Delaware pilot coordinates inspections for unopened businesses

Delaware launched a voluntary inspection-coordination pilot on Oct. 19 for eligible new businesses that have not yet opened and need applications with participating state agencies. The Small Business Joint Inspection Pilot gives owners an optional way to identify relevant state requirements and coordinate reviews and pre-opening inspections.

Led by the Office of Small Business Access, the pilot is intended for businesses that need an application with one or more of five participating agencies or offices. A business may need to apply to only some of them. Applications must still be submitted by an authorized person and remain subject to agency review; participation does not guarantee approval.

How businesses can opt in i

Owners can access the pilot through Delaware One Stop. They create or sign in to a my.delaware.gov account and opt in through the state’s ServiceNow process. The state says the process identifies relevant permits, licenses and applications, then alerts liaisons at participating agencies so reviews can be coordinated. Inspections are scheduled after agency review.

The participating agencies and offices are the Delaware Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Delaware State Fire Marshal, the Division of Public Health and the Office of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner.

The state lists possible examples of eligible businesses, including retail stores and markets, galleries, salons and spas, non-franchise restaurants and bars, cafes, childcare facilities, fitness centers, furniture stores, ice-cream shops and laundromats. Small-business-owned manufacturing, packaging and distribution facilities are also listed. These examples are not automatic qualification: a business must be new, not yet open, and need an application with a participating agency.

The order sets inspection rules and a component timetable i

Executive Order 21, dated May 7, 2026, directed participating agencies to complete specified pilot components within 120 days, or approximately Sept. 4. The components include publishing a standard list of common new small-footprint businesses, providing plain-English checklists of state requirements and offering coordinated inspection scheduling.

Under the order, when an applicant requests coordinated scheduling, required inspectors are to visit during one coordinated window rather than in separate, sequential visits. Agencies may not condition scheduling on another agency’s prior sign-off, except where health and safety constraints prohibit it. That rule concerns inspection scheduling; applications remain subject to agency review.

On Sept. 21, the state said it was preparing to launch the pilot in fall 2026. It announced the launch on Oct. 19, after the approximate Sept. 4 timetable. The 120-day provision set a timetable for the specified components, not a separate legal deadline to launch the pilot. The state’s launch announcement did not say when each component was completed.

Eligible owners can opt in through Delaware One Stop and use the coordination process while completing the applications required for their businesses.