorded with the county Recorder of Deeds; a recorded instrument gives notice from the time it is recorded.
A paid Delaware mortgage is discharged by a recorded satisfaction; a mortgage with none recorded is treated as still of record.
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
- Each mortgage matched to its recorded release or satisfaction where the index cross-references them
Questions
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.