Pole barns and barndominiums in Hartly, Delaware.
Building in Hartly.
Hartly is Delaware’s least populous municipality, with 73 residents in 2020, a crossroads town where Delaware Routes 11 and 44 meet. The Hartly Volunteer Fire Company, Hartly Elementary School and Hartly Feed and Hardware are its landmarks, and town meetings are held at the fire company. The town’s 2016 comprehensive plan notes a strong Amish presence around Hartly, and a 2003 survey of 43 structures identified a potentially eligible historic district.
We meet you on the property first, an 18-minute drive west of our office, and walk through what the town and the county will each want to see. Our designers then draw the building and an organized, easy-to-read quote, we take care of the town permit and the county permit in the right order, and our crews build.
- County
- Kent County, Delaware
- Population
- 73 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 19953
- From our office
- About 18 minutes (12 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Hartly (Town Council / Public Works Commissioner)
- Main roads
- DE 11, DE 44
Permits and rules in Hartly.
Hartly’s Ordinance 10-03-2016-001 makes it unlawful to erect, alter or demolish a building without a written permit from the Town of Hartly Public Works or the Town President, and it defines a building as having ‘a roof supported by columns, poles, or walls,’ sheds included. So a pole barn needs one. Town fees are $0.45 per sq ft for a residential new building and $1.00 per sq ft for a commercial one. Reach the town at 302-922-2814.
Once the town signs off, Kent County takes the plans for review and sends its own inspectors, and the work has to meet Kent County Inspections & Enforcement standards. A 2020 amendment also added Fire Official approval for specified construction. If a general contractor is used, the town application lists every subcontractor’s name, address and phone, and the general contractor answers for any town business-license fees those subcontractors leave unpaid.
Who issues the permit
Town of Hartly (Town Council / Public Works Commissioner)
- Address
- P.O. Box 181, Hartly, DE 19953 (meetings held at the Hartly Volunteer Fire Company)
- Phone
- 302-922-2814
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- hartly.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hartly.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hartly.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 Hartly.
In Hartly’s R-S and R-M residential districts, a private garage for more than four automobiles with more than 900 sq ft of floor area is allowed only as a special exception, approved by the Board of Commissioners after notice and a public hearing. A garage of 900 sq ft or less avoids that hearing. On larger parcels, equipment buildings, hay storage and horse barns have the room they need.
Hartly questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
How long does Hartly take to approve a permit?
The town must approve or reject an application within 60 days, and an approved permit is valid for one year. We prepare the drawings and the subcontractor list so the application is complete when it goes to the town, then move on to Kent County.
How far is Hartly from your office?
Hartly is about 12 miles west of our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, an 18-minute drive. We can meet you at the property to walk the site, check the setbacks and talk through the building and the town’s steps.
Can I build a barndominium in Hartly?
Hartly’s zoning bars accessory buildings from use as dwellings, so a barndominium has to be the main home on the lot, not an add-on. If the lot is off sewer, the home also needs DNREC septic approval in three steps, and a well must be drilled by a DNREC-licensed water well contractor.
Let’s plan your building in Hartly.
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
- Hartly and all of Kent County