City of Delaware City

What City of Delaware City does

The City of Delaware City is a municipal government entity serving residents, property owners, contractors, and businesses within its jurisdictional boundaries in New Castle County, Delaware. Founded in 1826 and celebrating its bicentennial in 2026, the city operates a Historic District containing over 250 properties listed on the National Register and holds Certified Local Government status, Downtown Development District designation, and FEMA Community Rating System Class 8 certification. The city delivers full-service municipal functions including police protection (Chief Michael Henderson), public works, planning and zoning, historic preservation review, building inspections (contracted to BIU, Inc.), code enforcement, stormwater monitoring (contracted to KCI), and community services including a library, senior center, and Police Athletic League center. Public safety, fire protection, and library services are operated in coordination with partner organizations.

The city generates revenue through property taxes (set annually by Mayor & Council resolution), contractor and business licenses ($125 annual contractor license), building permits with tiered fees inside and outside the Downtown Development District, water rates (purchased wholesale from Artesian Water Company for distribution), impact fees on new construction, sanitation fees (contracted to Casella), and credit card processing fees ($6.00 flat fee). The city facilitates participation in the state-administered DDD rebate program through the Delaware State Housing Authority. Digital service delivery is supported by a CivicPlus-powered municipal website (delawarecity.org), an Edmunds GovTech online payment portal, and an OnSolve CodeRED emergency notification platform.

The city employs approximately 9 staff under an appointed City Manager (Britney Loveland), governed by an elected Mayor (Paul H. Johnson, Sr.) and five-member Council, with Mayor & Council meeting publicly on the third Monday of each month. Substantial municipal services are delivered via contracted partners including AECOM (city engineer), Artesian Water Company (water supply and billing), New Castle County (sanitary sewer and code enforcement delegation), Casella (waste collection), Delmarva Power (electric), and the Delaware City Fire Company (emergency services). The city does not engage in M&A activity, has no parent or subsidiary entities, and operates on a non-profit government basis under Delaware state law.

Name

City of Delaware City

Legal name

City of Delaware City

Website

https://delawarecity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1826

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The City of Delaware City is a municipal government founded in 1826 serving residents, property owners, contractors, and businesses within its New Castle County, Delaware jurisdiction through property taxation, permitting, public safety, planning, zoning, historic preservation, and contracted utility and waste services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

City Clerk/Records, Elections & Civic Engagement (BPAIACAB), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Property tax administration
• Building permits licensing
• Historic preservation regulation
• Public works operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Delaware City, Delaware

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Property tax revenue as adopted annually by Resolution. The City sets tax rates through resolutions adopted by Mayor & Council.
2. Licenses and Permits: Fees collected for business licenses, contractor licenses ($125 annual fee), building permits, and various municipal licenses and permits.
3. Water Rates: Water supply provided by Artesian Water Company; water rates adopted by Resolution. City purchases water service from Artesian for distribution to residents.
4. Impact Fees: Impact fees collected for new construction within the Downtown Development District and general city limits per Chapter 54 of City Code.
5. State DDD Rebate Program: Delaware State Housing Authority administers Downtown Development District rebate program for qualified real property investments; the city facilitates state rebate program participation.
6. Sanitation Fees: Fees for solid waste disposal and recycling services provided by contracted vendor Casella; large item pick-up fees and extra cart fees.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of Delaware City is a municipal government that delivers public administration and resident services including property tax billing, water service coordination, contractor and business licensing, building permits and inspections, code enforcement, planning and zoning, historic preservation review, stormwater and floodplain management, police protection, emergency notification, and community programs. The city administers a Downtown Development District rebate program in partnership with the Delaware State Housing Authority, and operates a CivicPlus-powered website and online payment portal as the digital service-delivery channel for these municipal functions.

Product overview

City of Delaware City is a municipal government entity that provides public services to residents through its official website. The website serves as a digital hub for government information and services rather than a commercial product offering. Services include Mayor & Council administration, Police Department, Public Services, Stormwater Management, Planning and Zoning, Historic Preservation, and various community programs. The city uses a CivicPlus®-powered website platform to deliver these services online.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Tax Administration Annual property tax billing and collection services for real property within Delaware City municipal boundaries, with tax rates adopted by Resolution of Mayor & Council.
• Contractor Licensing Annual contractor license issued to contractors performing work within the City, at a $125 annual fee valid July 1 through June 30, per Chapter 51 of City Code.
• Building Permits and Inspections Building permit issuance and inspection services for new construction and renovation; within the Downtown Development District, fees are the greater of $100 or 2% of construction cost (R-1/C-1L/C-2/C-1M) or 1.5% (C-1). Inspections performed by subcontractor BIU, Inc.
• Water Service Distribution Water supply and distribution service provided through Artesian Water Company infrastructure (City purchased water service for distribution to residents); rates adopted by Resolution.
• Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Weekly trash and recycling collection, large item pickup, and yard waste services delivered by Casella under contract with the City.
• Impact Fee Assessment Impact fees assessed on new construction within the Downtown Development District and general city limits, per Chapter 54 of City Code.
• Downtown Development District Rebate Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% decrease on flood insurance premiums for Delaware City residents through FEMA Community Rating System participation
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2019Administers Downtown Development District Rebate Program. DSHA reviews applications, determines eligibility, and issues rebate funding to qualified applicants within Delaware City's DDD.
• BIU, Inc. (Building Inspections Underwriters)coreTechnology or IntegrationBuilding inspections subcontracted to BIU, Inc. Inspector Kyle Bendler provides office hours at Town Hall, 407 Clinton Street on Wednesdays 9:30AM-noon. Handles building inspections for code compliance.
• AECOMcoreTechnology or IntegrationCity's engineering company and City Engineer. Reviews Lines and Grades, Stormwater Management, Subdivision Plans, and Floodplain Construction. Contact: 302-781-5900.
• New Castle CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides sanitary sewer system and treatment plant operations, stormwater management, building code enforcement delegation, and mosquito control services.
• Artesian Water Co.coreOthersWater supply and distribution system owned by Artesian Water Company. Provides meter reading, billing, treatment plant operation, and repair services. City water supply from deep wells in Potomac Aquifer.
• Delmarva PowercoreOthersPrimary electric service provider. Contact for power outages: 800-898-8042. Manages streetlight repairs. Delaware Public Service Commission oversees electric choice options.
• CasellacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMunicipal waste contractor providing weekly trash collection, large item pickup, and recycling services. Contact: 302-378-5400.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant funding through Historic Preservation Fund for Battery Park Interpretive Sign Project. Oversees Certified Local Government program and Historic District designation.
• Delaware City Fire CompanycoreOthersFire protection and emergency services. New state-of-the-art facility available for receptions, banquets, parties, and meetings. Fire Hall rental: 302-392-1783.
• Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners for stormwater management program. Joint permit updates and coordinated stormwater infrastructure management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• CivicPlus: Government website and engagement platform provider that powers delawarecity.org. Comparable as an enabling technology vendor serving the same municipal-government customer base as Delaware City, supporting service delivery and digital engagement.
• Granicus: Government technology vendor providing civic engagement, meeting management, and digital communications platforms to municipalities. Comparable as an enabling technology peer serving the same small-city government customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• City of Dover, Delaware: Delaware's capital city with broader municipal scope and larger budget. Comparable as a larger Delaware municipal government providing utility services (water, sewer, electric) and historic preservation within the same state regulatory environment.
• City of Wilmington, Delaware: Largest city in the state, providing full municipal services including water, sewer, police, and historic preservation. Comparable as a Delaware municipal benchmark for the upper-bound of municipal service delivery within the same regulatory framework.
• New Castle County, Delaware: Larger county-level government that directly provides sewer, stormwater, building code enforcement delegation, and mosquito control services to Delaware City. Comparable as the parent-tier municipal authority governing overlapping service delivery.

Direct peers

• City of Lewes, Delaware: Small historic Delaware town with a National Register Historic District and active historic preservation commission. Highly comparable as a small historic Delaware municipality balancing heritage preservation, tourism, and modern municipal services.
• Town of Middletown, Delaware: Small Delaware municipality in New Castle County with similar governance structure and growth-driven service demands. Comparable peer in municipal scale and residential-suburb service profile.
• City of New Castle, Delaware: Small historic city on the Delaware River in New Castle County with comparable municipal footprint, historic district, and small-staff operations. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, riverfront setting, and similar service-delivery model with contracted partners.
• Town of Smyrna, Delaware: Small Delaware municipality with comparable population scale and small-town service model. Comparable as a peer in scale of operations, council-manager governance, and reliance on county-level services for utilities.
• Town of Townsend, Delaware: Small Delaware town in New Castle County with comparable small-staff operations and rural-to-suburban service profile. Peer for small-town municipal administration benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofdelawarecity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/delaware-city-delaware

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Delaware City