HR-1 · High-Density Residential District
HR-1 zoning in Sussex County, Delaware
HR-1 is Sussex County's High-Density Residential District, covered with HR-2 in Article VII. A single-family lot needs 7,500 square feet and 60 feet of width, while multifamily projects need 3,630 square feet per unit on a lot of at least two acres. Height is capped at 52 feet.
Purpose
The district allows a variety of housing types and residential densities suited to areas with public sanitary sewer and water, ideally near major roads, shopping and employment. § 115-44
Permitted uses
Any use allowed in the MR district is allowed, plus multifamily dwellings, townhouses, rooming and boarding houses, hotels and motels, and Sussex County Rental Program developments that meet the location, density and height criteria. The permitted-use section shows amendments in 2022, 2024 and 2026. § 115-45
Conditional or special uses
Conditional uses need Article XXIV approval and include commercial beaches, bus terminals, marinas and yacht clubs, private clubs, public or governmental buildings, public utility facilities, recreation facilities and swimming or tennis clubs. § 115-47
Lot and building rules
| Rule | Requirement | Code section |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot area, single-family (new parcels) | 7,500 sq ft | § 115-50A |
| Minimum lot width, single-family | 60 ft; 150 ft where the lot fronts a numbered road on the 1964 General Highway Map, as revised | § 115-50A |
| Minimum lot depth, single-family | 100 ft | § 115-50A |
| 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 | § 115-50A |
| Multifamily lot area per unit | 3,630 sq ft per multifamily dwelling unit | § 115-50B |
| Multifamily minimum lot size | 2 acres | § 115-50C |
| Yards, single-family and multifamily | Front 40 ft (the code prints this as 40 (30)), side 10 ft, rear 10 ft | § 115-50D |
| Maximum height, single-family and multifamily | 52 ft | § 115-50E |
Each value links to the Article VII 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
In HR-1 the density comes from lot area per unit: 3,630 square feet for each multifamily unit, on a lot of at least two acres. Single-family lots can be as small as 7,500 square feet on sewer. Article VII applies the same standards to HR-1 and HR-2 in the sections reviewed.
Official text
Read the district's own article: Article VII, Article VII, 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.