B-2 · Business Community District
B-2 zoning in Sussex County, Delaware
B-2 is the Business Community District for office, retail and personal service uses serving small nearby rural or residential areas. Lots run from 3,000 square feet up to 3 acres, 30 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Buildings are capped at 30,000 square feet of floor area and 42 feet in height.
Purpose
The district supports office, retail and personal service uses, built as one project or on individual parcels, for small rural or residential areas. Signs are limited to protect residential character. § 115-75.1
Permitted uses
Permitted uses are grouped by type: nurseries and greenhouses, bed-and-breakfasts and hotels, convenience stores (with fuel dispensers, 1 to 6), retail and pharmacies up to 30,000 square feet, restaurants and brew pubs up to 7,500 square feet, offices, banks and personal services, small wineries or breweries, places of worship, child care, medical clinics and care facilities, car washes, self-storage, government facilities, funeral homes and veterinary clinics. The Planning Commission may allow a similar unlisted use. § 115-75.2
Conditional or special uses
The article lists special use exceptions from the Board of Adjustment rather than conditional uses: parking and loading relief and temporary permits for manufactured-home-type business structures. § 115-75.4
Lot and building rules
| Rule | Requirement | Code section |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot area | 3,000 sq ft | § 115-75.6A |
| Maximum lot area | 3 acres | § 115-75.6A |
| Minimum lot width | 30 ft; 150 ft where the lot fronts a numbered road on the 1964 General Highway Map, as revised | § 115-75.6A |
| Minimum lot depth | 100 ft | § 115-75.6A |
| Lot area without central sewer | 3/4 acre where the lot is not on central sewer or lies in a sewer planning area approved by County Council | § 115-75.6A |
| Yards | Front 40 ft, side 10 ft, rear 10 ft | § 115-75.6B |
| Yards next to a residential district | Side yard at least 20 ft and rear yard at least 30 ft on the side adjoining | § 115-75.6B(2) |
| Maximum floor area | 30,000 sq ft | § 115-75.6C |
| Maximum height | 42 ft | § 115-75.6D |
Each value links to the Article XA page on eCode360. Where the code shows a front yard as 40 (30), this page reports the code's own notation. The explanatory district table (Table I, § 115-156A) is a PDF attachment that this summary did not read, so ask Planning and Zoning what the 30 figure means for your lot. Lot-size figures assume the standard option unless a row says otherwise.
What this means for a parcel owner
B-2 sets both a minimum and a maximum lot size, so a very large parcel may not fit the district as written. If you border a residential district, plan on 20 foot side and 30 foot rear yards. Check the sewer status, since the 3/4 acre rule overrides the small minimum on septic.
Official text
Read the district's own article: Article XA, §§ 115-75.1 to 115-75.7, Sussex County Code Chapter 115 on eCode360. The county zoning map shows which district a parcel is in: Sussex County online map.
Summary as of 2026-10-24; the code controls.