Business Licensing & Operations in New Castle County, DE (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in New Castle County, Delaware.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
New Castle County bars adult uses within 500 feet of homes, 2,800 feet of schools or churches, and 1,500 feet of another adult use parcel.
New Castle County Adult Use Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsNew Castle County Code § 40.03.313
No parcel containing adult uses shall be permitted within a five hundred (500) foot radius of any residentially zoned parcel improved or which can be improved with a residential dwelling unit. No parcel containing adult uses shall be permitted within a two thousand eight hundred (2,800) foot radius of any parcel containing a school, church or other place of worship. No parcel containing adult u...
Massage Establishments
New Castle County has no massage-business license. Instead, the Unified Development Code defines 'massage parlors' staffed by non-association or non-graduate practitioners as an adult use, triggering 500-foot residential and 2,800-foot school/church buffers under Section 40.03.313.
New Castle County Massage Parlor Zoning
Significant RestrictionsNew Castle County Code § 40.33.240(A)(3)
Massage parlors. These are establishments offering massage, manipulation, rubbing, vibration, stroking, or tapping of the human body with the hand or an instrument, staffed by one (1) or more persons who do not belong to any nationally recognized massage therapy association, or by persons who are not graduates of any recognized training school in massage therapy.
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone buying secondhand gold, silver, or platinum for resale in New Castle County must get a license from the Clerk of the Peace, hold purchased items 15 days, and report every transaction to police.
New Castle County secondhand precious metals dealer license
Significant RestrictionsNew Castle County Code § 8.03.001
Secondhand dealer in precious metals means any person who, because he or she trades in secondhand precious metals, is licensed as a junk dealer under 24 Del. C. § 2301 et seq., and any person who purchases secondhand precious metals for either collection or resale. A secondhand dealer in precious metals shall be required to obtain a license from the Clerk of the Peace.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
New Castle County treats small home-based auto repair shops as a 'cottage industry' use, capped at six non-family employees and allowed only through limited-use review in Suburban, Suburban Estate, and Suburban Reserve districts, and only on farmsteads, hamlets, or villages.
New Castle County Home Auto Repair Limits
Significant RestrictionsNew Castle County Code § 40.33.221(D)
D. Cottage industry. 1. An industrial or intensive use(s) conducted on a lot with a residential dwelling unit. Up to six (6) employees may be employed in addition to family members. Farm workers are not included. 2. This use includes, but is not limited to, businesses related to agriculture, trucking operations, small automotive repair shops, septic system service, well service, carpentry, upho...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in New Castle County
1 cities in New Castle County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All New Castle County ordinances
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