Pole barns and barndominiums in Secretary, Maryland.
Building in Secretary.
Secretary takes its name from Secretary Creek, now the Warwick River, which was named for Henry Sewall, Secretary of the Province of Maryland from 1661 to 1665. The town was incorporated in 1900 and sits along MD 14 and MD 16 in Dorchester County, about 54 miles from our Dover office, or about 80 minutes by car.
In several small Dorchester towns, the County issues the building permit after a town sign-off. Not in Secretary. It runs its own zoning and building permits, so the site plan, the drawings and the timing for a pole barn or garage all run through Town Hall on Main Street, and we plan the project around the Commissioners’ decision.
- County
- Dorchester County, Maryland
- Population
- 472 (2020 Census)
- ZIP code
- 21664
- From our office
- About 1 hr 20 min (54 miles) by car
- Permits
- Town of Secretary, Town Hall (Building Permits & Inspections)
- Main roads
- MD 14, MD 16
Permits and rules in Secretary.
Secretary’s zoning ordinance makes it unlawful to start grading or construction without a building permit from the Town of Secretary at Town Hall, 122 Main St. (410-943-3113). You submit a site plan drawn to scale with the lot dimensions, existing buildings and the new building’s location and size. Town staff check the zoning and route the application to other agencies, then the Commissioners approve or deny it. The permit is posted on site, and work must start within 12 months and finish within 2 years unless extended.
Section 24 covers accessory buildings. A garage or pole barn stays out of the required front yard, may use one required side yard but not both, and may sit in the rear yard. It needs 5 feet from any property line or public way and 3 feet from other buildings, measured from the eaves, overhangs and steps, and it can’t go up before the house is built or under way. The posted ordinance only reserves a section for Critical Area rules, and the state Critical Area Commission’s Dorchester reviewer covers Secretary, so near the water we ask the Town what applies.
Who issues the permit
Town of Secretary, Town Hall (Building Permits & Inspections)
- Address
- 122 Main St., PO Box 248, Secretary, MD 21664
- Phone
- 410-943-3113 (fax 410-943-3926)
- Website
- Permit information(opens in a new tab)
Where this comes from
- townofsecretary.com (opens in a new tab)
- dorchestermd.gov (opens in a new tab)
- dnr.maryland.gov (opens in a new tab)
- fema.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 Secretary.
Minimum lot sizes in Secretary run from 7,500 square feet in the V-1 Village district to 40,000 in R-1, and the building should suit the lot. On a village lot, a one- or two-car garage or a storage shed in the back yard is the right scale. On an R-1 lot, where the house sits at least 100 feet back from the front line, a larger workshop or a pole barn for a boat or camper can fit behind it.
Secretary questions.
Have a question about your property? Call 302-399-4420 and we’ll look it up.
Who approves a pole barn permit in Secretary?
The Town Commissioners, after Town Hall staff check the zoning and route the application. The Commissioners also set the permit fees, which are posted at the Town offices and paid before a permit is issued. The Town’s website says permit forms are available by calling the Town.
Does a building with water or sewer need extra approval in Secretary?
Yes. The Town must sign off on any water or sewer improvements, with a copy sent to the Dorchester County Health Department, and new road access needs approval from the State, County or Town official responsible for that road. That matters for a barndominium or a shop with a bathroom, so we line it up early.
How far is Secretary from your office?
Secretary is about 54 miles from 575 N Dupont Hwy in Dover, about 80 minutes by car, and well inside our Eastern Shore service area. We coordinate the Town permit from the first drawing to the final inspection.
Let’s plan your building in Secretary.
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
- Secretary and all of Dorchester County