Ribbon Cut on New Sussex County Family Court Courthouse

Image courtesy DE Courts

It’s open! State and local officials ceremonially cut the ribbon on the new Sussex County Family Court building on East Market Street in Georgetown. The new facility improves safety, privacy and efficiency with dedicated mediation rooms, private attorney-client spaces, safer routes for incarcerated individuals and a lobby that keeps long lines indoors.

Delaware Courts officials say the new three-story building is roughly three times the size of the previous courthouse on The Circle. The 107,800-square-foot building not only has more courtrooms – eight, or two more than its predecessor – but courtrooms that are significantly larger at 1,400 to 1,800 square feet each, allowing for more comfort and safety during court proceedings. The building also has a large, bright, two-story lobby, wide hallways with alcoves and small meeting areas off to the sides to allow parties more distance and privacy as they wait. There is also a waiting area for children and specially designed rooms that will allow children to appear at proceedings through video instead of having to take the witness stand.

Behind the scenes, there are more holding cells and more room to allow for the appropriate separation of individuals in custody from judicial officers and court staff. There is also more space for court staff along with space for justice system partners in the building including the Department of Justice, Office of Defense Services and Office of the Child Advocate.

Finally, the building also has a 400-car parking garage becoming the first parking structure in
Georgetown.

Ground was broken for the new Georgetown court facility in June 2022. A sister Family Court building in Dover, with a nearly identical floor plan located near the Kent County Courthouse, is set to be completed this summer.