Pole barns and barndominiums in Smyrna, Delaware.
Building in Smyrna.
Smyrna went by Duck Creek Cross Roads until 1806, and for a stretch it was the most important port between Wilmington and Lewes, shipping grain, lumber and produce out of Duck Creek. Farming carried the town after the port years, and the past is easy to find: the Smyrna Historic District, Belmont Hall and Duck Creek Village are all on the National Register. Today 12,883 people live here (2020), right on the New Castle County line.
Smyrna is 16 minutes up the road from our office on North Dupont Highway, and that short drive helps here, because the town inspects in stages and wants 24 hours’ notice for each visit. A project manager keeps you posted from the footing inspection to the final, so you always know which inspection comes next and what it will check.
- County
- Kent County, Delaware
- Population
- 12,883 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 19977
- From our office
- About 16 minutes (10 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Smyrna Building & Inspections (Planning & Zoning at same location)
- Main roads
- DE 1, US 13, DE 6, DE 300
Permits and rules in Smyrna.
Smyrna handles its own permits. Kent County lists it among the towns that require their own permits, so the application goes to the Town of Smyrna Building & Inspections office at 220 Artisan Dr (302-653-3486) instead of the county. Planning & Zoning works from the same location and reviews every building permit application against the Zoning Code first. The town names garages, pole barns, sheds and gazebos among the separate buildings that need a permit, and it added an online Permit Portal for 2026.
Two more town rules apply. All contractors must be licensed with the Town of Smyrna. And work inside the historic preservation overlay district goes to the Historic District Review Board, which may adopt design guidelines for new or altered structures and uses its own Historic District Permit Application. If your property is in the overlay, we plan the building’s look with that review in mind.
Who issues the permit
Town of Smyrna Building & Inspections (Planning & Zoning at same location)
- Address
- 220 Artisan Dr, Smyrna, DE 19977 (mail: 27 S. Market St. Plaza, Smyrna, DE 19977)
- Phone
- 302-653-3486
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- smyrna.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
- smyrna.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
- smyrna.delaware.gov (opens in a new tab)
- smyrna.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 Smyrna.
As a long-time agricultural center, Smyrna has use for both kinds of post-frame building. Farm buildings such as equipment sheds, hay storage and lean-tos suit the larger parcels, while garages, workshops and RV or boat storage suit a house lot. In the historic overlay, a new garage goes before the review board, so its design starts there. On enough land, a barndominium combines living space and a shop in one post-frame building.
Smyrna questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
What inspections will Smyrna do on a new garage?
The town’s list covers footings (before concrete is poured), foundations (before backfill), framing, insulation and the final or certificate of occupancy. Each inspection needs 24 hours’ notice, and a reinspection for work that was not ready costs $50. Energy testing, Kent Conservation District approval and the final plumbing and electrical inspections must be finished before the final.
How far is Smyrna from your office?
Our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover is about 10 miles from Smyrna, a 16-minute drive.
Part of Smyrna is in New Castle County. Does that change the permit?
Smyrna’s town limits reach a short way into New Castle County, where 28 of the town’s 12,883 residents lived in 2020. The town’s permit pages draw no distinction between the two parts, and Kent County lists Smyrna as a town that issues its own permits. If your parcel is near the line, we confirm the path with the town before we draw.
Let’s plan your building in Smyrna.
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
- Smyrna and all of Kent County