Wilmington, DE

Wilmington doesn't license or leash cats, but a cat counts as a public nuisance animal if found at large more than four times in 12 months, unless it belongs to a registered…

Wilmington's C-1-A neighborhood commercial zoning excludes stores or offices for the care, keeping, or grooming of animals from the personal-service uses permitted by right, so pet…

Wilmington bans keeping any wild animal, including monkeys, big cats, and poisonous snakes, within city limits as pets.

Wilmington outlaws keeping chickens, goats, pigs, horses, and other farm animals anywhere in city limits, with only narrow named exceptions.

Wilmington bans selling baby chicks, ducklings or rabbits in lots under six, dyeing them for novelty, or using them as toys or decorations.

Wilmington requires every dog to be kept under restraint at all times and, whenever off the owner's property in public or on private land without consent, secured by a leash or chain…

Wilmington judges a dog dangerous by its conduct, not its breed: the Justice of the Peace Court declares status case by case under city and state law.

New Castle County does not ban retail pet sales or require adoption-only stores. It licenses "retail dog outlets" for $75 a year and requires humane-care inspections instead.

New Castle County lets a licensed dog wear a microchip or tattoo instead of a metal tag, as long as proof of the license and ID method is available for an animal control officer on…

New Castle County treats veterinary offices and clinics as a special use requiring Board of Adjustment approval outside its regional commercial, business park, and industrial zoning…

Delaware Code Title 3 Chapter 75 requires every beekeeper to annually register all colonies and apiary locations with the Department of Agriculture and authorizes the State Apiarist to…

Wilmington treats inoperable, wrecked, or unregistered vehicles left on streets or private property as abandoned, letting police tag, tow, and impound them at the owner's expense.

Wilmington has no citywide overnight parking ban, but in the Hilltop (Area N) residential permit zone, non-residents without a permit can't park between 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m…

Wilmington sets no dollar cap on tow rates in its own code. Instead, Chapter 37, Article III routes every non-consensual tow through a city towing contractor and an official pound…

Wilmington divides much of the city into lettered special residential parking districts (A through Z) where a free sticker exempts residents' cars from the posted one- and two-hour…

Wilmington requires a city permit before installing any electric vehicle charging station or curbside charging cord in the public right-of-way.

Wilmington's Department of Public Works marks 'No Stopping' zones on city streets, and stopping, standing, parking, or loading a vehicle there draws a flat $50 civil penalty under City…

Wilmington caps commercial loading and unloading in posted no-parking areas at one hour, letting marked delivery vehicles work the curb without violating the citywide no-parking rule.

Wilmington prohibits parking oversized RVs, trailers, and boats of any size on any city street without a street storage permit or while loading.

Wilmington requires vehicles parked on any street to sit parallel to the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, with curb-side wheels within 12 inches of the curb. Wrong-way and…

Wilmington bans parking any commercial or recreational vehicle over 11,000 pounds or 20 feet long, plus boats of any size, on city streets unless loading, unloading, or covered by a…

New Castle County requires every parked or stored vehicle, RV, or off-highway vehicle in a residential zoning district to sit on a hardened surface, brick, block, pavers, stone…

Every dwelling in Wilmington must have working smoke detectors, with the number scaled to building height and unit count, and tampering with a unit is a separate offense.

Wilmington bans propane and LP-gas storage citywide except for cylinders under 125 water-gallon capacity, or with fire marshal approval.

Public fireworks displays in Wilmington require a fire prevention division permit, a $5,000 bond, and $1 million in liability insurance.

Delaware makes it a crime to set fire to any forest, wild land, or woodland. Willfully torching another owner's forest carries a $200-$5,000 fine and up to two years in prison under…

Wilmington's noise ordinance carves aircraft and railroad noise out of its citywide decibel limits, requiring only compliance with applicable federal and state noise regulations…

Wilmington bans exterior loudspeakers and amplified music plainly audible beyond your property line, allowing outdoor performances only during city-authorized events or under a special…

Wilmington bans noisy construction work outside set hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays in business/industrial districts and 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays in residence districts, with tighter…

Car stereos, radios, and high-fidelity equipment in vehicles can't be plainly audible more than 50 feet away on Wilmington streets, day or night, under the city's noise ordinance.

Wilmington caps continuous industrial-district noise at 85 dBA measured at the receiving property's boundary, while business districts are held to a lower 65-75 dBA depending on time…

Wilmington bans yelling, shouting, whistling, or racket on public streets between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., backed by stricter nighttime decibel limits enforced by police and licensing…

Wilmington bans owning or keeping an animal or bird that barks, bays, cries or squawks continuously for ten minutes or intermittently for a half hour, causing a noise disturbance to…

New Castle County bars outdoor power equipment, including leaf blowers and garden tools, from creating noise disturbances in residential districts between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m…

Wilmington allows home businesses by right if low-intensity, but caps customers, signage, and staff: anything busier needs a zoning board special exception under City Code § 48-131.

Wilmington waives its business license fee for family day care homes that are state-approved and supervised, capping enrollment at six preschool children including the provider's own…

Wilmington's zoning code caps home-based business signage at 144 square inches: either a non-illuminated interior window sign or a small brass or bronze facade plaque, with no other…

Wilmington's zoning code caps home-based businesses at two customers or clients on the premises per hour for a by-right, owner-only home occupation in any residential district.

Delaware runs cottage food as a registration scheme in regulation, not in statute. The phrase cottage food appears nowhere in the Delaware Code; the rules live at 16 DE Admin. Code…

Delaware has no microenterprise home kitchen permit. Cooking meals to order at home for sale is lawful here only if the kitchen falls outside the definition of food establishment, and…

Wilmington's zoning code bans barbed wire, razor wire, and similar fencing material in every residential and commercial district, and caps solid fences at six feet and open fences at…

Wilmington caps solid residential fences at six feet and open fences at eight feet, with barbed and razor wire banned in residential and commercial districts since 1988.

Fences that cross Wilmington's building line onto a sidewalk or street need a Licenses and Inspections permit approved by Public Works, capped at a $35 application fee; on-property…

In Wilmington's zoning code, a retaining wall under one foot tall is exempt from the residential building setback line; anything taller has to sit behind that line like the house…

City zoning code lets the building inspector order down any fence or wall built mainly to annoy or damage the property next door, regardless of the district or the fence's own height…

Remove a Wilmington street tree under a city permit and you must grind the stump, haul the wood, and plant a 2-inch-caliper replacement within six months.

Wilmington caps weeds and grass at eight inches on private lots and four inches in curb and sidewalk cracks along public rights-of-way, with owners liable for growth on land they own.

Property owners along Wilmington streets must prune and maintain any tree on or overhanging the public right-of-way, and a city permit is required before pruning or removing a street…

Residents may compost or mulch yard and kitchen waste generated on their own property as a by-right accessory use, but bringing in material from elsewhere is not covered by this…

New Castle County exempts pollinator gardens, rain gardens, and wildflower meadows from its weed ordinance, but plants must come from DNREC and Delaware Department of Agriculture…

Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) may declare drought emergencies imposing mandatory water-use restrictions that apply uniformly across the…

Wilmington requires a building permit for any shed, regardless of size, since sheds aren't on the building code's exempt-work list. Sheds up to 100 square feet built alongside a…

New Castle County allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family detached lot, but the owner must live in the main house or the ADU, record a residency restriction with the…

New Castle County requires ADU owners to live in either the main house or the accessory unit, backed by a signed affidavit and a deed restriction recorded with the Recorder of Deeds…

New Castle County zones tiny homes as "small single-family detached dwellings," a defined use capped at under 750 square feet and allowed only as an ADU or inside a permitted pocket…

New Castle County caps ADU rentals at one unit per lot, requires owner-occupancy of the principal home or ADU, and makes rental ADUs register under Chapter 19 before occupancy.

Wilmington requires a residential property rental license and STR operator permit. Most residential zones (R1–R5) do not permit STRs; a citywide cap of 150 STR units was approved in…

New Castle County's 3% lodging tax applies only to hotels, motels, and tourist homes in unincorporated areas, not typical Airbnb-style short-term rentals, which instead remain subject…

Wilmington adopts the 2018 International Swimming Pool and SPA Code by reference, setting the safety, barrier, and construction standards that govern every residential and public pool…

Wilmington treats any residential swimming pool, above-ground or in-ground, as an accessory structure: a rear-yard pool can't cover more than 40% of the required rear yard, and a…

Wilmington tenants and owners can request a Housing Code inspection anytime, and the enforcement officer must investigate: retaliation against a complaining tenant is illegal.

Wilmington requires every rental dwelling to pass a licenses-and-inspections inspection every two years (five-or-fewer-unit buildings) or five years (six-plus-unit buildings), with a…

Pawnbrokers in Wilmington must hold an annual city business license under the nonprofessional-service classification, paying a $200 yearly fee before buying, selling, or lending…

Wilmington requires bath, massage and tanning salons to hold an annual city business license under the nonprofessional service category, with a $200 yearly fee paid to the Department…

Wilmington requires every retailer selling tobacco products, tobacco paraphernalia, or electronic smoking devices to keep them out of customers' reach and behind a staffed checkout…

Wilmington requires a city license before anyone buys, trades, or handles secondhand gold, silver, or platinum items, with a $250 annual fee.

Wilmington confines adult entertainment establishments to the C-5 heavy commercial zone and requires 500 feet of separation from other such businesses, churches, schools, and…

Wilmington requires a $300 annual license for towing establishments and bans withholding a vehicle from its owner after full payment.

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…

Wilmington prohibits loading, unloading or handling boxes, crates, containers and cans between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. in residence districts if the racket creates a noise disturbance.

Wilmington limits car alarms and other vehicle horns to genuine emergency use only, folding them into the citywide noise ordinance enforced by police under City Code § 11-60.

Wilmington caps stationary noise sources like HVAC condensers and heat pumps at fixed decibel levels, 55 dBA at night and 65 dBA by day in residential zones, enforced by Licenses and…

Wilmington limits low-frequency infrasound below 16 hertz to 100 dBA measured at the complaining property, a specific standard aimed at deep bass and subwoofer noise that carries…

Wilmington treats a running generator as a stationary noise source, capping it at 65 dBA by day and 55 dBA at night in residential districts under the city noise code.

Wilmington caps nightlife noise at 65 dBA overnight and 75 dBA daytime in business districts, measured at the property line of neighboring receivers, with police and licensing…

The city's public works department picks up household trash, ashes, and yard waste once a week on a fixed day assigned by district.

Wilmington bars dumpsters from sitting in the public right-of-way except within a strict collection window, and requires visual screening on three sides unless the Department of Public…

The city's public works department collects household ashes, rubbish, and yard waste every week on a set day by district, and residents must sort waste and place it out only as the…

Wilmington residents may set garbage containers at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before pickup and must have them out by 6 a.m. on collection day, then pull them back the…

Wilmington lets homeowners rake fallen leaves to the curb each autumn only if they notify Public Works first, so city crews can schedule mulching pickup.

Dumping garbage, rubbish, refuse, or building material anywhere in Wilmington besides the city's sanitary landfill is illegal and carries a $250 to $1,000 fine, plus possible jail time.

Dwelling occupants must dispose of rubbish, garbage and recycling in covered, leakproof containers, and the owner must supply them.

Property Maintenance Code section 7.01.002 requires occupants to dispose of rubbish, garbage, and recycling in leakproof, covered containers, with the dwelling owner responsible for…

Wilmington bans loud, raucous parties and noise from homes that carry across property lines or through shared walls at any hour, under the city's dwelling noise disturbance rule.

Wilmington bans loitering within 50 feet of homes, businesses, and vacant properties when it blocks a sidewalk or ignores a police order to move on, with escalating fines up to $500…

Wilmington outlaws skateboarding on public sidewalks, city squares, and plazas, with an exception for streets and sidewalks in residential zoning districts. Police can impound boards…

Wilmington bans drinking or carrying an open alcoholic beverage on streets, sidewalks, parks, and other public places citywide, with a narrow permit exception for block parties and…

Where the city has marked crosswalks and safety zones, pedestrians in Wilmington must cross only within those marked locations: stepping outside them into the roadway is a Code…

New Castle County parks ban consuming or possessing intoxicating liquor and "dangerous or narcotic drugs", including marijuana, under Sec. 24.01.008, with fines starting at $100 per…

Wilmington requires an approved carbon monoxide alarm in every residential unit that relies on fossil-fuel heat, hot water, or ventilation, enforced by the licenses and inspections…

Wilmington requires building owners to have elevators periodically tested and to keep the code official informed of the results.

Wilmington's building official can enter buildings and premises to inspect for code compliance only between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., unless there's an emergency or the owner requests…

Wilmington orders lead paint removed from rental interiors whenever a rental inspection or tenant complaint finds it, under City Code § 13-133.

Apartments and other Group R buildings need automatic fire sprinklers citywide, but detached and semi-detached single- and two-family homes are exempt.

When a Wilmington building undergoes work covered by the city's Renovation Subcode, any required exit door with a latch must get approved panic hardware once the room or building's…

Wilmington's building rehabilitation code requires day nurseries and residential child care facilities to enclose boiler and furnace rooms in one-hour fire-rated construction, and…

No one may occupy a new, altered, or converted building in Wilmington until the building inspector issues a certificate of occupancy confirming the use conforms to the zoning code.

Wilmington requires a permit from the Department of Licenses and Inspections before starting plumbing work, with a narrow exception for faucet or valve repairs; new piping or fixture…

Wilmington requires an electrical permit for wiring work performed under the city's adopted 2018 International Building Code, with a $20 permit fee per project and a separate $30…

New Castle County has no mandatory green building code for private homes or businesses. Code § 2.05.301(A) only requires the Department of Public Works to adopt a Green Building SOP…

Wilmington landlords must inspect units for bed bugs before renting, disclose known infestations in adjacent units, and tenants must report suspected infestations within five business…

Wilmington's property maintenance code requires every foundation, exterior wall, roof, window, and basement hatchway to be rodentproof, and makes owners of multi-unit buildings…

Wilmington's Housing Code lets the commissioner of licenses and inspections condemn any dwelling as unfit for human habitation if it's hazardously damaged, unsanitary, or lacks…

Landlords must get a business license and occupancy notification before renting any dwelling unit in Wilmington, or face a $500 fine per unit.

For nonpayment, Del. Code tit. 25 § 5502 requires a written demand giving the tenant not less than 5 days to pay before termination. For a lease or rule violation, § 5513 requires at…

Delaware's Landlord-Tenant Code applies uniformly to most residential rentals statewide, specifying permitted grounds for eviction, required notice periods, and court procedures. Local…

Under Del. Code tit. 25 § 5509, a Delaware landlord must give the tenant at least 48 hours' written notice before entering a rental unit, and entry is limited to the hours between 8:00…

Del. Code tit. 25 § 5501(d) caps residential late fees at 5 percent of monthly rent and bars any late fee within 5 days of the due date. A landlord must keep an office in the county…

Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 60 days' written notice under Del. Code tit. 25 § 5106, starting the first of the next month. Section 5314 allows early…

Delaware has no statewide rent control and no statutory limit on how much rent can rise. The Landlord-Tenant Code (Title 25) does not expressly preempt local rent control, so cities…

Delaware sets no cap on rent and has no mid-term rent-increase statute. A rent change runs through the renewal mechanism of the Landlord-Tenant Code, which requires at least 60 days'…

Delaware caps security deposits at one month's rent for leases of one year or more. After a tenancy ends, the landlord has 20 days to return the deposit with an itemized list of…

Delaware requires 20 years of continuous adverse possession before a claimant can defeat the true owner's title under Del. Code tit. 10 § 7901. A squatter with no lease or permission…

Wilmington runs an automated red-light camera program under City Code § 37-95: vehicle owners face a civil assessment up to $110 for running a red light, captured on photo or video…

Wilmington law requires cyclists to use an adjacent bike path instead of the roadway whenever one is provided, under City Code § 37-325.

Wilmington's code defines Class 1, 2, and 3 electric bicycles by motor assist and top speed, sets minimum rider ages by class, and bans all e-bikes from sidewalks under Title 37.

Delaware has a full statutory scheme for low-speed vehicles at 21 Del. C. Section 2113A and no scheme at all for golf carts. An LSV is a 4-wheeled motor vehicle, other than a truck…

New buildings in Wilmington's special flood hazard areas must elevate the lowest floor at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation, a freeboard buffer beyond FEMA's minimum flood…

Wilmington caps diesel truck idling at three consecutive minutes when parked, with narrow exceptions for depots, cold starts, buses, traffic, and sleeper berths, under City Code § 37-6.

Any land-disturbing activity over 5,000 square feet in Wilmington needs a sediment and stormwater management plan approved by Licenses & Inspection before grading starts.

Wilmington requires a sediment and stormwater management plan for any land-disturbing activity over 5,000 square feet, reviewed by public works and permitted through licenses and…

Wilmington requires a license from the city before anyone builds, extends, or repairs a wharf, pier, or dock structure along the Christina or Delaware River waterfront.

Any construction, fill, or utility work in a Wilmington special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work starts, per City Code § 48-572.

New Castle County's Unified Development Code blocks any new Heavy Industry (HI) zoning district from being created inside Delaware's Coastal Zone. Existing HI districts survive only…

Wilmington requires a permit before installing an outdoor dining area on a public sidewalk; on Market Street, cafes also pay a per-square-foot license fee for each six-month season.

Wilmington charges a $100 park usage and clean-up fee for any group permit to use city parks and facilities, and picnics of 200 or more people need a written request a month in advance.

Wilmington requires a parade permit for any parade, march or procession on city streets, filed at least five days ahead for a $3.00 fee.

Wilmington requires a parade permit from the Director of Transportation for any march, procession, or organized street event, filed five to sixty days ahead for a three dollar fee.

Vendors selling food or merchandise at Wilmington street fairs and festivals must get a special events permit from Licenses and Inspections before setting up.

Wilmington bans weeds and grasses over 8 inches tall on vacant lots, with a tighter 4-inch limit for growth in sidewalk cracks and the public right-of-way.

Wilmington's licenses-and-inspections commissioner can condemn any dwelling that's damaged, unsanitary, or unsafe as unfit for human habitation, placard it, and force occupants out…

Wilmington closes all city, county, and state park property overnight: no one may be on park land between dusk and dawn without parks department authorization.

Wilmington bars anyone under 18 from public places and businesses after 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, with an earlier 9 p.m. curfew for kids under 13.

Operating a food truck or trailer in Wilmington's public right-of-way requires a mobile food vending unit license from the department of licenses and inspections, plus a fire safety…

Wilmington restricts mobile food vending units to three to six designated parking spots citywide, set and marked by the public works commissioner.

Wilmington requires a mobile food vending unit license, a $22 daily use fee, a fire inspection, and $1 million liability insurance before anyone can sell food from a cart or truck on…

Wilmington's building code caps protected wood-frame (Type 5A) one- and two-family homes, semi-detached dwellings, and rowhouses at three stories: taller wood-frame construction isn't…

Wilmington caps building coverage at 60 percent of lot area in the W-1, W-2, and W-3 waterfront districts, and at 40 to 50 percent in the W-4 district depending on building type.

Wilmington sets a minimum building setback from the street line for every residence district, running from 15 feet in the densest R-5 zones up to 30 feet in the low-density R-1…

Wilmington lets W-4 waterfront developers raise floor area ratio and building height up to 1.5x by mixing in commercial space alongside residential.

Buildings on the Market Street Mall, between Fourth and Ninth Streets, must have facade, sign, and renovation work approved by the city's Design Review Commission before a permit…

Wilmington prohibits changing, flashing, and illuminated digital signs in residential zoning districts, with a narrow exception for official public works and DelDot detour or closure…

On the Market Street Mall, permanent interior window signs are capped at 10% of the display window area, and temporary sale signs at 25%.

New Castle County's Unified Development Code bans balloons and other air- or gas-filled figures outright as signs in every zoning district of the unincorporated county, with no…

New Castle County caps noncommercial ideological, religious, and political signs at 32 square feet and allows them in every zoning district without site limitations, under the Unified…

New Castle County bans electronic off-premises billboards facing freeways everywhere except I-95, I-295, I-495 and a stretch of US-13, and even there imposes spacing, brightness and…

Self-storage and mini-warehouse facilities approved in Wilmington's C-2 commercial districts must aim all outdoor lighting onto the site and away from neighboring property, per zoning…

Wilmington's sign code requires gooseneck reflectors and lights on ground signs, a category that by definition includes billboards, to be aimed so illumination stays on the sign face…

City zoning law requires all parking lot lighting to be arranged so direct rays stay confined to the lot surface itself, preventing glare and light spillover onto neighboring…

Wilmington charges a 2% lodging tax on hotel, motel, and tourist home rooms within city limits, on top of Delaware's state lodging tax, collected by the operator and remitted monthly…

Wilmington requires a license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections, approved by Public Works, before anyone builds or maintains a fence or other encroachment beyond the…

In Wilmington, the owner of property abutting a public sidewalk must keep it free of holes, cracks, and defects, and is solely responsible for injuries caused by a broken sidewalk: the…

Wilmington bans placing goods, wares, merchandise, booths, stands or stalls on public sidewalks and streets beyond the true building line, and treats any encroachment that becomes…

Wilmington requires a written permit from the department of public works before planting, removing, pruning, or root pruning any street tree in the public right-of-way, with species…

New Castle County has no separate heritage-tree ordinance. Its closest protection is the specimen-tree rule in the Unified Development Code, triggered only when land is developed or…

New Castle County's development code protects "specimen trees", healthy, non-invasive trees above set size thresholds or comparable to the state champion, requiring preservation or…

Delaware Court of Chancery, not Wilmington code enforcement, handles deed covenant and HOA restriction disputes through mandatory mediation before any trial can proceed.

New Castle County requires subdivision developers to form a maintenance organization, a condominium, third-party conservancy, or non-stock corporation, before recording any plan, with…

New Castle County requires HOA maintenance corporation boards to transfer control from developer-appointed directors to homeowners by the time 75% of dwelling-unit permits are issued…

Under the Delaware Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act, an association has an automatic statutory lien on a unit for unpaid assessments. That lien carries a limited super-priority…

Delaware makes any covenant, deed restriction or association rule unenforceable if it stops a property owner or a tenant from flying the flag of the United States, either on a pole…

Delaware puts no dollar cap on a homeowners association fine. What it caps is the process. Under 25 Del. C. § 81-302(a)(11) an association may levy only reasonable fines for violations…

A Delaware community association cannot start a foreclosure on a whim. Under 25 Del. C. Section 81-316(m)(1) no foreclosure action may be commenced unless the owner owes at least 3…

Delaware does not forbid a homeowners association from banning or capping rentals, but it makes the ban expensive to adopt. Under 25 Del. C. § 81-217(f), an amendment that prohibits or…

Retail marijuana stores need a 300-foot buffer from residential zoning districts and K-12 schools, and are allowed by right only in the city's C-5, M-1, M-2, and waterfront…

Wilmington requires marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and retail facilities to sit at least 300 feet from any residential zoning district or K-12 school under City Code §…

Every business operating in Wilmington must obtain an annual license, with the fee set by which trade classification the business falls into under the city's Title 5 schedule.

Wilmington designates historic and cultural markers through a city council subcommittee and a nine-member taskforce, with private-property markers requiring the owner's written consent.

Wilmington property owners must stop wasted water from private pipes and repair leaks promptly, or face a misdemeanor fine.

New data center projects over 20,000 square feet must keep noise at or below predevelopment levels and stay 1,000 feet from residential districts, backed by a mandatory noise study.

New Castle County requires data centers over 20,000 square feet to sit at least 1,000 feet from residential districts, with the buffer reduced to 500 feet only if a Department-approved…

New Castle County caps garage and yard sales at four occasions a year, each running no more than three consecutive days, under the zoning code's residential accessory-use rules.

New Castle County exempts rooftop solar panels installed to produce electricity from a building permit on one- and two-family homes, though ground-mounted systems and zoning setback…

Delaware Code Title 25 Section 318 voids deed restrictions and HOA covenants that prohibit or unreasonably restrict roof-mounted solar systems and limits ground-mount restrictions…

Before New Castle County code enforcement gets involved, the Tenants' Rights Guide at County Code § 19.03.003 requires tenants to first file a written complaint with the landlord using…

New Castle County's code official issues civil-penalty citations for a fixed list of Property Maintenance Code violations once a violation notice has gone uncorrected for 10 days. The…

Pollinator and rain gardens are allowed in front yards but capped at 25% of the street-yard area, set back 10 feet, and barred from planting listed invasive species.

New Castle County's development code lists Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven) as an invasive tree to avoid, and its property maintenance code forces owners to mow down any harmful…

New Castle County prohibits planting Phyllostachys, Pseudosasa, and Bambusa bamboo unless it's contained in an above-ground planter or set back 50 feet from every property line, under…

New Castle County outlaws running bamboo (Phyllostachys, Pseudosasa, Bambusa) on any parcel unless fully contained in an above-ground planter or planted at least 50 feet from the…

New Castle County zoning shields farmland with a Suburban Reserve district and a one-time rural subdivision option, letting farm owners split off up to four house lots while keeping a…

Delaware shields agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits under 3 Del.C. 1401, protecting farms operating consistently with generally accepted agricultural practices for at least…

New Castle County lets yard ornaments, fountains, flagpoles and clotheslines sit anywhere in a yard or setback, but any piece over six feet tall must sit at least six feet from every…

Delaware Code Title 11, Section 1334(e) preempts all local commercial drone regulation. FAA Part 107 commercial operators are exempt from state restrictions on critical infrastructure…

Delaware Code Title 11, Section 1334(e) explicitly preempts all local drone regulation. Only the state may prohibit, restrict, or regulate operation of unmanned aircraft systems…

Delaware issues concealed deadly weapon licenses through the Prothonotary under 11 Del.C. 1441, requiring background checks, character references, and a published notice of intent…

Delaware generally permits open carry of firearms by individuals 18 or older without a permit, subject to location restrictions in schools, courthouses, and certain state buildings.

Casino-style gaming in Delaware is legal only at the state's three licensed video lottery agents, Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway, under 29 Del. C. § 4819(a). The…

Delaware's Board of Charitable Gaming, created under 28 Del. C. § 1505 to protect the public, licenses bingo, raffles, and pull-tab games for veterans', religious, and charitable…

Delaware's gambling code, 11 Del. C. §§ 1401-1432, never defines a 'social game' or exempts private, no-house-cut betting the way some states do. Its advancing-gambling offenses target…

Delaware runs sports betting as a state lottery game under 29 Del. C. § 4825(a), which directs the Lottery Director to operate a sports lottery covering any professional or collegiate…

The words checkpoint, roadblock and sobriety checkpoint do not appear anywhere in Title 11 or Title 21 of the Delaware Code, so a Delaware sobriety checkpoint rests on constitutional…

Delaware has never enacted a standalone right to record police, so the answer is built from its wiretap chapter instead. 11 Del. C. § 2402(a) makes intentional interception of a wire…

Delaware has a genuine stop-and-identify statute. Under 11 Del. C. § 1902(a) a peace officer who has reasonable ground to suspect a person abroad or in a public place is committing…

Delaware puts the consent rule for vehicle searches in a statute rather than leaving it to case law. 11 Del. C. § 2301 says no person shall search any person, house, building…

Delaware restricts single-use plastic carryout bags under 7 Del. C. Section 6099A, the at-store recycling program, effective January 1, 2021 and strengthened July 1, 2022. Covered…

Delaware bans polystyrene foam food service packaging under 16 Del. C. Chapter 30Q (Section 3004Q), added by SB 51. Food establishments may not serve ready-to-eat food in foam…

Delaware now limits single-use plastic straws to upon-request under 16 Del. C. Section 3002Q, added by SB 51. A food establishment may provide a plastic straw only when a customer…

Delaware's Home Solicitation Sales Act (6 Del. C. Chapter 44) gives consumers a three-business-day right to cancel any door-to-door sale over $25. Sellers must provide written…

Delaware prohibits tobacco and vapor product sales to anyone under 21 under 30 Del.C. 5341 and 11 Del.C. 1116, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 requirements statewide.

Delaware allows extra forward lighting only in the exact quantities and mounting heights set by 21 Del. C. § 4346: two spot lamps, two fog lamps mounted 12 to 30 inches off the ground…

Delaware does not license, permit or exempt dash cameras, and 21 Del. C. § 4309(a) makes it an offence to drive with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material on the front…

Delaware has no statute that mentions lane splitting, filtering or lane sharing, and no statute giving a motorcycle the full use of a lane or the right to ride two abreast. The answer…

Delaware bars any tinted cover and any material placed on or around a number plate that conceals or obscures information on it, including the registration expiration sticker, under 21…

Nothing in Title 21 of the Delaware Code prohibits a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. The one Delaware prohibition arrives indirectly: 21 Del. C. § 4702(a) adopts 49…

Delaware permits studded tires on every motor vehicle using its highways from October 15 to April 15 and prohibits them the rest of the year. The window sits in the statute itself at…

Delaware allows window tint with a visible light transmission of 50% or greater on the side windows immediately right and left of the driver and on the forward side wings, and places…