Department of Licenses & Inspections
The mission of the Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) is to promote the general welfare and protect the life, health, and safety of all citizens of Wilmington by monitoring the City’s building stock through code enforcement and abatement of code violations.
Licenses & Inspections Is...
The City's 5th smallest department with a total FY 2025 budget of $3,707,604.
It accounts for 2% of the General Fund.
About Licenses & Inspections
The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) strives to promote and protect a safe living and working environment for all citizens of the City of Wilmington. This is achieved by enforcing and implementing the Wilmington City Code in a fair and unbiased manner. Our goal is to facilitate voluntary compliance by working in partnership with our constituents.
Visible examples of L&I's responsibilities include:
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Issuing building permit fees that reflect the approximate cost for processing and conducting all required inspections.
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Managing the registration and enforcement of all vacant structures.
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Conducting proactive code enforcement inspections to address violations and improve public safety.
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Conducting rental inspections to improve the quality of all rental housing.
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Maintaining neglected properties to mitigate damage to the surrounding neighborhood.
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Demolishing properties when they pose an immediate and irremediable threat to surrounding buildings.
At left is a severely dilapidated vacant house that L&I demolished and transformed into a green lot in FY 2019.
Year-to-Date Expenditures by Category*
*Move the slider at the bottom of the graph to see budget and prior-year data.
How Many People Work in L&I?*
*In FY 2023, 15 positions having to do with permitting, plan review, and land development were transferred to the Department of Land Use & Planning.
Top Constituent Complaints Received by L&I Over Last 12 Months
Licenses & Inspections Strategic Plan
Citywide Goal: Improve Housing Quality
Objective: Respond to All Constituent Complaints Timely
Citywide Goal: Improve Housing Quality
Objective: Better Utilize Limited Resources by Focusing on Condition of Exterior Housing Stock
Citywide Goal: Improve Housing Quality
Objective: Increase the Number of Rental Inspections Conducted to Improve the Quality of Rental Housing
Licenses & Inspections FY 2025 Annual Budget
Total FY 2025 General Fund Budget: $3,707,604
Total FY 2024 General Fund Budget: $3,545,320
Total Increase from FY 2024: $162,284
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Major Funding Changes from Prior Year:
Personal Services, an account group that includes salaries and benefits, increased $134,263, an overall increase of 4.9%, reflecting the cost increase of the mid-FY 2024 implementation of the City’s compensation and classification study recommendations. The implementation of the study resulted in revised salaries and additional anniversary steps.
Materials, Supplies & Equipment (MS&E) increased by a net $2,891, or 1.0%, due to the following changes:
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Construction and Repair increased $10,000, as L&I is now handling its small demolitions internally.
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N.O.C fees decreased $5,500, because most fees now go through the Land Use & Planning department.
Click here to read more about L&I's FY 2025 Annual Budget.
