Home Business in Delaware (2026)
18 rules on the books across Delaware, 4 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Which businesses you can run from home, the home-occupation permit or registration most cities require, and the conditions attached, floor area caps, signage bans, and prohibited uses.
Kent County
Some RestrictionsKent County requires a zoning certificate of use from the Division of Planning before running a home occupation out of…
Read full rule →New Castle County
Some RestrictionsNew Castle County allows home occupations in unincorporated areas only if the business stays invisible from outside…
Read full rule →Sussex County
Some RestrictionsSussex County zoning lists a home occupation as a permitted accessory use in AR-1, AR-2 and other residential…
Read full rule →Wilmington
Some RestrictionsWilmington allows home businesses by right if low-intensity, but caps customers, signage, and staff: anything busier…
Read full rule →Signage Rules
Whether you can put up a sign for your home business, including size limits, placement rules, and which types of signs are allowed.
New Castle County
Heavy RestrictionsUnincorporated New Castle County bans any sign that identifies or advertises a home occupation, including marked…
Read full rule →Kent County
Some RestrictionsA home-based professional office or studio in unincorporated Kent County may post one identification sign, capped at 6…
Read full rule →Sussex County
Some RestrictionsSussex County caps a home occupation's on-site sign at six square feet per side under Zoning Code § 115-159.1. The sign…
Read full rule →Wilmington
Some RestrictionsWilmington's zoning code caps home-based business signage at 144 square inches: either a non-illuminated interior…
Read full rule →Customer Traffic Restrictions
Limits on customers and clients visiting a home business, daily visit caps, one-at-a-time rules, employee restrictions, and parking conditions that keep a home occupation from becoming a storefront.
Kent County
Some RestrictionsKent County caps home-occupation customer traffic at six visitors a day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. under § 205-68E(12)…
Read full rule →New Castle County
Some RestrictionsNew Castle County lets home-occupation operators meet clients on site, but heavy client traffic between 8 a.m. and 6…
Read full rule →Wilmington
Some RestrictionsWilmington's zoning code caps home-based businesses at two customers or clients on the premises per hour for a…
Read full rule →Cottage Food Operations
Rules for selling homemade food products from your kitchen, including what foods are allowed, labeling requirements, and annual sales limits.
Home Kitchen Operations
Permits for selling meals cooked to order in a home kitchen, which is a separate legal category from shelf-stable cottage food. Covers daily meal and gross revenue caps, health department inspection, and whether the county has to opt in before residents may apply at all.
Home Daycare
Licensing and zoning rules for running a daycare out of your home, including the number of children allowed, outdoor play area requirements, and safety standards.
Delaware: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsDelaware Code Title 31, Sections 341-345 (the Delaware Child Care Act) and Title 14 require state licensing of all…
Read full rule →Kent County
Some RestrictionsKent County zones a licensed family child-care home as an authorized home occupation under § 205-55, capped at six…
Read full rule →New Castle County
Some RestrictionsNew Castle County permits family day care homes and large family day care homes as accessory residential uses if state…
Read full rule →Sussex County
Some RestrictionsSussex County zones a family day-care home as a home occupation for one to six children, excluding relatives, and…
Read full rule →Wilmington
Light RestrictionsWilmington waives its business license fee for family day care homes that are state-approved and supervised, capping…
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