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Sussex County

Sussex County Planning & Zoning

In short

Sussex County Planning & Zoning issues 3 permits we publish for Sussex County, last verified 2026-10-12. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Temporary Removable Vendor Permit (food trucks and vendor stands, unincorporated Sussex County)only if it applies to youSussex County Planning & Zoning$100 per location, per season (application fee set in Sussex County Code §§115-69, 115-77 and 115-83.2; the form calls it an annual fee)valid March 15 through November 15; a renewal is required to continue operating, and a separate permit is required for each location2026-10-12
Zoning Certificate of Compliance, Site Plan Review and Special Use Exceptions (unincorporated Sussex County)only if it applies to youSussex County Planning & ZoningSite plan review for business, commercial, industrial and other buildings: $300 where no floor area is created; otherwise $100 per 1,000 sq ft, capped at $5,000 per phase (hospitals, schools, institutional buildings and places of worship exempt). Certificate of Use or Zoning Verification Letter: $150. Board of Adjustment special use exception: $500 (Planning and Zoning Fees, from July 1, 2026).certificate of compliance: issued once for the use; site plan and Board of Adjustment approvals per application2026-10-12
Sign Permit (unincorporated Sussex County)only if it applies to youSussex County Planning & ZoningSussex County Code Chapter 62, Article III requires a sign construction permit fee and annual or one-time sign fees, set in the schedule of fees adopted with the annual county budget; the amounts are not published on the sign permit form. Contact Planning & Zoning, (302) 855-7878, for the current amount.per sign; annual or one-time fees as Chapter 62, Article III provides2026-10-12

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Temporary Removable Vendor Permit (food trucks and vendor stands, unincorporated Sussex County)

Sussex County Code §115-69 (B-1 Neighborhood Business), §115-77 (C-1 General Commercial) and §115-83.2 (CR-1 Commercial Residential), added by Ord. No. 2397 on May 19, 2015, permit temporary removable vendor stands, "including but not limited to food trucks and similar vehicles or trailers", on a premises between March 15 and November 15 for the sale of food, agricultural products or other food-related goods, subject to conditions: the stand must not be permanently affixed and must be movable within 24 hours, one stand per parcel, no wider than 8 feet 6 inches nor longer than 45 feet, no permanent utility connections, and no interference with vehicle or pedestrian movement. The owner gives the Director of Planning and Zoning the property owner's written approval, a drawing of the location and evidence of a current State of Delaware business license; the Director may instead require a Board of Adjustment special use exception. On approval the county issues a Vendor Stand sticker that must be visible at all times. The code sets the application fee at $100 and says an approval is valid for one year; Planning & Zoning's application form lists "Permit Fee $100.00 Annual fee" and states the permit is valid from March 15 through November 15 and must be renewed to continue operating. The county's Temporary Removable Vendor Policy requires a separate permit for each location, limits hours to 6am-11pm Monday to Saturday and 9am-10pm Sunday (8am-10pm within 150 feet of a residential use), allows one table seating up to four, and bars connection to sewer. The form notes that other county or state approvals may be required.

Zoning Certificate of Compliance, Site Plan Review and Special Use Exceptions (unincorporated Sussex County)

The county's Planning & Zoning page states that the office is responsible for administering the land use process within unincorporated areas of the county and is the point of entry for subdivision, zoning change, conditional use, special use exception and accessory use requests. Sussex County Code §115-223 provides that no premises shall be used and no buildings hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be used, occupied or changed in use until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the Director, stating that the building or proposed use complies with the building laws and the zoning regulations; vacant land may not be occupied or used, except for agricultural uses, until a certificate is issued. As published in Planning & Zoning's fee sheet headed "Fee from July 1, 2026", site plan review for business, commercial, industrial and other buildings costs $300 where no floor area is created and otherwise $100 per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, capped at $5,000 per phase, with hospitals, schools, institutional buildings and places of worship exempt. The same sheet lists $150 for a Certificate of Use or Zoning Verification Letter and $500 for a Board of Adjustment special use exception. Day nurseries or child-care centres in the AR-1 and AR-2 districts are among the uses that need a special use exception (§115-23C(4)). A business inside a town applies to that town for zoning.

Sign Permit (unincorporated Sussex County)

A business in unincorporated Sussex County that puts up an on-premises wall or ground sign, or an off-premises billboard, applies to Sussex County Planning & Zoning on the county's Sign Permit Application (form updated May 8, 2025), giving the sign wording, dimensions, number of faces, total square footage, tax map number and zoning, with a sketch of the sign. The form's information sheet summarises the standards in §115-159.5: wall signs up to 150 square feet or 15% of the wall area, whichever is greater; ground signs up to 200 square feet per side, with a survey where the sign is near setbacks or within 100 feet of a dwelling, church, school or public lands; and billboards only in the C-1, CR-1, LI-1, LI-2 and HI-1 districts, with a Board of Adjustment special use exception and a DelDOT approval letter. Sussex County Code Chapter 62, Article III requires a construction permit fee and annual or one-time sign fees set in the schedule of fees adopted with the annual budget; the amounts are not published on the form, and Planning & Zoning ((302) 855-7878, pandz@sussexcountyde.gov) gives them. A business inside a town applies to that town.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Sussex County
Phone
(302) 855-7878

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Planning & Zoning pageSussex County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  2. Planning and Zoning Fees (Fee from July 1, 2026)Sussex County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  3. Sign Permit Application and Information (form updated 5/8/2025)Sussex County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  4. Sussex County Code Chapter 115, Article IV (AR-1 and AR-2 Agricultural Residential Districts)Sussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  5. Sussex County Code Chapter 115, Article XXVIII (Administration and Enforcement), §115-223 certificates of complianceSussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  6. Sussex County Code Chapter 115, B-1 Neighborhood Business District (§115-69)Sussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  7. Sussex County Code Chapter 115, C-1 General Commercial District (§115-77)Sussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  8. Sussex County Code Chapter 115, CR-1 Commercial Residential District (§115-83.2)Sussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  9. Sussex County Code Chapter 62, Article III (Building Fees), including §62-7J school surchargeSussex County, Delaware (via ecode360) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12
  10. Temporary Removable Vendor Permit Application and Temporary Removable Vendor PolicySussex County Planning & Zoning · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-12

Other offices serving Sussex County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Delaware jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.