Harrington Property Tax Records

Harrington property tax records are managed through the city's fiscal year billing cycle, with all underlying assessments coming from Kent County. If you need to find a tax bill, look up assessed values, or understand how Harrington calculates its city tax rate, this page covers the key steps. Harrington is a small city in Kent County, and its property tax system connects directly to the Kent County assessment database, which is publicly accessible online.

Harrington City Hall Tax Office

Harrington City Hall is located at 106 Dorman Street. The office number is (302) 398-3530. Fax is (302) 398-4477. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. More information about city offices is available at the Harrington City Hall page.

City Manager Norman Barlow oversees general operations including utility billing, property transfers, taxes, accounts payable and receivable, personnel management, business licenses, and rental licenses. The City Clerk is available by phone at (302) 398-3530 or by email for questions about your property tax bill. If you have a question about a specific charge or need clarification on your account, the City Hall office is the right contact.

Tax bills cover the city's fiscal year, which runs from July 1 through June 30. Bills go out on or around July 1 each year. Payment options include online payment, payment over the phone, in person at City Hall, through the mail slot at the office, or by regular mail. See Chapter 180 of the Harrington City Code for a complete listing of city fees and billing procedures.

The Harrington City Hall page provides contact information, office hours, and information about city services including property tax billing and payments.

City Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for in-person tax inquiries and payments.

Harrington Tax Rate and Assessment Conversion

Harrington's city tax rate is $0.133 per $100 of assessed value. The city adopts assessments from Kent County rather than conducting its own independent appraisals. This means the assessed values on file with Kent County form the base for Harrington tax calculations. However, there is an important conversion step that every Harrington property owner should understand.

The Kent County P.R.I.D.E. system, which is the county's online property records tool, displays 60 percent of the full assessed value. Harrington, by contrast, uses 100 percent of the assessed value to calculate tax bills. To find the value Harrington will use for your bill, take the number shown on the Kent County website and divide it by 0.6. For example, if Kent County shows an assessed value of $120,000, Harrington calculates your bill based on $200,000 (which is $120,000 divided by 0.6). Applying the city rate: $200,000 divided by 100, then multiplied by $0.133, gives an annual city tax of $266.

Discounts on Harrington taxes are reviewed by City Council each year and may be available. If you believe you qualify for a discount, contact City Hall before the due date. The City Clerk can explain what programs are currently in effect.

Note: Always use the current year's rate and the most recent Kent County assessment when calculating your expected Harrington city tax bill, since both can change from year to year.

The Harrington about page describes how the city handles property assessments and the Kent County connection that drives Harrington tax calculations.

Harrington adopts Kent County assessments directly, but uses 100% of the assessed value rather than the 60% figure displayed in the county's online P.R.I.D.E. database.

Kent County Property Records for Harrington

Because all Harrington property assessments come from Kent County, the county's online tools are your best resource for in-depth property information. The Kent County property records search lets you look up any Harrington parcel by owner name, address, or parcel ID. Results include ownership history, sales prices, transfer dates, legal descriptions, land and building characteristics, and a full history of assessments.

A separate tool, kcpms.kentcountyde.gov, provides a map-based view of Kent County properties including Harrington parcels. It shows taxes, permits, and additional property data. Both tools are free to access. The Kent County Department of Finance at kcfinance@kentcountyde.gov handles county-level assessment administration.

The Kent County Recorder of Deeds at 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901 maintains deed records for all Harrington properties. Phone: (302) 744-2314. Deed research through the US Land Records database goes back to January 30, 1874, with viewing free of charge.

The Kent County property records system is the primary database for looking up assessed values and ownership history for Harrington properties, since the city adopts Kent County assessments directly.

Remember to divide the assessed value shown in the Kent County system by 0.6 to get the full 100% assessed value that Harrington uses for city tax billing.

Delaware Property Tax Law and Harrington

Delaware property assessment rules come from Delaware Code Title 9, Chapter 83. Section 8301 requires that all property be assessed at fair market value as of the most recent reassessment base year. In Kent County, that base year drives the values that Harrington adopts for its own billing. Section 8310 requires Kent County to make completed assessments available for public inspection by April 1 each year. Property owners who review those assessments during the public window can catch errors before tax bills go out.

Section 8338 of Title 9 permits supplemental quarterly assessments to add newly constructed or unlisted property to the rolls. Section 8341 bars retroactive taxation through supplemental assessments. These provisions protect property owners from receiving back-tax bills for prior periods when they were not yet on the assessment list.

The Delaware Division of Revenue handles state-level matters including realty transfer taxes and income tax. The Dover office at 540 South DuPont Highway, phone (302) 744-1085, can assist with state-level tax questions. Realty transfer taxes on property sales in Harrington combine the state rate and local rates. First-time homebuyers may qualify for a rate reduction on their share of the realty transfer tax. Details are at revenue.delaware.gov/first-time-home-buyer-tax-credit.

Accessing Harrington Property Records

All property tax records in Harrington and Kent County are public under Delaware's Freedom of Information Act, codified at 29 Del. Code Chapter 100. You do not need to be the owner or a party to a transaction to request records. Assessment data, billing history, and deed records are open to anyone. The Kent County Recorder of Deeds provides free online access to deed records from the 1700s through the present. For records before 1874 that are not digitized, staff at the Recorder's office at 555 Bay Road, Dover can assist.

Property Fraud Alert is a free service from Kent County that notifies property owners within a few days when any document is recorded in their name. You can register at the Kent County Deeds Office website. This tool is especially useful for Harrington homeowners who want to monitor their property records without checking manually.

Nearby Cities

These nearby cities also have property tax records pages.