LI-1 · Limited Industrial District
LI-1 zoning in Sussex County, Delaware
LI-1 is the Limited Industrial District, an industrial-park setting for clean manufacturing, offices and research done inside enclosed buildings. Lots need 1 acre (43,560 square feet), 150 feet of width and 200 feet of depth. Buildings must stay 100 feet from a residential district, and height is capped at 42 feet.
Purpose
The district provides space for business and manufacturing uses that are relatively free from offense, in modern landscaped buildings, typically as an industrial park near employees. § 115-92
Permitted uses
Permitted uses include light manufacturing (electronics, medical and optical equipment, food and beverage processing, textiles, wood products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), laboratories, offices, studios, printing, banks, restaurants, farms and nurseries, wholesale warehouses, telephone facilities, private clubs, cannabis facilities, and some hotels and filling stations on 50-acre districts. All uses occur in enclosed buildings with no open storage of materials. §§ 115-93, 115-94
Conditional or special uses
Conditional uses need Article XXIV approval: airports and heliports, bus terminals, borrow pit and excavation operations, and public utility uses. The Board of Adjustment grants special use exceptions for temporary uses and parking relief. §§ 115-96, 115-97
Lot and building rules
| Rule | Requirement | Code section |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot area | 43,560 sq ft (1 acre) | § 115-99A(1) |
| Minimum lot width | 150 ft | § 115-99A(1) |
| Minimum lot depth | 200 ft | § 115-99A(1) |
| Yards | Front 50 ft, side 20 ft, rear 20 ft | § 115-99A(2) |
| Distance from residential district | No building, accessory structure or sign closer than 100 ft to a residential district boundary | § 115-93B |
| Maximum height | 42 ft | § 115-99A(3) |
| Height of main plant buildings | 35 ft unless the Board of Adjustment approves otherwise; the article does not explain how this interacts with the 42 ft table figure | § 115-93C |
Each value links to the Article XIII 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
LI-1 is a campus-style district: everything is indoors, front yards are landscaped, and nothing sits within 100 feet of a residential boundary. A one-acre minimum and the 100 foot buffer can rule out small or narrow parcels. Ask Planning and Zoning which height limit they apply to your building type.
Official text
Read the district's own article: Article XIII, §§ 115-92 to 115-100, 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.