In order to make our beaches accessible to all visitors, Delaware State Parks offers beach wheelchairs which are available from 8:00 a.m. until sunset, all year. Wheelchairs are available at no charge, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guidelines

• One beach wheelchair is available at the locations listed below.
• Wheelchair use is limited to the beach area where the chair is picked up.
• Chairs are kept in a locked area. Visitors requesting to use the chair will receive a combination to open the lock.
• It is the visitor’s responsibility to promptly return the chair to the locked area once the patron requiring the chair is situated on the beach, or back in their vehicle, so it is available for the next patron.
• A companion will be needed in order to push the chair through the sand, if staff are not available to assist.

Wheelchairs are available at the following beach areas

• for Cape Henlopen Main Beach or Gordons Pond call 302-645-8983
• for Towers Road Parking Lot, South Inlet Day Area, or Fenwick Island Lot call 302-227-2800

Additional Information
Park office hours are:

April 1 through October 31, daily, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

November 1 through March 31, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lifeguards are available to assist at guarded beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Mobi-Mats are available at the Cape Henlopen Main Beach area. Mobi-Mats enable persons using a standard wheelchair to have access to the beach. During storms, extremely high tides may require that the mats be removed until the tides return to normal levels.

Persons requiring a beach wheelchair for more than one day may be interested in renting one from Grand Central Rental to ensure availability throughout their stay. Call (302)227-7328 regarding rental prices and policies.

Delaware State Parks rely on user fees for about 75% of the operating and maintenance budget. In order to keep park fees low, State Parks has continually found new, and innovative, ways to save money and operate more efficiently. In 1994, the Delaware State Parks established the Carry In – Carry Out Trash-Free Parks Program. Trash cans were removed from most areas and visitors now take their trash with them when they leave, reducing the strain on limited resources, and increasing the beauty of the parks.

The Carry In – Carry Out Trash-Free Parks Program has:

• Redirected staff resources to other projects.
• Fostered a partnership between visitors and the parks by encouraging all visitors to help maintain clean parks.
• Improved the appearance of the parks by removing trash cans that detracted from the beauty of the natural environment.
• Encouraged visitors to bring reusable containers and to recycle as much as possible.
• Increased the safety of your visit by reducing the number of bees, wasps and other pests in the picnic areas and campgrounds.
• Reduced the cost of trash removal annually from the parks by approximately $55,000, with a total savings of over a million dollars since 1994. Delaware State Parks are largely self-supported and the money saved on trash removal funded other programs and facilities enjoyed by visitors.

This program has been an overwhelming success and your continuing cooperation means cleaner parks for everyone. As always, trash bags are available to help you help us with the program. Families and groups needing larger bags should plan to bring their own. Thank you for supporting Delaware State Parks.

To ensure the comfort and safety of park visitors and protection of state park cultural and natural resources, a special use permit is required for operation of a drone or other UAV (unmanned aircraft system) on or over any land or water administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Parks and Recreation.

Specific Restrictions and Procedures

Drones/UAVs may not be flown:

• In or around unprotected persons
• In parking lots
• Near any protected wildlife species, in active wildlife nesting or breeding areas or harassing wildlife
• Nature Preserves
• Where the activity would not be appropriate within the overall character of a park.
• Within 100’ of vulnerable property
• General recreational use is limited to areas designated by the Division for such purposes.

Obtain A Permit

For information or to obtain a permit, contact the superintendent of the park where you want to fly, then submit the following to the park superintendent at least 10 days before your planned flight:

• Licensure
• Insurance
• FAA documentation
• Flight plan

There is a $75 administrative fee for the permit. If it is determined that supervision by park staff is required for your flight, an additional supervision fee of $35 per hour is charged.

Permit Evaluation

In areas designated for recreational use, the following factors will be considered when evaluating your special permit request:

• Public safety
• Federal Aeronautics Administration(FAA) regulations and Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) guidelines
• Natural resource protection
• Cultural resource protection
• Visitor experience
• Purpose of the flight
• Date and time of day of flight
• Specific location(s) selected for the flight
• Insurance coverage required by the State of Delaware: $1,000,000 per occurrence, $3,000,000 aggregate. Insurance must specifically cover the use of drones.

In areas NOT designated for recreational use, the following factors will be considered when evaluating your special permit request:

• Enforcement/Safety
• Government operational missions, such as infrastructure inspections, GIS, marketing, etc.
  Requires pre-approved FAA Part 107 exemption and issued Certificate of Authorization (COA), as well as Division of Parks and Recreation authorization
• Scientific research
• Those conducted by State Park Friends Groups or volunteers in support of the mission of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Parks and Recreation
• Educational purposes in cooperation with state-recognized formal educational entities in coordination with an identified need of the Division.

For More Information

Speak to a park superintendent for more information about flying a drone or UAV in Delaware State Parks. For official regulations governing state parks. Section 13.0 covers regulations about UAVs. You can read the code on the Delaware Regulations site:

Delaware Regulations : Administrative Code : Title 7 : 9000 : 9200 Operation and Maintenance Section

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has issued regulations expanding the scope of legal possession of firearms within Delaware’s state parks.

The new rules are contained in the state’s regulations governing State Parks. They are the result of a December 2017 ruling by the Delaware Supreme Court and were issued following a series of public workshops in February of 2018 and a public hearing on March 12, 2018.

The specific changes made were published as amendments in the February 1, 2018 Register of Regulations. The formal regulatory amendments (as published in the May 1, 2018 Register) supersede previously adopted emergency regulations (published in the January 1, 2018 Register), under the Delaware Administrative Procedures Act.

Public Workshop – March 12, 2018

February 1, 2018 Register of Regulations

Delaware Administrative Procedures Act

Overview of the Regulations

The regulations, pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling, state that visitors may legally possess firearms, as allowed by Delaware law, in state parks unless they are prohibited by law due to a past conviction for a violent crime, active Protection from Abuse Order, or mental health commitment. This includes, for example, trails, unguarded beaches, parking lots, and vehicles.

The regulations prohibit firearms only in certain public facilities and designated areas such as park offices, visitor centers, nature centers, bathhouses, restaurants and snack bars, stadiums and facilities while used for events, concerts, and festivals, museums, zoos, stables, educational facilities, dormitories, playgrounds, youth camping areas, swimming pools, guarded beaches, and water parks. These designated areas are marked with appropriate signs.

The regulations allow holders of valid Delaware concealed-carry permits to carry within parks, including designated areas, provided only that the permit be produced upon request. The regulations would also allow active-duty law and qualified retired law enforcement officers to carry anywhere within the parks and other areas affected by Supreme Court decision.

The firearms regulations are part of the following state regulations:

Regulations Governing State Parks (7 DE Admin. Code 9201)

Secretary’s Order
Secretary’s Order No. 2019-P-0010 (Final Reg. Amendments to 7 DE Admin. Code 9201: State Parks)

Related Information

Supreme Court Ruling:

Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, Ltd., et al., v. Small, et al. (Dec. 7, 2017)

February 1, 2018 Register of Regulations

Hearing Officer’s Report

Delaware State Parks Are Pet-Friendly!

Whether you’re looking for a great vacation experience for you and your four legged family members, an off-leash area where your pup can work off energy chasing all the balls you care to throw, or a leisurely stroll for you and your leashed, well-behaved pet through some of the most beautiful areas of the state, your pet-friendly adventures start here!

We are pleased to welcome you and your pet to enjoy the great outdoors together, but please be mindful that a dog or cat poses a real danger to wildlife and may disturb other visitors. In order to help keep our parks open to pets, responsible pet ownership is the key.

General Guidelines

• All pets must be licensed, and proof of a rabies vaccination is required. Delaware residents must license their dog(s).  Delaware dog licensing website
• While in the park, your pet must be on a leash that is no longer than 6 feet, and must be under your control except while:
  • In designated off-leash areas
  • Actively training for hunting in designated dog-training areas
  • Hunting with the appropriate permit
• Honor all park signs that prohibit the entry of pets into specific areas.
• Guide dogs are permitted in all pedestrian areas.
• You must clean up after your pet. Please use the doggie dooleys (waste composting receptacles) where available.
• Never leave pets unattended, even in your vehicle or camper. This is especially true in the summer, when the inside temperature of vehicles can become life threatening. Park rangers are authorized to break into vehicles in order to rescue an animal in distress.
• Horses are only permitted on trails and beaches designated for riding.
• For more information regarding areas in Delaware State Parks where pets are allowed, please contact the park you want to visit directly.

Contact a Park

These areas are CLOSED to pets year-round:

• Picnic areas
• Bird nesting areas
• Cabins, with the exception of designated dog-friendly cabins*
• Cottages, with the exception of designated dog-friendly cottages*
• Park buildings
• Yurts
• Fort Delaware State Park (service animals allowed)
• Killens Pond Water Park

*   See Dogs in Cottages and Cabins below

Pets At the Beach

Pets are allowed in our seashore parks, but Delaware State Law prohibits them from all swimming and sunbathing beaches from May 1 to September 30. Park rules and regulations also restrict pets from areas such as surfboarding and sailboarding beaches and shorebird nesting areas. Download our Pets in the Park elsewhere on this page for beach access maps and other information.

Beach Access

The sandy dunes found along the coast are very fragile and are protected by law. To access beaches open to pets, use the pedestrian crossings located at designated parking areas. Pets are not permitted on bathhouse boardwalks. At Gordon’s Pond and Fenwick Island, access is limited to the pedestrian dune crossing located at the northern end of the parking lot.

Boundary markers for areas open or closed to pets will typically be designated by signs posted at the seaward toe of the dune. The signs will be located at the extreme boundaries of the closed areas, unless affected by adverse tidal conditions.

Please contact the park office or a park ranger if you have any questions regarding access to specific areas.

Bird Nesting Areas

Each spring, seabirds and small wading birds arrive along Delaware’s beaches to feed, breed and fledge their young. The loss of habitat has forced beach-nesters to concentrate their efforts on only a few sites each year. Because these areas are scarce and many species of these birds are threatened or endangered, these sites are protected by law.

Nesting areas will be fenced and a sign will designate them as “Closed.” Pets, people, and vehicles are prohibited.

Beach Plum Island

Pets are prohibited year-round at Beach Plum Island.

Pets in Campsites, Cabins and Cottages

Pets in the Campground

• While in the campground, no excessive barking, especially during “quiet time” (10 p.m to 7 a.m.), will be permitted.
• Never leave your pet unattended either outside or inside a camping unit.
• The leash law is enforced at the campgrounds.
• Please don’t forget you are required to clean up after your pet.

Dog in Cottages and Cabins

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only dogs are allowed in designated “dog-friendly” cabins and cottages. Any reference in the policy to a pet staying in a cottage or cabin specifically refers to dogs only.

Dogs are allowed in the following dog-friendly cabins and cottages:

• Cabins 9 & 10 at Killens Pond State Park
• Cabins 9 & 10 at Trap Pond State Park
• Cabin 12 at Cape Henlopen State Park
• Cottages 11 and 12 at Indian River Marina in Delaware Seashore State Park
• Assawoman Canal House at Delaware Seashore State Park

Staying in a Cabin or Cottage with Your Dog

• There is a pet fee of $25 per night, 2-dog maximum, to stay in a dog-friendly cottage or cabin.
• No more than two pets are allowed to stay on any one campsite or designated cabin/cottage, regardless of size.
• Pet(s) must have current rabies vaccinations and must display a valid license (if applicable). Pets must be clean and free of ticks, fleas, worms and mange.
• For the pet’s health and safety of park staff, pets may not be left unattended in your cabin, cottage, camper or vehicle.
• To avoid attracting rodents and wildlife, pet food must be stored in a sealable container and placed inside a camping unit, vehicle, cottage or cabin and carried out when leaving the park
• Pets shall not be tied to bushes, trees, split rail fence or any exterior structure.
• Only house-trained dogs are allowed in cottages/cabins. Female dogs should not be in cottages/cabins while in cycle (heat).
• Owners must always pick up after their pet(s) and properly dispose of the waste deposited by the animal.
• Extra fees will be assessed for damages to the cottage/cabin and/or fixtures, or if special cleaning is required. Park staff will assess damage fees based upon the materials and labor required to make any repairs necessary to return the damaged area to its condition before the damage occurred.
• Pets must be towel dried thoroughly if they become wet before entering the cabin or cottage.
• Dog(s) may not be rinsed or bathed inside the cottage or Killens cabin. The outside spigot may be used but the area must be cleaned of debris after washing. Dog must be towel dried before entering the cottage.
• Pets are not permitted on the furniture or bedding at any time.
• Excessive barking is not permitted.
• Visitor complaints will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Enforcement action, if warranted, is at the sole discretion of the Division.
• Refunds will not be granted if guest is asked to leave because the dog(s) is a nuisance.

Links and Downloads

Delaware Dog Licensing website

Pets in the Park brochure

Pets in Campsites

State of Delaware Regulations site pertaining to the 9201 Regulations Governing State Parks