Pole barns and barndominiums in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
Building in Chesapeake City.
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal splits Chesapeake City into north and south halves, linked by the high-level MD 213 bridge that opened in 1949. Many of its canal-era homes are now bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants and the local historical museum. The Old Lock Pump House and the South Chesapeake City Historic District are on the National Register, and 736 people lived in town in 2020.
Our Dover office is about 41 miles away, a 56-minute drive. With a monthly Planning Commission calendar and a county permit to coordinate, we line up the steps in order, from drawings and quote to filing, building and final inspection. If your lot is in the Historic District, we plan for the Commission’s review from the first sketch.
- County
- Cecil County, Maryland
- Population
- 736 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21915
- From our office
- About 56 minutes (41 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Chesapeake City, Zoning Administrator / Planning Commission (Town Hall)
- Main roads
- MD 213, MD 285, MD 286, MD 537
Permits and rules in Chesapeake City.
An accessory structure is a Level 2 project on the Town’s Application for Zoning Certificate, filed with the Town of Chesapeake City Zoning Administrator at Town Hall, 108 Bohemia Ave. (410-885-5298). The fee is the application fee plus $0.15 per new square foot for residential work. Attach the contractor agreement or a good-faith cost estimate and plan and elevation drawings, and file at least 7 days before the Planning Commission meets on the first Wednesday of the month.
Level 2 projects over $7,500, and any project in the Historic District, go to the Historic District Commission and the Planning Commission, and in the Historic Area District no permit is granted until both act. The Town’s approval paperwork then goes with your Cecil County building permit application, and the Town issues its zoning permit once the county permit is out. Under the zoning ordinance in effect since October 5, 2026, accessory buildings stay out of required front and street-facing side yards and meet the house’s side and rear setbacks.
Who issues the permit
Town of Chesapeake City, Zoning Administrator / Planning Commission (Town Hall)
- Address
- 108 Bohemia Ave., Chesapeake City, MD 21915
- Phone
- 410-885-5298
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- chesapeakecity-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- chesapeakecity-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- chesapeakecity-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- mdgeodata.md.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 Chesapeake City.
Parts of Chesapeake City lie in the Critical Area, and the zoning application records each lot’s designation and buffer status, so planning starts with what the site allows. A post-frame garage, a workshop or a storage building suits a town lot, kept within the zone’s height limit. In the Historic District, the design goes before the Commission, and we draw it with that review in mind.
Chesapeake City questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Why does the Town review my project before the county permit?
Cecil County requires town approval first for properties in Chesapeake City. The Town reviews your zoning application, you submit its approval with the county building permit application, and the Town issues the zoning permit itself after the county permit, if one is required, has been issued.
Does the Historic District Commission review garages?
If your property is in the Historic District, yes: every project there goes to the Historic District Commission and the Planning Commission. Outside it, a Level 2 project over $7,500 is referred too. Plan around the first-Wednesday meeting and the 7-day filing deadline.
Do you serve both sides of the canal?
Yes. Chesapeake City is about 41 miles and 56 minutes from our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, and we build on the north and south sides alike, as well as across Cecil County.
Let’s plan your building in Chesapeake City.
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
- Chesapeake City and all of Cecil County