Pole barns and barndominiums in Bear, Delaware.
Building in Bear.
Until the late 1980s, Bear was a small crossroads among farms raising mostly corn and cattle. Then came the housing developments and shopping centers, spreading along US 40 through the 1990s, and the 2020 census counted 23,060 residents. Landmarks include White Hall, listed on the National Register in 1990, and Lums Pond State Park is nearby.
Because Bear is a census-designated place and not an incorporated town, there is no town hall in the permit process. New Castle County sets the zoning, issues the permit and sends the inspectors, so you deal with one office and one set of rules. From Dover we cover the 39 miles to Bear in about 49 minutes, and we see the application through from start to finish.
- County
- New Castle County, Delaware
- Population
- 23,060 (2020 Census)
- ZIP codes
- 19701, 19702
- From our office
- About 49 minutes (39 miles) by car
- Permits
- New Castle County Department of Land Use
- Main roads
- US 40, DE 7, DE 1
Permits and rules in Bear.
Permits for Bear come from the New Castle County Department of Land Use at the County Government Center, 87 Reads Way in New Castle. Call (302) 395-5400 for permits, inspections and planning, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Applications go in online through eApply/ePlans. For a garage or other accessory building, the county’s checklist asks for building plans and a signed and sealed plot plan of existing and proposed improvements, and anything 480 square feet or larger also needs a Lines and Grades plan sealed by a Delaware-licensed engineer or surveyor. We check the latest version of that checklist with Land Use before filing.
On a residential lot, county guidance puts a freestanding accessory building in the rear yard, at least 3 feet from the side and rear lot lines and outside any street-yard setback. All accessory buildings together can cover no more than 30% of the required rear yard, and height is generally capped at 20 feet, though on a lot over one acre a building outside all setbacks can match the house. Those numbers come from the county’s published FAQ, so we confirm them with Land Use for your lot.
Who issues the permit
New Castle County Department of Land Use
- Address
- New Castle County Government Center, 87 Reads Way, New Castle, DE 19720
- Phone
- (302) 395-5400
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- newcastlede.gov (opens in a new tab)
- newcastlede.gov (opens in a new tab)
- newcastlede.gov (opens in a new tab)
- delcode.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
Permit details checked October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm the current requirements for your parcel before anything is drawn.
What people build around Bear.
In Bear’s housing developments, a detached two-car garage or a workshop sized to the 30% rear-yard limit is the natural fit, and post-frame gives you a wide, open floor for vehicles and tools. If you own one of the bigger parcels, a pole barn for equipment, a horse barn or covered storage for an RV or boat becomes possible, and a barndominium can put a home and a shop under one roof.
Bear questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Does Bear have its own building permit office?
No. Bear is unincorporated, so the New Castle County Department of Land Use handles permits, zoning and inspections, and its Code Enforcement line is (302) 395-5555. We put the application together, file it through the county’s eApply/ePlans system and keep track of it until the permit is issued.
How far is Bear from your Dover office?
About 39 miles, or roughly 49 minutes by car. Bear sits on US 40, with DE 7 and DE 1 close by, so it is a straightforward trip for our crews and project manager.
Is a farm building in Bear treated differently?
It can be. If the land is devoted to agricultural use, for example farmland-assessed or in an Agricultural Preservation District, county zoning does not apply to it (9 Del. C. § 2601(b)), and neither does the county building-code chapter (9 Del. C. § 2515). We check how your parcel qualifies before we apply.
Let’s plan your building in Bear.
Tell us what you’d like to build and where, and we’ll come back with drawings and a free quote.
- info@pbuincde.com
- Office
- 575 N Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901 (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
- Hours
- Mon to Fri, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
- We build in
- Bear and all of New Castle County