Pole barns and barndominiums in Hillsboro, Maryland.
Building in Hillsboro.
Along Tuckahoe Creek, Hillsboro is a small residential town of 128 people (2020 Census) with a town park on Church Street. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, south of MD 404, is on the National Register, and MD 404, MD 404 Alternate and MD 480 serve the area. Homes here rely on wells and septic, and that shapes the very first step of any building project in town.
Because the health check comes first, we start by lining up the county’s well and septic verification, then the town approval on its single application form. Our crew makes the 51-minute, 34-mile trip from Dover for the build, a project manager keeps you posted through each inspection, and final payment comes only after the final one is signed off.
- County
- Caroline County, Maryland
- Population
- 128 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21641
- From our office
- About 51 minutes (34 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Hillsboro (Town Commissioners / Planning Commission)
- Main roads
- MD 404 Alternate, MD 404, MD 480
Permits and rules in Hillsboro.
Hillsboro handles local approvals on one form, the Application for Building Permit/Zoning Certificate, with boxes for residential, commercial and agricultural work, sheds and fences included. A Hillsboro Commissioner approves it, and the form cites the town’s zoning, subdivision rules, comprehensive plan and Critical Area ordinance. Before any building happens in town, the Caroline County Health Department must complete a well and septic verification. The Town of Hillsboro is at 22043 Church Street, (410) 364-7022.
The town’s construction code ordinance, effective August 13, 2012, names Middle Department Inspection Agency as its enforcement agent. The posted ordinance compilation dates from 2019 and cites older code editions, so we confirm the current inspection setup when we file. One-story sheds under 200 sq ft are exempt from a building permit, and a portable shed on skids, capped at 120 sq ft and set 5 feet from the line, needs written Planning Commission approval instead.
Who issues the permit
Town of Hillsboro (Town Commissioners / Planning Commission)
- Address
- 22043 Church Street, P.O. Box 128, Hillsboro, MD 21641
- Phone
- (410) 364-7022
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- hillsboromd.com (opens in a new tab)
- hillsboromd.com (opens in a new tab)
- dropbox.com (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 Hillsboro.
Because Hillsboro sits on Tuckahoe Creek and parts of town fall in a FEMA flood zone, the floodplain rules can decide how big an outbuilding gets. A detached garage or accessory building under 300 sq ft may be exempt from elevation if vented and unfinished. From 300 to 600 sq ft it needs a conditioned permit with a nonconversion agreement, and past 600 sq ft it must be raised or go through a variance. Off the floodplain, a post-frame workshop or small barn has more room.
Hillsboro questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Why does Hillsboro need a health department check first?
Hillsboro relies on wells and septic and sits near Tuckahoe Creek, so the Caroline County Health Department has to finish a well and septic verification before any building occurs in town. We get that started early so it doesn’t hold up the town approval.
Is Hillsboro in the Critical Area?
Parts of it are. Hillsboro runs its own Critical Area ordinance, one of the Caroline programs a state Critical Area Commission planner reviews. Even a portable shed needs Critical Area Commission approval if it sits inside the Critical Area, so we check the line on your parcel first.
What’s the drive from Dover to Hillsboro?
Count on about 51 minutes for the 34-mile drive from our office on North Dupont Highway in Dover. Hillsboro sits where three counties meet, but inside town limits the Town of Hillsboro handles the approval, after the county health check.
Let’s plan your building in Hillsboro.
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
- Hillsboro and all of Caroline County