Pole barns and barndominiums in Newark, Delaware.
Building in Newark.
Newark is the University of Delaware’s hometown, with the Bob Carpenter Center and the Newark Rail Station, served by Amtrak and SEPTA, among its landmarks. The city sits directly east of the Maryland line and straddles the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain, with small hills to the north and west and flat land to the south and east.
That terrain matters for a garage, since a sloped lot calls for different site work than a flat one, so we look at the ground before we draw. The trip from Dover runs about 43 miles, close to an hour (59 minutes), and we make it for the site visit and the build. You get drawings, an organized quote and the City permit handled for you.
- County
- New Castle County, Delaware
- Population
- 30,601 (2020 Census)
- ZIP codes
- 19711, 19713, 19716, 19717
- From our office
- About 59 minutes (43 miles) by car
- Permits
- City of Newark Planning and Development Department, Code Enforcement Division
- Main roads
- I-95, DE 896, DE 273, DE 2
Permits and rules in Newark.
Inside city limits, the City of Newark issues the permit, not New Castle County. The Code Enforcement Division of the City of Newark Planning and Development Department, 220 South Main Street, 302-366-7000, reviews plans, issues building permits and contractor licenses and conducts all inspections, while the Land Use and Planning Division reviews each permit for zoning. Newark requires permits for new structures, including garages and tool or storage sheds, and anyone paid to do construction work needs a City of Newark contractor’s license. The City has adopted the 2018 International codes.
One City amendment matters for any new building: Newark’s code requires an approved fire suppression system in all new buildings, residential and commercial. Plan on it for a barndominium, since that is a new home. For a detached garage or pole building, we confirm with Code Enforcement how the requirement applies before your quote is final, so the cost isn’t a surprise later.
Who issues the permit
City of Newark Planning and Development Department, Code Enforcement Division
- Address
- 220 South Main Street, Newark, DE 19711
- Phone
- 302-366-7000
- 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.
What people build around Newark.
Inside the city, the buildings that fit are the practical ones: a detached garage with room for a workbench, a storage building for a boat or camper, or a pool house or pavilion for the back yard. Post-frame suits each of them because the posts carry the roof, which leaves the floor open without interior bearing walls. On flat ground the pad is straightforward; on a slope in the hills north and west of town, we plan grading and drainage early.
Newark questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
My mailing address says Newark. Does the City issue my permit?
Only if you are inside city limits. The 19711 and 19713 ZIP codes are the city’s main residential ones, but the Newark 19702 ZIP also covers the Glasgow and Christiana area outside city limits. In unincorporated areas like Glasgow, the New Castle County Department of Land Use, (302) 395-5400, issues permits instead.
Is Newark too far for your crews?
No. Newark is about 43 miles and roughly 59 minutes from our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy, and our crews work there. A project manager keeps you updated between visits so you always know what comes next.
Is my Newark lot in a floodplain?
Newark’s Planning and Development Department can confirm whether a property lies in the 100-year floodplain of the Christina Creek or White Clay Creek. The City’s floodplain regulations also earn residents reduced flood insurance premiums under FEMA’s Community Rating System. We check the mapping before we site your building.
Let’s plan your building in Newark.
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
- Newark and all of New Castle County