Pole barns and barndominiums in Dover, Delaware.
Building in Dover.
Dover is Delaware’s capital and the Kent County seat. William Penn founded it in 1683 as the court town for the new county, it was laid out in 1717, and The Green still sits at the center of its historic district. Today it is a city of 39,403 people (2020 Census), with Dover Air Force Base and Dover Motor Speedway among its landmarks.
Gary Sensenig founded our company in 2012, and we work out of 575 N Dupont Hwy. The center of the city is about 2 miles, or 4 minutes, from that office. Our designers draw the building and put together an organized, easy-to-read quote. We handle the City of Dover permit, our crews build it, a project manager keeps you posted, and final payment waits until the final inspection.
- County
- Kent County, Delaware
- Population
- 39,403 (2020 Census)
- ZIP codes
- 19901, 19904
- From our office
- Our office is in Dover
- Permits
- City of Dover Department of Planning & Inspections
- Main roads
- US 13, DE 1, DE 8, US 13 Alt.
Permits and rules in Dover.
Inside city limits, the permit comes from the City of Dover Department of Planning & Inspections at City Hall, 15 Loockerman Plaza (302-736-7010 for permits and inspections). Kent County lists Dover among the towns that require their own permits, so no county permit is needed. Zoning questions go to the city’s Planning Office (302-736-7196). The city’s Public Inspections division enforces the ICC building codes through plan review and on-site inspections, and we handle the application for you.
Two Dover rules can shape a design before it reaches plan review. On a property in the H (Historic District Zone), any exterior change needs an Architectural Review Certification, judged against the city’s design standards and guidelines for the district, and staff can send a project on to the Historic District Commission. Dover also takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program. The City Planner is the floodplain administrator, and the Planning Office keeps the FEMA flood maps, so we check your parcel against them early.
Who issues the permit
City of Dover Department of Planning & Inspections
- Address
- City Hall, 15 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, DE 19901 (mail: PO Box 475, Dover, DE 19903)
- Phone
- (302) 736-7010 (permits/inspections); (302) 736-7196 (Planning Office - zoning)
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- cityofdover.gov (opens in a new tab)
- cityofdover.gov (opens in a new tab)
- cityofdover.gov (opens in a new tab)
- cityofdover.gov (opens in a new tab)
- cityofdover.gov (opens in a new tab)
- cityofdover.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 Dover.
On a city lot, space sets the terms. A detached garage or workshop has to fit the yard and the setbacks, a pool house or pavilion has to suit the space around it, and a storage building has to be sized for the RV, camper or boat it will hold. A business can add a post-frame commercial building or addition. If your lot is in the historic zone, we work the siding, roofline and doors around the city’s guidelines from the first drawing.
Dover questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Is Dover’s building code about to change?
Possibly. Proposed Ordinance #2025-19 would replace Dover’s 2009-edition codes with the 2024 codes, but the city’s ordinance list still shows it as pending. Until it is adopted, the current codes apply. Because a code change can affect a pole barn’s design, we check the status with Planning & Inspections before your drawings are final.
How close is your office to Dover?
It is in Dover. We are at 575 N Dupont Hwy, about 2 miles and 4 minutes from the center of the city, and the office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Call 302-399-4420 to talk through your building.
I live near Dover Air Force Base. Are there extra rules?
There can be. Dover’s Airport Environs Overlay Zone, based on the base’s AICUZ study, bars structures over 60 feet tall in Accident Potential Zones I and II, and new buildings in noise zones A through D need 25 to 40 dB of interior noise reduction documented by a licensed architect or engineer. Accessory structures incidental to a permitted principal use, like a garage for your house, are exempt.
Let’s plan your building in Dover.
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
- Dover and all of Kent County