Only six demo notices issued in Rehoboth so far in 2023

Rehoboth Beach’s annual moratorium on demolitions began May 15, and while there have been demo notices issued by the city, the number is fewer than last year’s decade-low amount at the same point in the year.

To date, the city has issued six demolition permits in 2023. Last year, the city had issued seven before the moratorium, and finished the year with 16. It was the first time since 2013 the number of demolition permits issued for an entire year was below 20.

City records on demolition notices issued date back to April 2012. Since then, including the six this year, the total number of notices issued is about 273.

A good indication of how the rest of the year will go in terms of demolitions will be the number of permits issued in August. The city’s annual moratorium runs May 15 to Sept. 15. As the numbers show, oftentimes there’s a rush in August to get permit applications in and issued so property owners can have their homes demolished as soon as the moratorium is lifted and hopefully have their new home built by the following summer.

Demo notices issued so far in 2023

• The city issued a demo notice Jan. 25 for a two-story, single-family dwelling at 208 Stockley St.

• The city issued a demo notice Feb. 21 for a one-story, single-family dwelling at 523 School Lane.

• The city issued a demo notice March 9 for a two-story, single-family dwelling at 705 Bayard Ave.

• The city issued a demo notice March 21 for a one-story, single-family dwelling and an accessory structure at 227 Munson St.

• The city issued a demo notice April 5 for a two-story, single-family dwelling and an accessory structure at 221 Rodney St.

• The city issued a demo notice April 11 for a one-story, single-family dwelling at 803 Scarborough Ave.

DEMOLITION PERMITS ISSUED IN REHOBOTH BEACH SINCE APRIL 2012

Permits issued annually since April 2012:

• 2012: 14
• 2013: 15
• 2014: 23
• 2015: 23
• 2016: 30
• 2017: 30
• 2018: 27
• 2019: 34
• 2020: 32
• 2021: 23
• 2022: 16
• 2023: 6, through May 15

Permits issued by month since April 2012:

• January – 23
• February – 20
• March – 31
• April – 12
• May – 6
• June – 3
• July – 9
• August – 57
• September – 35
• October – 37
• November – 23
• December – 17