Bolthole Index

Wicomico County, Maryland

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of Delmar, Maryland

The Town of Delmar, Maryland routes new-structure plans through its Code Enforcement Officer, who determines whether a building permit is required.1 Delmar has its own zoning, including a prohibition on RV residences.23 In Wicomico County, including Delmar’s Maryland side, the Wicomico County Health Department permits and inspects on-site sewage systems and wells.45

At a glance

Building permits
Town Code Enforcement reviews new-structure plans and determines whether a building permit is required1
Zoning
Town zoning applies inside Delmar’s Maryland limits; confirm the parcel’s district26
RV living
RVs and motor homes cannot be used as residences3
Septic
Wicomico County Health Department permits and inspects on-site sewage systems; subdivision alternatives also need Town approval47
Private wells
Wicomico County Health Department permits and inspects wells5
Residential lot size
R-1 principal single-family dwellings: minimum 7,000 square feet of lot area and 50 feet of lot width8

Who to call

Planning & zoning

Town of Delmar Planning & Zoning

Town planning and zoning questions, plan review information and residential building-permit application forms

410.896.2777

100 S. Pennsylvania Avenue Delmar, MD 21875

Building permits

Town of Delmar Code Enforcement Officer

Reviews new-structure plans and determines whether a building permit is required

Septic permits

Wicomico County Health Department, Environmental Health

On-site sewage and well permits and inspections, perc tests and subdivision water/sewage review

(410) 546-4446

[email protected]

108 East Main Street, Salisbury, MD 21801

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Delmar, MD?

For new structures in the Town of Delmar, the Code Enforcement Officer reviews and approves plans and determines whether a building permit is required.1 Start with that review before ordering a house, shed or other structure; ask for the project’s application requirements and current building-permit fees.1

For Delmar developments or subdivisions subject to public-improvement agreements, a building permit cannot be issued until the applicant enters the required Town agreement covering public facilities and financing.9 That condition addresses those developments; ask Code Enforcement how the building-permit process applies to an individual existing lot.91

Who handles building and zoning questions in the Town of Delmar?

Town of Delmar Planning & Zoning provides plan review for the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Maryland Board of Zoning Appeals, and its website provides a residential building-permit application and Delmar Maryland zoning map.10 Contact the town through the Maryland telephone line, 410.896.2777, or Town Hall at 100 S. Pennsylvania Avenue Delmar, MD 21875.10 Ask Planning & Zoning for the parcel’s district and route new-structure plans to Code Enforcement for the building-permit determination.61

Building and zoning review does not replace on-site sewage or well approval: Wicomico County Health Department Environmental Health handles those systems throughout the county.45

Does the Town of Delmar have zoning, lot sizes and setbacks?

The Town of Delmar has municipal zoning on the Maryland side, and the applicable district is shown on the current zoning map as amended.26 For principal single-family dwellings in Delmar’s R-1 Residential District, the minimum lot area is 7,000 square feet and minimum lot width is 50 feet.8

R-1 principal structures generally require front, rear and side setbacks of 20, 30 and 10 feet respectively; established front setbacks within a block can instead control, with the Board determining a compatible setback where those setbacks are considerably irregular.11 R-1 height limits are 35 feet for principal structures and 20 feet for accessory structures.12 Use those figures only for R-1; ask Town Planning & Zoning to confirm the district before designing a building footprint.210

How do septic permits and sewer connections work inside the Town of Delmar?

Wicomico County Health Department permits and inspects on-site sewage disposal systems throughout Wicomico County, including Delmar’s Maryland side.4 Maryland requires an on-site sewage disposal permit before construction of a system; alteration or increased wastewater flow also requires permission.13

Delmar’s subdivision rules require a developer to extend public sanitary sewer and make sewer service accessible to each lot when sewer is within 500 feet of the subdivision boundary and the Town Engineer recommends feasibility.14 Where sewer is not within 500 feet and will not become available for more than 10 years, individual or central systems may be allowed at Town discretion with state and county health approval.7 Those are subdivision conditions, so ask the Town about sewer service before assuming an existing lot can use septic.710

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Delmar?

The Town of Delmar prohibits using recreational vehicles or motor homes as residences; parking an RV on its owner’s property is a separate matter and remains subject to the other zoning provisions.3 Delmar also prohibits using tents as residences.15 An RV parked beside a construction site therefore is not an established housing option while a home is built.3

We could not confirm Delmar’s tiny-home occupancy rule or a minimum dwelling floor area; ask Town Planning & Zoning about the proposed unit and district.10 Maryland protects placement of qualifying new manufactured homes in zones allowing single-family residential use, subject to conversion to real property and applicable local requirements; that protection does not authorize every small or wheeled dwelling.16

What are the steps before building a home in the Town of Delmar?

First, ask Town Planning & Zoning to confirm the parcel’s zoning district and review the proposed residential use and layout against that district’s requirements.102 Next, have the Code Enforcement Officer review new-structure plans and determine the building-permit requirement.1 For a development covered by Delmar’s public-improvement agreement rules, resolve the Town agreement before building-permit issuance.9

Then establish the sewer arrangement with the Town; where on-site sewage or a private well is proposed, contact Wicomico County Environmental Health for the applicable permits and inspections.745 Ask the Town about flood-hazard review because Delmar’s requirements cover new buildings and specified improvements located wholly or partly in special flood hazard areas.17 For land outside town limits, consult the Wicomico County guide: the county zoning code governs unincorporated areas rather than Delmar’s municipal districts.18

Watch-outs

  • Delmar’s R-1 rear-yard limits for accessory buildings and pools apply to the required rear yard, not to total-lot coverage.19
  • Delmar’s agricultural subdivision exception covers bona fide divisions or partitions of agricultural land of 5 acres or more that are not for development purposes; it is not a homebuilding exemption.20
  • Maryland’s property-owner exception concerns contractor-license information on home-improvement permits; it does not establish a general building-permit exemption for an owner-built new home.21

Sources

  1. Town of Delmar Code Enforcement Officer (ecode360.com)
  2. Chapter 10: Planning and Zoning Regulations - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  3. Article III: General Provisions - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  4. Environmental Health, quoted and re-checked
  5. Environmental Health, quoted and re-checked
  6. Article II: Terminology; Zoning Districts - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  7. Article XXV: Subdivisions - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  8. Article IV: Residential R-1 District - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  9. Chapter 461: Public Improvements - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  10. Town of Delmar Planning & Zoning (townofdelmar.us)
  11. Article IV: Residential R-1 District - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article IV: Residential R-1 District - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  13. COMAR 26.04.02.03 On-Site Sewage Disposal Permits (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Article XXV: Subdivisions - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  15. Article III: General Provisions - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  16. Maryland Land Use Article § 4-104 (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. Article IV: Requirements in All Flood Hazard Areas - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  18. Wicomico County Zoning Code, quoted and re-checked
  19. Article IV: Residential R-1 District - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  20. Article XXV: Subdivisions - Town of Delmar, MD (Town of Delmar), quoted and re-checked
  21. Maryland Business Regulation Article § 8-504 (Maryland statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Delmar

Town of Delmar’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Land or structures in a Delmar development or subdivision subject to Chapter 461 public-improvement agreements.

    • No permit is issued until or unless the applicant has entered a Town agreement covering specific public facilities and financing.
    “No building permit shall be issued [...] until or unless the applicant has entered into agreement with the Town”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Delmar town limits on the Maryland side.

    • Chapter 10 was adopted jointly for Delmar, Maryland and Delmar, Delaware; district controls depend on the applicable zoning district.
    “Prepared by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Town of Delmar; adopted 9-14-2015 by Ord. No. 730 (MD)”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Delmar town limits.

    • Districts are shown on the current zoning map as amended.
    “The Town is divided into the following districts, as shown on the current Zoning Map, as amended:”
  • Living in an RVProhibited

    Use of a recreational vehicle or motor home as a residence inside Delmar town limits.

    • The prohibition also covers use for permanent storage purposes; the provision does not prohibit parking on an owner's property if all other chapter provisions are met.
    “No [...] recreational vehicles [...] motor homes [...] may be used as a residence”
  • Camping on your landProhibited

    Camping in tents as a residence inside Delmar town limits.

    • This addresses use as a residence or for permanent storage purposes.
    “No [...] tents [...] may be used as a residence”
  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    Subdivision sewer alternatives inside Delmar town limits.

    • Applies only where sanitary sewer is not within 500 feet and will not become available for more than 10 years.
    • Individual or central systems are discretionary with the Town and require approval of state and county health authorities.

    sewer distance: < 500 feet (Applies when sanitary sewer is not located within this distance.) · anticipated availability: > 10 years (Applies when sewer will not become available for this period.)

    “approval of the state and county health authorities.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Individual or central sewerage systems proposed in subdivisions inside Delmar town limits.

    • Sanitary sewer must not be within 500 feet.
    • Sanitary sewer must not become available for more than 10 years.
    • Town discretion and state and county health-authority approval are required.
    “individual disposal systems or central sewerage systems may be permitted”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    New subdivisions inside Delmar town limits.

    • The Town Engineer must recommend feasibility.
    • Applies where public sanitary sewerage is within 500 feet of the subdivision boundary.

    public sanitary sewer distance: <= 500 feet (Measured from the subdivision boundary.)

    “Where a public sanitary sewerage is located within 500 feet of the boundary of the subdivision, then the developer shall, upon recommendation of feasibility by the Town Engineer, extend the main to the subdivision and provide sewers accessible to each lot in the subdivision.”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Subdivision controls inside Delmar town limits.

    • The division or partition must be bona fide agricultural land of five acres or more and not for development purposes.

    agricultural land size: >= 5 acres (Must not be for development purposes.)

    “A bona fide division or partition of agricultural land of five acres or more not for development purposes.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivisions of land inside Delmar town limits.

    • Each plat must be prepared and presented for approval as required by Article XXVI, Development Plans.
    “shall apply to all subdivisions of land within Delmar”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    New buildings, structures, manufactured-home placement or replacement, and substantial improvements in Delmar special flood hazard areas.

    • Applies only where the work is located in whole or part in a special flood hazard area.
    “located, in whole or in part, in any special flood hazard area shall:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Delmar

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Principal single-family dwellings in Delmar R-1 Residential District.

    minimum lot area: >= 7000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 50 feet

    “Minimum lot area: 7,000 square feet. B. Minimum lot width: 50 feet.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Principal structures in Delmar R-1 Residential District.

    • Where most front setbacks in a block have been established by existing development, the average applies; if considerably irregular, the Board determines the compatible setback.

    front setback: >= 20 feet · rear setback: >= 30 feet · side setback: >= 10 feet (Each side.)

    “Front: 20 feet. [...] Rear: 30 feet. [...] Side: 10 feet”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Accessory buildings and pools in required rear yards in Delmar R-1 Residential District.

    • Applies to the required rear yard rather than a total-lot maximum.

    accessory-building coverage of required rear yard: <= 59 percent (Garages and other accessory buildings.) · pool coverage of required rear yard: <= 75 percent (Swimming pools.)

    “An accessory building may be built in a rear yard, provided that not more than 59% of the area of a required rear yard is occupied by such garages and other accessory buildings. Swimming pools may be built in the rear yards but may not occupy more than 75% of the required rear yard.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Structures in Delmar R-1 Residential District.

    principal structure maximum height: <= 35 feet · accessory structure maximum height: <= 20 feet

    “Principal structure: 35 feet. [...] Accessory structures: 20 feet.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Delmar town's Maryland limits.
  • Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Delmar town's Maryland limits.
  • Inspections — Residential construction inside Delmar town's Maryland limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — New residential construction inside Delmar town's Maryland limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Principal single-family dwellings in Delmar R-1 Residential District.
8 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Delmar publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Wicomico County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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