Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County, Delaware zoning districts compared
Sussex County Code Chapter 115 sets 24 residential, business and industrial zoning districts. The table below gives each district's purpose, minimum lot area and maximum height, with code sections. For example, the standard AR-1 minimum lot is 32,670 square feet on septic and 20,000 square feet on central sewer.
Quick answers
Minimum lot size in AR-1: 32,670 square feet with an on-site septic system, 20,000 square feet with central sewer, at least 100 feet wide and 100 feet deep, per § 115-25. Cluster options and Coastal Area overlays can change this. See the AR-1 page.
Lots without central sewer: most business, commercial and residential articles repeat a 3/4 acre minimum for lots not connected to central sewer or inside an approved sewer planning area. The AR articles use 32,670 square feet instead.
All 24 districts
| Code | Name | Purpose | Minimum lot area | Maximum height | Code sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential districts | |||||
| AR-1 | Agricultural Residential District | Protects farmland and allows low-density single-family homes. | 32,670 sq ft with septic; 20,000 sq ft with central sewer | 42 ft | § 115-25A, B; § 115-25D |
| AR-2 | Agricultural Residential District (closed) | Closed agricultural residential district that shares Article IV with AR-1. | Not specified separately for AR-2 | 42 ft | § 115-25; § 115-25D |
| MR | Medium-Density Residential District | Medium-density housing where sewer and water may or may not be available. | 10,000 sq ft (single-family) | 42 ft | § 115-34A; § 115-34C |
| GR | General Residential District | Medium-density housing that also allows manufactured homes on individual lots. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-42A; § 115-42C |
| HR-1 | High-Density Residential District | Higher-density housing, including multifamily and townhouses, near sewer, water and major roads. | 7,500 sq ft single-family; 3,630 sq ft per multifamily unit | 52 ft | § 115-50A, B; § 115-50E |
| HR-2 | High-Density Residential District | Higher-density housing; Article VII gives it the same standards as HR-1. | 7,500 sq ft single-family; 3,630 sq ft per multifamily unit | 52 ft | § 115-50A, B; § 115-50E |
| UR | Urban Residential District | Flexible residential rules for incorporated towns that opt into the county code. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-58A; § 115-58C |
| RPC | Residential Planned Community District | Superimposed district for large, unified residential developments. | No fixed lot size; single-family floor of 7,500 sq ft | Not specified in the district article | § 115-127; § 115-125 |
| VRP | Vacation-Retirement-Residential-Park District (closed) | Closed district for planned vacation and retirement parks of manufactured and modular homes. | 5,500 sq ft | 14 ft manufactured; 18 ft modular | § 115-138A; § 115-137 |
| Business and commercial districts | |||||
| UB | Urban Business District | Flexible business rules for incorporated towns that opt into the county code. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-66A; § 115-66C |
| B-1 | Neighborhood Business District | Small-scale retail and personal services for a nearby neighborhood. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-74A; § 115-74C |
| B-2 | Business Community District | Office, retail and personal services for small nearby rural or residential areas. | 3,000 sq ft minimum, 3 acres maximum | 42 ft | § 115-75.6A; § 115-75.6D |
| B-3 | Business Research District | Research-oriented business and business park uses, mostly indoors. | Not specified in the district article | 42 ft | § 115-75.13A; § 115-75.13D |
| C-1 | General Commercial District (closed) | Community-wide retail and services along major roads; closed to new land. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-82A; § 115-82C |
| CR-1 | Commercial Residential District (closed) | Wide-area commercial and service uses that also allows qualifying residential; closed since 2018. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-83.8A; § 115-83.8C |
| C-2 | Medium Commercial District | Retail and consumer services near arterial and collector streets, with no outside storage or sales. | 15,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-83.15A; § 115-83.15D |
| C-3 | Heavy Commercial District | Larger auto-oriented retail and services on major arterial roads. | 1 acre | 42 ft | § 115-83.22A; § 115-83.22D |
| C-4 | Planned Commercial District | Large planned commercial, retail and mixed-use projects approved by County Council. | 7,500 sq ft; 3 acre minimum district | 42 ft | § 115-83.30A; § 115-83.30D |
| C-5 | Service/Limited Manufacturing District | Small-scale light industrial, wholesale distribution and personal service uses. | 15,000 sq ft | 42 ft | § 115-83.37A; § 115-83.37D |
| I-1 | Institutional District | Public, quasi-public and institutional land such as schools, hospitals and government facilities. | Not specified in the district article | 42 ft | § 115-83.44A; § 115-83.44D |
| Industrial districts | |||||
| M | Marine District | Waterfront land kept for marinas, boat sales and repair, seafood handling and related services. | 10,000 sq ft | 42 ft (45 ft other uses) | § 115-90A; § 115-90C |
| LI-1 | Limited Industrial District | Industrial-park setting for clean manufacturing and offices inside enclosed buildings. | 1 acre (43,560 sq ft) | 42 ft | § 115-99A(1); § 115-99A(3) |
| LI-2 | Light Industrial District | Light manufacturing, processing, wholesale distribution and warehousing; open storage allowed, no new housing. | 1 acre (43,560 sq ft) | 52 ft | § 115-107A; § 115-107C |
| HI-1 | Heavy Industrial District | Wide range of industrial operations, with hazardous uses allowed only after a public hearing. | 2 acres | 125 ft | § 115-116A; § 115-116C |
Sources: the district articles of Sussex County Code Chapter 115, Zoning on eCode360; each district page links to its own article and section numbers. Minimum lot area is the headline figure for the standard single-family or general lot; each district page lists the exceptions. Industrial and non-residential values are for the general use row.
Status and recent changes
Closed districts. AR-2 is a closed district (§ 115-27). C-1 is closed as of the 2006 amendment (§ 115-83B). CR-1 is closed as of July 1, 2018 (§ 115-83.9B). VRP is treated as closed to additional land (§ 115-140). Existing land in these districts keeps its rules.
Newer districts. Article II lists the same 24 districts above plus four flood-prone districts (FP, HA, FW and FF), which are not covered here (§ 115-5). The code shows CR-1 added by Ord. No. 1870 on 8-22-2006 and shows C-2 and I-1 added by Ord. No. 2550 on 2-27-2018; that commercial zoning ordinance also covers the B-2, B-3, C-3, C-4 and C-5 articles (Ordinance 2550).
Recent amendments. eCode360 lists three Chapter 115 ordinances since late 2025: Ord. No. 4025 (adopted 2025-11-18), Ord. No. 4044 (2026-03-03) and Ord. No. 4060 (2026-06-09), each labeled a zoning amendment (New Laws list). Ord. No. 4025 appears in the C-2 and C-3 articles, including repeal of a C-3 conditional-use subsection, and the HR permitted-use section shows a 6-9-2026 amendment. The listing does not say that any of them adds, repeals or renames a district, and this review found no 2023 to 2026 zoning code rewrite that does.
Summary as of 2026-10-24; the code controls.