CR-1 · Commercial Residential District (closed)
CR-1 zoning in Sussex County, Delaware
CR-1 is the Commercial Residential District for wide-area commercial and service uses, with residential uses allowed if they meet its other requirements. The code closes it to new land as of July 1, 2018. Lots need 10,000 square feet, 75 feet of width and 100 feet of depth, with a 42 foot height cap.
Closed district: the code no longer applies it to new land.
Purpose
The district provides space for a wide range of commercial and service uses along major roads, excluding heavy warehousing, frequent heavy trucking and open material storage. Residential uses are permitted if they meet the district's other requirements. § 115-83.1
Permitted uses
Permitted uses include AR and B-1 uses, animal hospitals, indoor amusements, hotels and motels, nursing facilities, auto, boat and equipment sales and service, manufactured home sales, light service shops, printing, retail and building supply stores, studios, enclosed warehousing, cannabis facilities, special events and vendor stands. Buildings must be under 75,000 square feet. § 115-83.2
Conditional or special uses
Conditional uses need Article XXIV approval and include airports, aquariums, bus terminals, cemeteries, drive-in theaters, fairgrounds, hospitals, multifamily dwellings, outdoor amusements, public and utility uses, racetracks, recreation facilities, arenas and swimming or tennis clubs. The Board of Adjustment grants special use exceptions. §§ 115-83.5, 115-83.6
Lot and building rules
| Rule | Requirement | Code section |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot area | 10,000 sq ft (single-family and other uses) | § 115-83.8A |
| Minimum lot width | 75 ft; 150 ft where the lot fronts a numbered road on the 1964 General Highway Map, as revised | § 115-83.8A |
| Minimum lot depth | 100 ft | § 115-83.8A |
| Minimum 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 | § 115-83.8A |
| Yards, single-family | Front 40 ft (the code prints this as 40 (30)), side 10 ft, rear 10 ft | § 115-83.8B |
| Yards, other uses | Front 60 ft, side 5 ft, rear 5 ft | § 115-83.8B |
| Maximum height | 42 ft (single-family and other uses) | § 115-83.8C |
| Maximum building size | Under 75,000 sq ft gross for any building or group | § 115-83.2B |
| Large-scale uses (75,000 sq ft or more): lot | 3 acres, 150 ft wide, 100 ft deep | § 115-83.3B(1) |
| Large-scale uses: yards and height | Front 60 ft, side 20 ft, rear 30 ft; height 42 ft | § 115-83.3B(2), § 115-83.3B(3) |
| Status | Closed as of July 1, 2018; cannot be applied to new land | § 115-83.9B |
Each value links to the Article XIA 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
CR-1 parcels keep their zoning, but no new CR-1 land can be created. Residential uses are allowed alongside commercial ones if the other requirements are met. For a large project of 75,000 square feet or more, expect the 3 acre lot and the access and parking rules for large-scale uses.
Official text
Read the district's own article: Article XIA, §§ 115-83.1 to 115-83.9, 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.