Civic guide · Checked October 21, 2026
Mayor & City Council meeting record for Lewes, Sussex County, DE.
Indexing approved by the owner on 2026-10-22
The canonical public.municipality ID remains pending.
Latest meeting
recording only
Minutes status: unknown (CivicWeb not retrieved).
Governing body: Mayor & City Council.
Held Ledger meeting data is 2019 only and license blocked; not used.
Checked October 21, 2026 · Meeting source
Checked October 21, 2026 · Governing body source
Checked October 21, 2026 · Recording source
Minutes on file
Meeting date: unknown.
Minutes status: unknown (CivicWeb not retrieved).
Checked October 21, 2026 · Minutes source
Next meeting
Meeting calendar on CivicWeb (not requested).
Checked October 21, 2026 · Next meeting source
Recent actions
Minutes on CivicWeb (not retrieved); none quoted.
Checked October 21, 2026 · Public source link: not yet available
Sourced answers
Each answer cites the official government record it came from. Answers that relied on encyclopedias, tourism sites or commercial news were left out.
Lewes is an incorporated municipality, not a census-designated place. The U.S. Census Bureau lists it as Lewes city, Delaware, and Sussex County lists it among its cities and towns.
Checked October 24, 2026 · data.census.gov — Lewes_city,_Delaware · sussexcountyde.gov — cities-and-towns
The 2020 Census counted 3,303 residents in Lewes (U.S. Census Bureau).
Checked October 24, 2026 · data.census.gov — Lewes_city,_Delaware
Dutch settlers founded Lewes in 1631, and the Delaware Public Archives describes it as the site of Delaware's first European settlement. The town was incorporated in 1818 as the Trustees of the Town of Lewes.
Checked October 24, 2026 · archives.delaware.gov — lewes
William Penn renamed the southernmost county Sussex after his home county, and named the town where he first landed Lewes after the county seat of Sussex, England.
Checked October 24, 2026 · archives.delaware.gov — lewes
Lewes was incorporated in 1818 as "The Trustees of the Town of Lewes," and became The City of Lewes in 1969.
Checked October 24, 2026 · archives.delaware.gov — lewes
Royal Navy vessels shelled Lewes for about 22 hours on April 6-7, 1813. The Cannonball House, built around 1760, still has an iron cannonball lodged in its foundation and is listed on the National Register.
Checked October 24, 2026 · archives.delaware.gov — bombardment-of-lewes · archives.delaware.gov
The Historic Lewes Farmers Market meets Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, May 2 to September 26 in 2026, at George H. P. Smith Park. A fall season runs Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon, October 3 to December 5, 2026, at the Lewes school parking lot. A Wednesday market on Kings Highway runs June 3 to September 2, 2026.
Checked October 24, 2026 · agriculture.delaware.gov — farmers-markets
The city site says: "The Mayor and City Council meets regularly at 5:30 p.m. on the second Monday of every month," in Council Chambers at City Hall.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www.ci.lewes.de.us — Mayor-City-Council
Yes. Lewes has its own Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment, and the Planning Commission reviews changes to the city Zoning Ordinance.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www.ci.lewes.de.us — Planning-Commission · www.ci.lewes.de.us — Government
The city site lists the Lewes Board of Public Works (BPW) as a community partner under "BPW / Utilities" with its own site. The city page does not itemize which services BPW provides.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www.ci.lewes.de.us
Rehoboth Beach's budget comparison page states "The Lewes property tax rate is $.285 per 100." Confirm with the City of Lewes finance office.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www.rehobothbeachde.gov — why-is-the-budget-for-the-city-of-rehoboth-beach-higher-than-the-city-of-lewes
The city homepage says streetlight installation for the Night Sky Pilot Project begins August 3, 2026, as part of an outdoor lighting initiative.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www.ci.lewes.de.us
Part of Lewes may sit in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and the answer depends on the address, so we do not give a town-wide yes or no. The USGS elevation at the town's Census center point is only about 5 feet, which is low ground. Look up a specific property in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and the DNREC Delaware Flood Planning Tool.
Checked October 24, 2026 · msc.fema.gov — home · floodplanning.dnrec.delaware.gov · epqs.nationalmap.gov — json
Delaware labels hurricane evacuation zones A, B, C and D, and describes them as low-lying areas susceptible to flooding and storm surge. The state page does not list communities by zone, so we cannot say which zone Lewes or a given address falls in. Use the Know Your Zone lookup tool or interactive map to check an address.
Checked October 24, 2026 · preparede.org — know-your-zone · dema.delaware.gov
The 2020 Census Gazetteer lists Lewes at 4.192 square miles of land and 0.922 square miles of water. Elevation at the Census center point is about 5 feet above sea level (USGS 3DEP), and ground height varies across town.
Checked October 24, 2026 · www2.census.gov — 2020_gaz_place_10.txt · epqs.nationalmap.gov — json
The National Weather Service (Mount Holly office) places Lewes in forecast zone DEZ003, Inland Sussex, Delaware. This was read from the NWS point forecast page for the town's Census center point.
Checked October 24, 2026 · forecast.weather.gov — MapClick.php
A 2018 state release says DART First State Route 204 runs between the Lewes Park & Ride and downtown Lewes and stops at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal.
Checked October 24, 2026 · news.delaware.gov — dart-increases-year-round-bus-service-sussex-county
Land use
Counts of Sussex County planning, zoning and Board of Adjustment docket items from January 2025 through the October 24, 2026 data date whose county record lists the area as Lewes. The area is a place name in the county record, not proof the land is inside town limits. Counts of 1 to 4 are shown as fewer than 5. No case numbers or applicant names are shown.
| Application type | Items |
|---|---|
| Variance | 14 |
| Site plan | 13 |
| Minor subdivision | 10 |
| Change of zone | 6 |
| Conditional use | 6 |
| Major subdivision | fewer than 5 |
| Variance / special use exception | fewer than 5 |
| Special use exception | fewer than 5 |
| Total | 55 |
Official record: Sussex County public docket · Data: SussexCounty.ai planning docket statistics (CC BY 4.0) · How to read the docket
SussexCounty.ai is a data product of The Conscient Group LLC, the Ledger's parent company.
Data
Data: SussexCounty.ai town page · Parcels by jurisdiction (SussexCounty.ai)
SussexCounty.ai is a data product of The Conscient Group LLC, the Ledger's parent company.
Limits of this check
CivicWeb records were not retrieved; part of the held record is blocked.
Checked October 21, 2026 · Public source link: not yet available
Audit trail
Each fact above names the record it came from and the date that record was checked. Checked October 21, 2026.