Welcome to the Delaware Court of Common Pleas

New!  The Court of Common Pleas now offers web payment of fines by credit card only. Please visit "ePayment" to avoid having to pay by telephone or come to the Court. You must have your case number which can be found on any Court of Common Pleas correspondence. PLEASE NOTE: The Court is not accepting checks through this web site at this time. Due to the high volume of telephone calls received in New Castle County to pay fines, your best time to call the court is on weekdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, except on Tuesdays. If you call on a Tuesday, you may experience a high volume of calls and greater delay. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. New!  At this time we do not offer criminal case information through the web. However, the Court of Common Pleas now offers you the ability to access civil case information 24 hours a day through CourtConnect.  CourtConnect is a web site that gives you access to civil dockets in the Court of Common Pleas by searching a person’s name, business name or case type. To access CourtConnect, visit: http://courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov.

Mission: The mission of the Delaware Court of Common Pleas is to provide assistance and a neutral forum to people in the resolution of their everyday problems and disputes in a fair, professional, efficient and practical manner.

Jurisdiction:
The Court of Common Pleas for the State of Delaware has criminal jurisdiction throughout the State over:

• All Misdemeanors (except certain drug offenses)
• Motor Vehicle Offenses
• Preliminary Hearings in Felony Charges
• Appeals of Criminal Matters from the Justice of the Peace Courts
• Appeals of Criminal Matters from Alderman’s Courts

The Court of Common Pleas also has statewide jurisdiction over civil actions in:

• Lawsuits where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000.00
• Change of Name Petitions
• Habitual Offender Motor Vehicle Hearings
• Administrative Appeals from the Division of Motor Vehicles
• Appeals of Civil Lawsuits from the Justice of the Peace Courts
  

Court of Common Pleas Implements "Traffic Court": The Court in New Castle County has implemented a procedure for handling most motor vehicle cases. The concept is designed and is implemented as a "Traffic Court," which is held each Tuesday. Intended to reduce the number of court appearances required by the public and to expedite the disposition of motor vehicle cases, the Court combines arraignment and trial into a single appearance. Read more...

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