Someone died in Delaware. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Delaware's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Delaware statutes and agencies, linked below. Last updated: October 2026.
Start with safety, the required local response, and the people who can help. The exact process depends on where and how the death occurred.
These figures come from the same data as our full Delaware guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 3 days
The window runs from the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs. Confirm the current fee with the issuing office; the guide's last-reviewed first-copy or search fee starts at $25. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: 16 Del. C. § 3123 (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Delaware doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: 16 Del. C. § 3101 et seq. & 24 Del. C. § 3101 et seq. (opens in a new tab)Probate
$50,000 listed amount
The amount alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Confirm which property counts, how it’s valued, the waiting period, ownership, any pending court case, and every other state condition.
Source: 12 Del. C. § 501 et seq. (Intestate Succession) (opens in a new tab)Estate tax
None in this state
Delaware has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026; other Form 706 filing reasons can still apply.
Source 1: 30 Del. C. ch. 15 (Estate Tax, repealed by 81 Del. Laws ch. 52, eff. Jan.… (opens in a new tab)Source 2: IRS: 2026 estate tax basic exclusion amount (opens in a new tab)Days 2 to 7 · 1 to 7 days
These tasks often begin during the first week, but local requirements and the family's circumstances may change the order.
Weeks 2 to 4 · 1 to 4 weeks
The immediate calls may slow down. Estate, account, benefit, property, and tax work often continues for months.
The Long Game · 1 month+
Estate administration may take months or longer. The timing depends on the assets, claims, disputes, tax work, court schedule, and state procedure.
Have the death officially pronounced. For an expected hospice death, call the hospice nurse and follow the hospice instructions. For an unexpected death, call 911 and don’t move the body until you’re told you can. Then notify the closest people and, after the body is released, contact the funeral, cremation, burial, or donation provider the person chose.
In Delaware, the death certificate must be filed within 3 days of the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs.
Delaware's page prints no eligibility list. The application asks your relationship to the person (current husband or wife, child, parent, another named relative, legal guardian with a court order, genealogy with proof, or an authorized agent, attorney or legal representative of one of those people) and proof of the relationship, and warns that obtaining a copy unlawfully is a felony under 16 Del. C. 3111. Certified copies come from Delaware's Office of Vital Statistics, Delaware Division of Public Health, with offices in Newark, Dover and Georgetown.
$25 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. $25 per certificate with no discount for extras, retained as a search fee if the record is not found. Part of the fee goes to Delaware’s distressed cemetery fund.
From Delaware's Office of Vital Statistics, Delaware Division of Public Health, with offices in Newark, Dover and Georgetown, in person at any of the three state offices, by mail to Dover, or online through GoCertificates or VitalChek. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Delaware doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Delaware's stated small-estate threshold is $50,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
No. Delaware has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026, and Form 706 may also be relevant for certain elections.
These ticks stay in this browser and don’t transfer into an account. A free MORTL account has a separate dashboard and planning tools when you’re ready for them.