Pole barns and barndominiums in Laurel, Delaware.

Garages, pole barns and farm buildings for Laurel, the Broad Creek town laid out in the 1790s, drawn to its own code office’s rules and the County’s.

Get a free quote Call 302-399-4420

Building in Laurel.

Laurel was laid out in the 1790s on the site of a Nanticoke settlement known as Broad Creek Town, and it is named for the laurel bushes along the creek. The Laurel Historic District, Broad Creek and Old Christ Church are among its landmarks, and US 13, US 9 and DE 24 all reach the town. Building here can mean a lot inside the historic overlay or a parcel just outside town under County rules.

We make the trip to Laurel from our Dover office for the site visit, about 44 miles and 61 minutes each way, bring back what the lot and the zoning allow, and turn it into drawings and an organized, easy-to-read quote. When the permits are in hand, our crew builds and your project manager keeps you posted.

County: Sussex County, Delaware
Population: 3,865 (2020 Census)
ZIP code: 19956
From our office: About 1 hr 1 min (44 miles) by car
Permits: Town of Laurel Planning & Code Enforcement (Laurel Town Hall)
Main roads: US 13, US 9, DE 24

Permits and rules in Laurel.

Laurel issues its own building permits. Town of Laurel Planning & Code Enforcement (Laurel Town Hall), 201 Mechanic Street, (302) 875-2277, handles permits, inspections and plumbing, impact and connection fees through the Director of Code Enforcement, while the Planning & Zoning Commission takes site plans, special uses and subdivisions. Laurel is not on the County’s inspection list, but Sussex County still requires a permit for accessory structures in town, so a garage or pole barn needs both.

Under zoning §7.4.1, every detached accessory building needs a building permit and must sit in a rear or side yard, at least 6 feet from side and rear property lines and 5 feet from the house or any other accessory structure. Inside the Historic District Overlay District, design review follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, and Chapter 80 applies to any FEMA special flood hazard area in town.

24 inFrost line depth36 inPost-frame footing

Sussex County’s design criteria, from its adopted building code: the loads every building here is engineered to carry. Source

Who issues the permit

Town of Laurel Planning & Code Enforcement (Laurel Town Hall)

Address: 201 Mechanic Street, Laurel, DE 19956
Phone: (302) 875-2277
Website: Permit information(opens in a new tab)

Where this comes from

Permit details checked October 2026. Rules change, so we confirm the current requirements for your parcel before anything is drawn.

Our guide to pole barn permits in Delaware

What people build around Laurel.

In town, the zoning points to a detached garage or workshop behind or beside the house, kept 6 feet off the side and rear lines, with design review if the lot is in the historic overlay. Outside town, rural land opens up for equipment buildings, farm shops, horse barns and barndominiums. Sussex counted 36.9 million broilers and other meat-type chickens at the end of 2022, and post-frame machine sheds and farm shops are built for working land like that.

Laurel questions.

Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.

Do I need a site plan for a garage in Laurel?

Not for an ordinary one. Laurel exempts a single one-family dwelling, ordinary accessory structures and additions of 500 square feet or less from site plan review. Bigger new development needs a site plan by a licensed architect, surveyor or professional engineer, approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission before the permit.

What if my lot is in Laurel’s historic district?

The Historic District Overlay District adds design review within the federally designated Laurel National Historic District, and in the Town Center zone that review is coordinated with zoning. We find out early whether your lot is covered, so the drawings account for it from the start.

How long is the drive from Dover to Laurel?

It is about 44 miles, roughly 61 minutes, from our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover to Laurel, and the town is part of the area we serve for site visits, permits and construction.

Nearby towns we build in.

Let’s plan your building in Laurel.

Tell us what you’d like to build and where, and we’ll come back with drawings and a free quote.

Get a free quote

302-399-4420

Email: 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: Laurel and all of Sussex County