Moving to Delaware as a residential contractor: every state's rule

New Castle County. The Department of Land Use licenses contractors working in unincorporated New Castle County, and this is the closest thing Delaware has to a building contractor license. A permit endorsed license is required of anyone whose construction activity needs a permit, including building contractors; a non-permit endorsed license covers NAICS Sector 23 construction activity that needs no permit. Electrical contractors are excluded because they hold the state electrician license instead, as are businesses solely engaged in subdivision and land development, DelDOT right-of-way heavy utility work and maintenance employees of state-owned facilities. Permit endorsed building contractor licenses are graded by project value and backed by a surety bond on the county's own unmodified form: Class C up to $50,000 with a $25,000 bond, Class B up to $100,000 with a $50,000 bond, Class A up to $200,000 with a $150,000 bond, and Class U for unlimited value with a $200,000 bond. A new home builder must be licensed at Class A or above and must supply a letter from a county-approved warranty company confirming it will warrant every new home built under the license; a HUD-approved manufactured or modular home installer must be at least Class B with the same warranty proof. The application also needs a current Delaware business license (a temporary resident or non-resident contractor license from the Division of Revenue is accepted), a certificate of liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence and $500,000 aggregate naming NCC Department of Land Use License Processing as certificate holder, and an optional authorized agents form. The 2026 fee is $410, made up of a $400 license fee and a $10 ICC digital code access fee. There is no county examination and no experience review; the class is set by bond and project value. Apply online through the county's licensing pages; Department of Land Use, 87 Reads Way, New Castle, (302) 395-5420, [email protected]. Use the county parcel search first, because incorporated towns are outside county jurisdiction.

Kent County. Levy Court issues building permits and publishes project-specific requirement sheets for single-family dwellings, decks, accessory structures and the like. It publishes no county contractor license, and the only credential it references is the state electrical license. Planning Services, (302) 744-2451.

Sussex County. 'All construction in Sussex County, whether new, remodeling or additions, requires a Sussex County issued building permit', and the county permit is required whether the property lies in a municipality or in the unincorporated county. Plans are reviewed for commercial buildings and are not required for detached single-family homes; projects disturbing 5,000 square feet or more need a Sediment and Erosion Control Plan. The county publishes no contractor license. Building Permit Office, Georgetown, (302) 855-7720.

Wilmington and other municipalities. A business operating inside Wilmington needs a city business license in addition to the state one, and the city's permit rules refer to work being done by a City of Wilmington license holder, so ask the Department of Licenses and Inspections what your trade needs before you contract there. Wage/Business License Division (302) 576-2415; permits, [email protected] or 302-576-3050. Other incorporated towns set their own business license rules, so check each one.