Pole barns and barndominiums in Preston, Maryland.
Building in Preston.
Preston’s Linchester Mill dates to about 1682 and supplied grain to George Washington’s troops in the Revolutionary War. The mill and the Jacob and Hannah Leverton House are both on the National Register, and James T. Wright Memorial Park sits on Backlanding Road, the same road as Town Hall. With 673 residents in the 2020 Census, Preston is small, but it keeps building approvals in town hands, starting with its Planning Commission.
Preston sits about 50 miles, or 73 minutes, from our Dover office, one of the longer Caroline County drives for us, so we plan site visits and build days with care. From the drawings to the town application and the stormwater and erosion plan it calls for, we handle the paperwork, and our crew handles the construction.
- County
- Caroline County, Maryland
- Population
- 673 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21655
- From our office
- About 1 hr 13 min (50 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Preston (Town Manager / Planning & Zoning Commission)
- Main roads
- MD 16, MD 331, MD 324, MD 817
Permits and rules in Preston.
Preston’s zoning says no structure may be built, moved, enlarged or structurally altered without a permit issued by the Town Planning Commission. Applications go to the Town Manager for the Town of Preston at Town Hall, 105 Backlanding Road, (410) 673-7929, with plans in triplicate showing the parcel, the existing buildings and the size and location of the new one. The town form has an Accessorial Building w/Foundation category and records the zoning district, setbacks and lot coverage. Planning & Zoning meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.
The form also requires a stormwater management and erosion plan, which goes to the soil conservation office. The town hasn’t published which agency does its building inspections or which code edition it enforces, so we ask when we file. The Critical Area Commission doesn’t count Preston among the Caroline towns with their own Critical Area programs, and FEMA’s maps show no special flood hazard area inside town limits.
Who issues the permit
Town of Preston (Town Manager / Planning & Zoning Commission)
- Address
- Town Hall, 105 Backlanding Road, P.O. Box 91, Preston, MD 21655
- Phone
- (410) 673-7929
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- prestonmaryland.us (opens in a new tab)
- dnr.maryland.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 Preston.
A detached garage or workshop on an R-1 lot goes in the rear or side yard, and once it passes 250 sq ft it must stay 15 feet from the side and rear lot lines. The front yard runs 35 feet from a town street and 50 feet from a state or county road, and the height limit is 40 feet. In the Village Overlay Zone the town encourages a traditional style and discourages modern or contemporary designs, which matters for a metal-sided building.
Preston questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Who approves a pole barn in Preston?
The Town Planning Commission issues building permits in Preston, after the Town Manager takes in the application and plans in triplicate. Planning & Zoning meets the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, so we aim to have a complete package in well before that date.
Can I build a metal building in Preston’s Village Overlay Zone?
The overlay encourages a traditional style, and the zoning says permit applications for modern or contemporary designs will be discouraged there. We plan siding, trim and roof lines with that in mind and talk it through with the town before the drawings are final.
Is Preston inside your service area?
Yes. Preston is roughly 73 minutes out, about 50 miles from 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, and the longer drive is one more reason we arrive with a complete plan.
Let’s plan your building in Preston.
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
- Preston and all of Caroline County