Pole barns and barndominiums in Port Penn, Delaware.
Building in Port Penn.
Port Penn is small enough that its original layout survives. The Port Penn Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1978, preserves the eight-block town plan and a one-block 19th-century extension, with 48 contributing buildings, the earliest dated to 1755. The Port Penn Interpretive Center and the Augustine Wildlife Area are among its landmarks, and DE 9 runs through the village.
It takes us roughly 42 minutes to cover the 32 miles from Dover, and a small village gets the full process from us: drawings from our designers, an organized quote, a project manager who keeps you posted and a 5-year workmanship warranty on the finished building. With no town government here, the permit comes from New Castle County, and we take care of it.
- County
- New Castle County, Delaware
- Population
- 162 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 19731
- From our office
- About 42 minutes (32 miles) by car
- Permits
- New Castle County Department of Land Use
- Main roads
- DE 9
Permits and rules in Port Penn.
Every Port Penn building permit goes through the New Castle County Department of Land Use, 87 Reads Way, New Castle, (302) 395-5400, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Your builder applies online through eApply/ePlans with building plans and a signed and sealed plot plan, and a garage or pole barn of 480 square feet or more also needs a Lines and Grades plan sealed by a Delaware-licensed engineer or surveyor. On land devoted to agricultural use, state law takes farm buildings out of county zoning and the county building code.
Check the flood maps early. In mapped floodplain, county rules call for 18 inches of freeboard and ban net fill unless it is offset with compensatory storage, and structures in the floodway may not be replaced or substantially improved. Building in the Limit of Moderate Wave Action must meet coastal high-hazard (VE) standards. We read these rules, and the checklist above, from the county’s published documents and confirm them with Land Use for your parcel.
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)
- newcastlede.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 Port Penn.
In a village this size, a new building gets noticed. A garage or workshop with simple lines and colors that suit the older houses fits Port Penn better than a bare metal box. On rural acreage outside the village, there is room for an equipment building, hay storage or a horse barn, and a barndominium can put a home and a shop under one post-frame roof.
Port Penn questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Which office handles a Port Penn building permit?
New Castle County’s Department of Land Use, because Port Penn is unincorporated. The office is at the County Government Center on Reads Way in New Castle, and its permits line is (302) 395-5400. We prepare the drawings and plot plan and file the application through eApply/ePlans.
Do you really come out to a village as small as Port Penn?
Yes. Port Penn is about 32 miles from our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, roughly 42 minutes by car. A single garage gets the same drawings, quote and project management from us as a large barn does.
What does a barndominium in Port Penn need without public sewer?
A DNREC on-site wastewater approval in three steps: a site evaluation by a licensed Class D soil scientist, a system design and permit from a licensed Class B or Class C designer, and installation by a licensed Class E contractor. A well must be drilled by a DNREC-licensed water well contractor, who files the permit application.
Let’s plan your building in Port Penn.
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
- Port Penn and all of New Castle County