Shed & Garage Permits in New Castle County

Yes. New Castle County requires a permit for any detached accessory structure 200 sq ft or larger. A 30x30 (900 sq ft) garage always needs one.

If a car can fit through the door, the county treats it as a garage no matter how you use it — which means a real foundation and building plans are required.

Building without a permit can cost up to $1,000 per offense, and each day counts as a separate offense.

New Castle County Department of Land Use, 87 Reads Way, New Castle, DE 19720. Open Mon–Fri 8am–4pm.

Confirm your address is in unincorporated county and not inside the City of Wilmington (downtown), which runs its own permit office.

At least 3 ft from the rear and rear-side property lines. The structure can't sit in front of your house (unless your lot is over 2 acres).

An accessory building may only take up 30% of your REQUIRED rear yard — in most suburban districts the required rear yard is 40 ft deep, so your lot width decides whether a 900 sq ft garage fits where you want it or has to move forward.

Height limit is 20 ft on lots one acre or under.

Three sets of scaled building plans (elevations, floor plan, cross sections) — White Pine provides these.

Because the garage is over 480 sq ft, a surveyor-prepared "lines and grades" survey is required (signed and sealed, two copies, plus the county's Residential Lines and Grades Checklist). This is done by a licensed surveyor.

All county taxes and sewer fees on your property must be paid in full before the county will accept the application.

A garage needs a real foundation: a monolithic concrete pour or footer-and-block, with the bottom of the footing at least 32 inches below grade. Pole-building construction is also accepted.

Electrical is handled by the State of Delaware, not the county.

The county does NOT check deed restrictions or HOA rules — that's on you. Greenville and the 19807 area have a lot of both, so check your deed before spending on a survey.

If your driveway is created or changed, DelDOT needs an entrance permit: (302) 326-4679.

For a ~900 sq ft garage, county fees run roughly $390 total (building review, zoning review, fire fund, certificate of occupancy, and lines-and-grades review). This is our estimate from the county's published fee table — confirm the exact amount with Land Use.

A separate surveyor fee applies for the lines-and-grades survey. Paying county fees by card adds a 3% service fee (effective July 1, 2026), so pay by e-check to avoid it.

We provide the stamped building plans the county requires and walk you through exactly what to submit. Call or text us at (610) 857-3420 and we'll help you get it right the first time.