Search Sussex County Property Tax Records

Sussex County property tax records are available through the county's online property search portal, which covers all 168,500 or more parcels across the county's roughly 938 square miles. You can search by owner name, street address, parcel ID, or use the advanced search option. The portal pulls data from recorded deeds, plats, tax maps, surveys, and other public records. This page explains how to access Sussex County property tax records, understand the ongoing reassessment, and use the county's GIS mapping and appeal tools.

Sussex County Property Tax Search

The Sussex County Property Records Search portal is the primary tool for looking up property tax records. It provides access to the Assessment and Tax office database for the entire county. Search options include owner name, street address, parcel ID, and an advanced search mode. Results include property ownership information, assessed values, tax history, and property characteristics. The data comes from deeds, plats, tax maps, surveys, and other public documents on file with the county.

For Fiscal Year 2014-15, Sussex County issued more than 171,000 tax bills totaling roughly $117 million. That revenue went to county government, local libraries, and eight school districts. The county property tax rate is currently 44.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. After the current reassessment is complete, the rate will be adjusted to maintain revenue neutrality, meaning total tax revenue collected by the county stays the same even as individual assessments change.

Note: The information in the online portal is provided as-is. Sussex County recommends reviewing original public records to verify any information before relying on it for a transaction or legal matter.

The Sussex County official website provides access to property search, deeds, tax information, PDF maps, online mapping, and sheriff sales from a single portal, along with online tax payment options.

Sussex County has won the Triple Crown Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for its financial and budget reports, a recognition of the county's transparent financial practices.

Tax Billing and Collections

The Billing Division handles tax bills and other levies for county government, local libraries, and eight school districts in Sussex County. Bills are issued annually. The Manager of Billing and Collections is Katrina Mears. The office is at Sussex County Administrative Office Building, PO Box 601, 2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947. Phone (302) 855-7871, fax (302) 854-5381. You can find detailed tax information at the Sussex County property tax information page.

The Assessment office handles inquiries about property valuations. Walk-in service is available from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. Visitors must check in with security. Phone: (302) 855-7824. Email: assessment@sussexcountyde.gov. When contacting the office by email, include your parcel identification number. Incomplete requests are not processed.

Tax and reassessment questions have a dedicated FAQ resource at sussexcountyde.gov/tax-and-reassessment-FAQ. A 2025 Property Tax Calculator is available there to compare tax bills before and after the reassessment takes effect.

The Sussex County property search portal covers all 168,500 or more parcels in the county and allows searching by owner name, address, parcel ID, or advanced criteria.

Results from the portal include current ownership, assessed values, sales history, tax payment records, and property characteristics compiled from official public records.

Sussex County Reassessment Project

Sussex County began a court-ordered reassessment in 2021. The reassessment followed a 2018 education funding lawsuit that found existing assessments were not representative of true property values. This is the first reassessment since the 1970s. Tyler Technologies, a nationally recognized firm, conducted the project. New assessment values are set at projected fair market value as of July 1, 2023. The reassessment project page has full details including explanatory videos with transcripts.

Tentative Value Notices were mailed beginning November 7, 2024. Property owners who want to challenge a tentative value can schedule an informal review with Tyler Technologies by calling 1-833-703-4016 or visiting the Tyler website. You must have your notice in hand before scheduling. If you did not receive a Data Mailer, call Tyler at 302-854-5274. Cases not resolved through informal review go to the Board of Assessment Review. Member Thomas A. Roth serves on the Board, which meets throughout the spring and posts its agendas and minutes online.

State code limits how much the reassessment can increase total revenues. The county cannot collect more than 15 percent above the prior year's property tax revenues following reassessment. School districts are capped at a 10 percent revenue increase due to reassessment. Both the county and school boards have committed to a revenue-neutral process. Delaware Code Title 9, Section 8310 requires Sussex County to make its completed assessments available for public inspection by February 15 each year.

Three explanatory videos are available on the reassessment page: one covering what reassessment is and why it was done, one explaining how assessed values affect tax bills, and one walking through the appeals process. All three have written transcripts. If you have questions, the county also has a web form for reassessment inquiries at the reassessment page.

The Sussex County reassessment project page explains the court-ordered revaluation process, provides informal review scheduling information, and includes video walkthroughs of the appeals process.

Sussex County's reassessment is the first since the 1970s and was ordered to correct assessments that no longer reflected actual property values across the county.

Sussex County Sheriff Sales

When property taxes go unpaid, Sussex County may pursue a monition sale (tax sale) through the Sheriff. The Sheriff Sales page lists upcoming sales with sheriff sale number, date, plaintiff, defendant, and property address. All sale listings are available online.

Terms of a monition sale are strict. One hundred percent of the purchase price is due on the day of sale by 3:00 PM. Payment must be cash, certified check, or cashier's check. The sale is subject to confirmation by Superior Court and the owner's right of redemption under 9 Del. C. Section 8728. Approval of the Department of Finance is also required under Title 9 Delaware Code Section 8726. Buyers pay a 2.5 percent Delaware Realty Transfer Tax (split equally between seller and purchaser) and a 1.5 percent Sussex County Realty Tax (also split equally).

All bidders must register between 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM on the day of the sale. A $4,000 deposit is required, paid in cash or by cashier's check or certified check made payable to the Sheriff of Sussex County. A valid photo ID is required. Each registered bidder gets a bidder number to place bids. If you do not win, your deposit is returned. If you do win, your deposit applies to the 20 percent required at purchase, with the remaining balance of the 20 percent due before 3:00 PM that day. Forfeiting that deposit means the property goes back to sale.

Sussex County GIS Mapping

The Sussex County GIS Mapping portal launched in July 2015 and replaced an outdated static mapping system. It covers more than 160,000 parcels and integrates zoning information, flood zones, 911 addresses, election districts, school districts, and library locations. Users can view pending land use applications in near real time. The map interface allows zooming, panning, distance measurement, and printing custom maps. Parcel data links directly to the property records database.

The Mapping and Addressing office can be reached at (302) 855-1176. GIS data is a useful companion to the property tax records portal when you need to understand a parcel's zoning, boundaries, or proximity to flood zones before buying or building.

The Sussex County online mapping portal displays parcels, zoning, flood zones, school districts, and other geographic layers for all properties in the county.

The mapping system links to the property records database, so clicking a parcel on the map can pull up its assessment and tax history directly.

Delaware Property Tax Law in Sussex County

Sussex County property assessments are governed by 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. Section 8310 sets the deadline for public inspection of assessments at February 15 in Sussex County each year. Section 8338 allows quarterly supplemental assessments for unlisted property or value adjustments, while Section 8341 prohibits using supplemental assessments to retroactively tax for prior periods.

State-level tax questions, including realty transfer taxes and income tax matters, are handled by the Delaware Division of Revenue. The Division has an office in Georgetown at 20653 Dupont Blvd, phone (302) 856-5358. Realty transfer tax on most Sussex County property sales totals 4 percent when state and local rates are combined.

Cities in Sussex County

Sussex County covers a large area with several cities and towns. The cities below have dedicated property tax pages with local rate and billing details.

Milford straddles both Sussex and Kent counties. All properties in unincorporated Sussex County file with the county directly. County tax billing goes through the Billing and Collections division at 2 The Circle in Georgetown.

Nearby Counties

Sussex County borders Kent County to the north. Kent County has its own property records system, assessment office, and recorder of deeds.