Dover, DE
Dover building permit fees
A Dover building permit is $25.00 for the first $1,000 of costs
then $8.00 for each additional $1,000 — or multiple thereof — up to $10 million, $6.00 per additional $1,000 to $20 million, and $5.00 per additional $1,000 above that. The bands are marginal and each partial thousand rounds up. Nonresidential plan review adds $20.00 per set of plans, and every permit row doubles if work started without one.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit, first leg ($25.00 first $1,000 + $8.00 per additional $1,000, to $10,000,000)Permit fee | $25.00 + $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation up to $10,000,000 | — |
| Building permit, second leg ($6.00 per $1,000 from $10,000,000 to $20,000,000)Permit fee | $80,017.00 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $10,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $10,000,000 and up to $20,000,000 | — |
| Building permit, third leg ($5.00 per $1,000 above $20,000,000)Permit fee | $140,017.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $20,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $20,000,000 | — |
| Construction plan review, nonresidential ($20.00 per set of plans)Other fee | $20.00 flat fee | not (Occupancy is residential) | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A new single-family dwelling in Dover declared at $50,000 of construction costs, filed before any work begins.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $50,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
Example total
$417.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 1Rules considered 4
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit, first leg ($25.00 first $1,000 + $8.00 per additional $1,000, to $10,000,000)Permit feeAppendix F, Chapter 22, Article III, §22-65(a) Building permits: "$25.00 for first $1,000.00 of costs and $8.00 for each additional $1,000.00 of costs or multiples thereof up to $10,000,000.00 of costs." The excess above the first $1,000 is rounded up to whole thousands ('or multiples thereof') before the $8.00 rate is applied. This rule charges the first leg only; the two legs above $10M are separate rules.Show the working
| $25.00 + $8.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $417.00 |
| Total | $417.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit, second leg ($6.00 per $1,000 from $10,000,000 to $20,000,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, third leg ($5.00 per $1,000 above $20,000,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Construction plan review, nonresidential ($20.00 per set of plans) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
First leg: $25.00 covers the first $1,000. The excess is $49,000, which rounds to 49 whole thousands ('or multiples thereof'), each at $8.00: 49 x $8.00 = $392.00.
Permit fee: $25.00 + $392.00 = $417.00.
No nonresidential plan review applies to a dwelling. At $500,000 the same arithmetic gives $25.00 + 499 x $8.00 = $4,017.00; at $12,000,000 the first leg produces $80,017.00 and the second leg adds 2,000 x $6.00 = $12,000.00 for $92,017.00. Beginning the work first would double every one of those figures, subject to the inspector's waiver for non-professionals.
What is different in Dover
The first leg is where ordinary projects live: $25.00 covers the first $1,000 of declared costs, and each additional thousand — with any fraction rounded up to a whole thousand — adds $8.00. A $50,000 house permit is $25.00 + 49 x $8.00 = $417.00. The word the schedule uses is 'multiples thereof': $500 of excess buys a whole $8.00 increment, which makes the fee step at every thousand-dollar boundary rather than glide.
Above $10,000,000 of costs the marginal rate drops to $6.00 per additional $1,000, and above $20,000,000 to $5.00 — an economy of scale that makes Dover's schedule gentler to very large projects than to mid-size ones. The legs stack: the second leg charges only the portion between $10M and $20M, on top of whatever the first leg produced at $10M, and the third leg the portion above $20M.
The rows beside the building row share its arithmetic: fences and swimming pools are $25.00 for the first $1,000 plus $8.00 per additional $1,000; signs are $0.75 per square foot of sign area with a $50.00 minimum per permit; demolition is $50.00 — $0.00 where the city or a public entity ordered the demolition — and moving a building is $250.00. Nonresidential construction plan review is $20.00 per set of plans and is the one row the schedule expressly marks 'not subject to doubling'.
The doubling clause is the schedule's teeth: fees 'shall double in the event that a permit is applied for after construction has commenced without the permission of the building inspector', with a waiver where the applicant is not a professional contractor and the work is not being done by one. Reinsections run $0.00 first, $25.00 second, $50.00 third, $100.00 after.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is §22-65's building permit row and the Appendix F rows beside it. It excludes:
- Mechanical permits (§22-145) — heating, air conditioning and heat pumps at $40.00 per ton or per 10,000 BTU structures — which have their own page here.
- Plumbing permits (§22-185) — fixtures at $35.00 first five plus $3.00 each additional, and the underground inspection rows — their own page here.
- Electrical permits, which §22-109(a) prices at no fee by ordinance; no electrical page is published because there is no amount to compute.
- The doubling penalty — a multiplier applied after the fact to work started without a permit, not a fee row.
- Reinspection charges ($0/$25/$50/$100) and violation fines ($100-$1,000 escalating; IBC penalties to $10,000 per day), which Appendix F lists separately.
- State of Delaware and Kent County charges, including the state's own licensing.
What you need before applying
- Costs are the basis, in three marginal legsRequired
§22-65(a) prices building permits on 'costs': $25.00 for the first $1,000 plus $8.00 per additional $1,000 (or multiple thereof) up to $10,000,000, $6.00 per additional $1,000 up to $20,000,000, and $5.00 per additional $1,000 above that. Each leg's excess rounds up to whole thousands before its rate applies.
- Doubling for work started without a permitRequired
§22-65(c): fees for building, fence, sign, swimming pool, demolition and moving permits 'shall double in the event that a permit is applied for after construction has commenced without the permission of the building inspector', with the doubling waivable where neither the applicant nor the contractor is a professional. The same clause appears in the mechanical (§22-145) and plumbing (§22-185) sections.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Dover, Delaware?
$25.00 for the first $1,000 of costs plus $8.00 for each additional $1,000 or multiple thereof, up to $10,000,000 of costs. A $50,000 project is $25.00 + 49 x $8.00 = $417.00.
What does 'or multiples thereof' mean in the fee?
Any partial thousand of cost rounds up before the rate applies: $1,500 of excess pays for two thousands. The fee steps at every $1,000 boundary rather than prorating.
Do large projects pay a lower rate?
Yes. The marginal rate drops to $6.00 per additional $1,000 between $10,000,000 and $20,000,000 of costs, and to $5.00 per $1,000 above $20,000,000 — each leg charged only on its own portion, stacked on the legs below.
What happens if work starts before the permit?
The permit fee doubles. §22-65(c) applies the doubling to building, fence, sign, pool, demolition and moving permits, and the building inspector may waive it where neither the applicant nor the contractor is a professional.
How much is an electrical permit in Dover?
Nothing. §22-109(a): 'No fee. There shall be no fee for permits or renewals thereof by the building inspector as may be required by this article.' Any inspection charge is set by the City's authorized inspection agency, not by Dover's schedule.
How much is plan review?
$20.00 per set of plans for nonresidential construction plan review — the one row marked 'not subject to doubling'.
How much is a fence or pool permit?
The same structure as the building row: $25.00 for the first $1,000 of costs plus $8.00 for each additional $1,000 or multiple thereof.
How much is a sign permit?
$0.75 per square foot of sign area, with a minimum fee of $50.00 for each sign permit.
What does demolition cost?
$50.00 — but $0.00 where the building is being demolished for redevelopment or where the city or another public entity required the demolition.
How much does a reinspection cost?
The first reinspection is free, the second is $25.00, the third is $50.00, and any reinspection after that is $100.00.
When did these fees take effect?
The current Appendix F rows come from Ordinances #2024-15 and #2024-19, adopted on final reading July 8, 2024 — the date this site records as effective.
Where do I file?
With the City's Licensing and Permitting Office; Chapter 22 vests enforcement in the building inspector, and §22-65(a) requires the Appendix F fee to be paid before any permit is issued.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26 in full (HTTP 200) from the City's own council-meeting packet for the June 24, 2024 Regular City Council meeting, which reprints the complete adopted texts. Ordinance #2024-15 amends Chapter 22 (ICC code adoption; §22-65, §22-109, §22-145, §22-185 fee sections) and Ordinance #2024-19, with Staff Amendment #1, reprints Appendix F's Chapter 22 fee rows: building permits $25.00 first $1,000 + $8.00 per additional $1,000 to $10M, $6.00 per additional $1,000 to $20M, $5.00 above $20M ('or multiples thereof' throughout); plumbing fixtures $35.00 first five + $3.00 each additional; underground gas/water/sewer inspection $30.00 first 150 feet + $0.75 per additional ten feet; mechanical permits $40.00 first 10,000 BTU / $40.00 per ton first five + $7.00 per unit above; electrical permits 'No fee' (§22-109(a)). First reading June 10, 2024; final reading July 8, 2024, the date recorded as effective.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.