Code Enforcement & Property Maintenance

Logo Code Enf HorizThe Code Enforcement Division works diligently every day to ensure New Castle County remains a safe and desirable place to live, work and recreate.  The division focuses its efforts on gaining compliance with all county laws that may affect the quality of life in our neighborhoods and the general welfare of our citizens. 

We accomplish this through a fair and unbiased enforcement program where we:  

  • Investigate complaints regarding violations of county zoning, property maintenance and building codes
  • Inspect and monitor over 1,100 vacant properties each month
  • Conduct sweeps in troubled neighborhoods

Please note: Code Enforcement cannot enforce other laws/codes or violations on public streets and other areas. Complaints regarding vehicles parked on a public roadway and not on a resident’s property should be referred to the New Castle County Police at their non-emergency number of (302) 573-2800 to provide pertinent information.

Should you wish to report a concern regarding a property located within unincorporated New Castle County, please use one of the following methods:  

When reporting a code issue, please provide a specific address with as much detail as possible regarding the issue in question. This will help Code Enforcement identify the correct property and begin an investigation more quickly.

Please note: For your personal safety, please do not trespass on someone else’s property or aggressively confront the property owner in an attempt to settle the matter yourself.

Ordinance 18-020 was adopted by County Council and signed into law by County Executive Meyer on July 16, 2018.  Section 40.31.920 of the ordinance addresses home occupations, sales of motor vehicles and prohibited signage.   

Ordinance 18-123 was adopted by County Council and signed into law by County Executive Meyer on December 15, 2018. This ordinance amends New Castle County Code Chapter 7 (Property Maintenance Code) to adopt the 2018 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code and other amendments.

Chapter 7 of the New Castle County Code (PDF) and the Appendix (PDF) contain those amendments and are available for download. Copies of the ICC Codes may be purchased directly from the International Code Council (ICC) on the ICC website, specifically at: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IPMC2018P2 

Enforcement

Upon receiving a complaint, Code Enforcement will perform an inspection.  Code Enforcement will then send a letter to the property owner listing all violations found which are subject to ticketing and give a time frame to correct the violations.  Should the violation still exist when the property is again inspected, a ticket will be issued.  If the violation is still not corrected, additional tickets may be issued until it is.

The cost of the first ticket is fifty dollars ($50.00) for each violation.  If a violation is not corrected after issuance of the first ticket, the owner of the property will be subject to, and liable for, additional tickets in the amounts of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for the second ticket and one hundred dollars ($100.00) for subsequent tickets for the same infraction within one year of the date of the notice of violation. 

Violations that are not subject to ticketing will result in the issuance of a violation notice and a time frame for correction.  Failure to correct the violations within the time allotted may result in a Show Cause hearing being held, charges being filed in the State of Delaware Justice of the Peace Court, and/or abatement of the violation(s).