Barndominium with a timber gable entry
White board-and-batten siding, a black timber-frame gable over the front door, cupolas on the ridge and a covered patio along the back.
Pole barns and barndominiums in Hurlock, Maryland.
We’ve built in Hurlock before. Garages, workshops, pole barns and barndominiums inside this Eastern Shore town go through Town Hall, which issues its own building permits.
Building in Hurlock.
Hurlock’s town-owned train station is the center of the annual Hurlock Fall Festival, and the Hurlock Express runs excursions from there to Federalsburg on the Maryland and Delaware Railroad. Incorporated in 1892, the town is named for John M. Hurlock, a local store owner, and the Glen Oak Hotel is on the National Register. MD 392, MD 331 and MD 307 tie it to East New Market, Vienna, Easton and Federalsburg.
From Dover, Hurlock is about 50 miles, or about 73 minutes by car. The first thing we check on a Hurlock project is the town line. A Hurlock mailing address doesn’t by itself put a parcel inside town limits, and land outside falls under Dorchester County Planning & Zoning instead, with its own setbacks and permit portal.
- County
- Dorchester County, Maryland
- Population
- 2,070 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21643
- From our office
- About 1 hr 13 min (50 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Hurlock, Planning, Zoning & Code Enforcement Department (Town Hall)
- Main roads
- MD 392 (to East New Market and Seaford, DE), MD 331 (Vienna-Easton route through town), MD 307 (Williamsburg Road to Federalsburg)
Built in Hurlock.
See all our work
Permits and rules in Hurlock.
Inside town limits, the Town of Hurlock issues the building permit and handles zoning, and the County provides no building, trade, zoning, floodplain or Critical Area services. You apply to the Planning, Zoning & Code Enforcement Department at Town Hall, 311 Charles Street (410-943-4181), on the Town’s own form. It asks for estimated cost, square footage, lot size, zoning, the contractor’s MHIC number, the electrician’s and plumber’s license numbers and whether the site is in the 100-year floodplain, with a drawing in black ink, no larger than 11 by 17, showing distances to the lot lines and the nearest structure.
The form also makes the owner responsible for erosion and sediment control permits from the Dorchester County Highway Department, a check with Maryland DNR on nontidal wetlands and a call to Town Hall to inspect water and sewer connections before they’re covered. In residential districts, an accessory building stays out of the required front yard and the side yard beside the house, sits 5 feet from side and rear lines and from other buildings, and stays at or under 20 feet. A permit not used within a year becomes void.
20 psfGround snow load115 mphDesign wind speed24 inFrost line depth
Who issues the permit
Town of Hurlock, Planning, Zoning & Code Enforcement Department (Town Hall)
- Address
- 311 Charles Street, PO Box 327, Hurlock, MD 21643
- Phone
- 410-943-4181 (fax 410-943-8556)
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- msa.maryland.gov (opens in a new tab)
- dorchestermd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hurlock-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hurlock-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hurlock-md.gov (opens in a new tab)
- hurlock-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 Hurlock.
Hurlock’s zoning lists agriculture as a permitted use in its residential, commercial and I-1 districts, and farm buildings are exempt from the Town’s height limits, so a hay barn or an equipment shed can work on a larger parcel in town. On a house lot, the 20-foot cap and 5-foot setbacks shape a detached garage, a workshop or a post-frame shelter for an RV. On the county land around town, horse barns and barndominiums come into play.
Hurlock questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Who issues pole barn permits in Hurlock?
For parcels inside town limits, the Town does, on its own Application for Building Permit. The Building Inspector reviews it against the zoning ordinance, and if the project needs Board of Appeals, Planning Commission or Council action, the permit waits for that approval. Outside town limits, Dorchester County Planning & Zoning issues it.
Is Hurlock in the Critical Area or a historic district?
Hurlock isn’t on the state Critical Area Commission’s list of Dorchester jurisdictions, and its zoning ordinance has no historic district, floodplain or Critical Area overlay article. Flood maps still matter: the Town takes part in the federal flood insurance program, and its permit form asks whether the site is in the 100-year floodplain.
Have you built in Hurlock before?
Yes, we’ve built in Hurlock. It’s about 50 miles from our office at 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, or about 73 minutes by car, and a project manager keeps you posted from the Town permit to the final inspection.
Let’s plan your building in Hurlock.
Tell us what you’d like to build and where, and we’ll come back with drawings and a free quote.
302-399-4420
- 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
- Hurlock and all of Dorchester County