Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Bridgeville, Delaware

Town of Bridgeville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Bridgeville town limits. Bridgeville town administers its own Land Use and Development Code (Chapter 234) with residential zoning districts.

  • Uses are permitted, permitted with development plan approval, or allowed only as conditional uses under the district tables; the R-1 district lists conditional uses under § 234-24.
  • Only the R-1 district text was opened; other districts and the zoning map were not checked.

  “this chapter shall apply to all land within the incorporated boundaries of, and hereafter annexed into, the town of bridgeville.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

  • Standard is per dwelling unit; tract standard limits density to 4.8 dwelling units per acre.

  lot area per dwelling unit: >= 9000 square feet · street frontage or lot width: >= 60 feet · maximum dwelling units per acre: <= 4.8 dwelling units per acre

  “(2) lot standards: (a) lot area per dwelling unit: 9,000 square feet. (b) street frontage or lot width: 60 feet.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

  • Front yard may be reduced to the average alignment of existing buildings within 150 feet on each side, but a corner-lot long-side front yard may not be reduced below 10 feet (note 1).
  • Corner-lot side yard abutting the street has the same setback as the front yard (note 2).

  front yard: 25 feet (may be reduced per note 1) · interior side yard: 10 feet · corner lot side yard: 25 feet (see note 2) · rear yard: 25 feet

  “(c) setbacks: [1] front yard: (see note 1.): 25 feet. [2] side yard: [a] interior lot: 10 feet. [b] corner lot (see note 2.): 25 feet. [c] rear yard: 25 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

  maximum building coverage: <= 30 percent of lot

  “(e) maximum building coverage (percentage of lot): 30%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

  • Height may be increased by one foot for each foot the side yard is increased beyond the minimum (note 3).
  • Additional flood-prone standards apply under § 234-70 (note 4).

  maximum building height (stories): <= 2.5 stories (see note 3) · maximum building height (feet): <= 35 feet (see note 3)

  “(d) maximum building height: [1] stories: 2 1/2. [2] feet: (see note 3.): 35.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

  • Listed as a conditional use, so conditional-use approval under § 234-24 is required before use.
  • Other residential districts not checked.

  “(3) permitted as conditional uses. see § 234-24. community center (d). construction trailer for period not to exceed one year. conversion of single-family dwelling to two-family or multiple-family dwelling. day-care, family (one to six children) (d). day-care, large family (seven to 12 children) (d). dwelling, manufactured home (d).”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Bridgeville

Town of Bridgeville does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A project inside Bridgeville town limits that intends to connect to the wastewater system, which Sussex County owns and operates

  • A sewer service concept evaluation must be completed before connecting to the wastewater system.
  • Whether a new home must connect to public sewer or water when available is not confirmed; the eCode360 Chapter 190 sewer connection text was not verified on an official page.

  “for any project intending to connect to the wastewater system, a sewer service concept evaluation must be completed here”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Bridgeville or Sussex County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Bridgeville town limits
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Bridgeville town limits
• Inspections — Construction inside Bridgeville town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new construction inside Bridgeville town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District (§ 234-30) inside Bridgeville town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Bridgeville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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