Pole barns and barndominiums in Berlin, Maryland.
Building in Berlin.
Berlin is known for its revitalized Victorian Main Street, which stood in for fictional towns in the films Runaway Bride and Tuck Everlasting. The town incorporated in 1868 at the crossroads of the old Philadelphia post road and the Sinepuxent Road, and the Berlin Commercial District, Burley Manor and Henry’s Grove are on the National Register. US 50 and US 113 both serve it.
Because the Town runs its own permit office, a Berlin project starts at Town Hall rather than with the county. Berlin is about 65 miles from our Dover office, and the drive takes about 94 minutes. We print and file the Town’s forms for you, and our crews build to the approved site plan while a project manager keeps you posted.
- County
- Worcester County, Maryland
- Population
- 5,026 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21811
- From our office
- About 1 hr 34 min (65 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Berlin Planning / Zoning / Permits / Code Enforcement
- Main roads
- US 50 (Ocean Gateway), US 113 (Worcester Highway), MD 818 (Main Street), MD 346 (Old Ocean City Boulevard)
Permits and rules in Berlin.
The Town of Berlin Planning / Zoning / Permits / Code Enforcement department issues building permits and handles zoning, code enforcement and applications to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Historic District Commission. It works from Town Hall, 10 William Street (410-641-4143 for Planning; Town Hall 410-641-2770), and forms are also available at 3 Bay Street. Everything is printed and submitted on paper, since the Town is not set up for electronic submission.
Each application includes construction plans and a site plan, and the permit allows building only inside the envelope that site plan shows. The owner or applicant schedules the inspections and reimburses the Town’s engineering, legal and inspection review costs, and sign-offs come from water, wastewater, stormwater, public works, electric and planning & zoning. The Planning page cites the 2012 International Building Code while the application says to follow the latest edition, so we confirm the edition before the drawings are final.
Who issues the permit
Town of Berlin Planning / Zoning / Permits / Code Enforcement
- Address
- Town Hall, 10 William Street, Berlin, MD 21811 (permit forms also available at the department's 3 Bay Street location)
- Phone
- 410-641-4143 (Planning); Town Hall 410-641-2770
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- berlinmd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- ecode360.com (opens in a new tab)
- media.berlinmd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- media.berlinmd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- berlinmd.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 Berlin.
Berlin’s permit ties a building to the envelope drawn on its site plan, so a detached garage, workshop or storage building is placed on paper before it is placed on the ground. Outside the limits, Worcester County’s rules take over, and a pole barn, an equipment building or a barndominium on rural land goes through the county’s Department of Development Review & Permitting.
Berlin questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
My address says Berlin. Is my lot inside town limits?
Not necessarily. Ocean Pines shares Berlin’s 21811 ZIP code, and so does part of Newark. Outside town limits, Worcester County’s Department of Development Review & Permitting, at (410) 632-1200, issues the permit instead of the Town. We check the parcel itself before anything is drawn.
Will the Historic District Commission review my garage?
If the property is in Berlin’s Historic District, expect the question. The commission reviews and authorizes exterior changes to any property in the district, with applications filed through the Planning Department and heard at a public meeting. The Town’s wording does not single out new outbuildings, so we ask Planning & Zoning whether yours needs a hearing.
How far is Berlin from your office?
It is about 65 miles from 575 N Dupont Hwy, about 94 minutes by car. Our designers turn your ideas into drawings and an organized, easy-to-read quote, so you see the building and its price laid out before you commit.
Let’s plan your building in Berlin.
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
- Berlin and all of Worcester County