Sussex County, DE Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Article XXIII of Chapter 115 governs off-street loading. Section 115-167 triggers the requirement whenever a building is erected, structurally altered to increase floor area by 25% or more, or converted to a listed use. Retail stores, department stores, restaurants, wholesale houses, warehouses and manufacturing or industrial establishments need one loading space between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet of floor area, scaling up to two spaces (10,000-20,000 sq ft), three spaces (20,000-40,000 sq ft), four spaces (40,000-60,000 sq ft), and one additional space for each 50,000 square feet above 60,000.

Apartment buildings, motels, hotels, offices, hospitals and similar institutions need one space between 5,000 and 25,000 square feet, two between 25,000 and 100,000, three between 100,000 and 200,000, and one additional per 100,000 square feet above that; funeral homes need one berth per chapel. Section 115-170A defines a loading space as a minimum 12-foot-wide, 40-foot-deep area within the building or on the same lot for standing, loading or unloading trucks (funeral homes may reduce that to 10 by 25 feet with 8-foot vertical clearance under § 115-170B).

Loading areas must be drained to eliminate standing water, surfaced with erosion-resistant material, and kept clean, per § 115-170C. Under § 115-168C, the Planning and Zoning Commission may modify a loading requirement it finds clearly excessive and unreasonable, and § 115-169 requires mixed-use buildings to provide loading as if the entire building were devoted to whichever listed use needs the most spaces.