Dover Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of Dover Department of Planning and Inspections administers permits, inspections, zoning, and code compliance for projects within Dover city limits. Dover’s process is distinct from Kent County’s process for parcels outside the city, so confirm the city boundary before using a permit form.

Dover building permits and inspections

Dover’s Public Inspections division enforces the city’s building, plumbing, and mechanical regulations, performs plan review and on-site inspections, and issues permits for new construction, demolition, signs, fences, mobile homes, public assemblies, and other regulated work. The city’s forms page provides current building, plumbing, heating, manufactured-home, public-occupancy, and related applications.

Inspection, occupancy, and code compliance

Schedule the inspections required by the permit and do not conceal work before the applicable inspection. Dover’s code-enforcement office handles property-maintenance and annual housing inspections as well as complaints. Public-occupancy and building approvals should be confirmed with the department before a new or changed use opens to the public.

Zoning and planning review

Dover Planning administers the city’s zoning and land-subdivision regulations and staffs the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Historic District Commission. A project may require zoning verification, site-plan review, variance or special-exception approval, floodplain review, or historic review before building work can proceed.

Official contact information

The Planning and Inspections Department is at City Hall, 15 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, Delaware 19901. Call (302) 736-7010 for permit and inspection questions, (302) 736-7196 for zoning questions, or email permitsandlicenses@dover.de.us.