New Castle County, DE Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Home occupation signs
- None permitted, no exceptions outside Ardens
- Family day care sign
- One nameplate sign, up to 1 sq ft
- Arden villages exception
- One non-illuminated sign, up to 1 sq ft
- Applies to
- Unincorporated New Castle County only
- Governing code
- UDC § 40.03.420, Article 3
Summary
Unincorporated New Castle County bans any sign that identifies or advertises a home occupation, including marked service vehicles parked to draw attention -- though family day cares may post a one-square-foot nameplate sign.
No display of any products or operations that would create external evidence of the operation of the home occupation is permitted. No sign is permitted which will in any way advertise or identify the home occupation. No marked service vehicle, trailer or other equipment used in conjunction with the home occupation shall be parked on the property or contiguous street right-of-way so as to identify, advertise or otherwise attract attention to the home occupation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
New Castle County's Unified Development Code lists a home occupation as an accessory residential use, and Sec. 40.03.420.A.8 bars signage outright: no display of products or operations that creates external evidence of the business, no sign advertising or identifying it, and no marked service vehicle or trailer parked on the lot or right-of-way to draw attention. Family and large family day care homes get one exception -- a single nameplate sign up to one square foot (Sec. 40.03.420.B.3, C.3) -- as do the historic villages of Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft, where one non-illuminated sign up to one square foot is allowed. This is the unincorporated-county rule; Wilmington and Newark enforce their own separate zoning codes.
Violations & Fines
Posting a sign for a home business, or parking a marked service vehicle to advertise it, violates Sec. 40.03.420 and is enforceable by the Department of Land Use as a zoning code violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a sign for my home-based business in New Castle County?
Does a home day care get to have a sign?
Is there any exception to the no-sign rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Castle County
Compare New Castle County to another location·View the Delaware home business overview
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