State guide
Delaware
Delaware is unusual because animal control is mostly state-run through Delaware Animal Services in the Division of Public Health’s Office of Animal Welfare. The main local exceptions are Newark and Dover, where city police handle dog control within city limits; Wilmington’s official page says Delaware Animal Services is its provider.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually Delaware Animal Services, a state-run service in the Office of Animal Welfare, handles companion-animal control statewide; Newark and Dover city limits are the main local exceptions.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife
- Nuisance wildlife help
- Official page →
- Reporting an animal bite
- Potential human rabies exposures must be reported to the Division of Public Health, and Delaware law requires animal-bite locating information to be reported within 24 hours to the Department of Agriculture.
- State rabies contact
- Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Rabies Program
Official resources in Delaware
Main statewide animal-services page for cruelty, stray dogs, bites, lost pets, and jurisdiction information.
Explains DAS jurisdiction and confirms the statewide system and the Newark exception on that page.
Official wildlife page for sick, dead, or possibly rabid wildlife and the state’s guidance on when to contact rehabilitators.
Guidance on nuisance wildlife, aggressive wildlife, and baby wildlife in Delaware.
State rabies page for exposure reporting, quarantine information, and public-health contacts.
Key facts for Delaware
- Delaware Animal Services enforces companion-animal laws statewide, with Newark listed as an exception on the DAS jurisdiction page.
- The Office of Animal Welfare says the cities of Newark and Dover remain responsible for dog control within their city limits.
- Wilmington’s official animal-control page says the Division of Public Health Office of Animal Welfare is the animal control service provider for the city.
- DNREC says the Division of Fish and Wildlife does not rehabilitate wildlife; it issues permits to trained volunteers.
- DNREC tells residents needing a wildlife rehabilitator to contact the Delaware Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators and Educators.
- Delaware says all medical providers must report potential human rabies exposure to the Division of Public Health.
Local animal control offices in Delaware
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Animal Services New Castle, Kent, and Sussex | Not published* | 302-255-4646 | Statewide animal-control and cruelty service with field offices in each county and emergency after-hours response for serious emergencies only. |
| Animal Control New Castle | Wilmington | Not published* | Wilmington says OAW and Delaware Animal Services provide dog control, dangerous-dog control, cruelty, and rabies-control services for the city. |
| Animal Control New Castle | Newark | (302) 366-7111 | Newark Police handle animal-related incidents in Newark city limits; the page also lists the local Animal Control Officer contact. |
| Animal Control Officer New Castle | Newark | (302) 366-7100 ext 3429 | City page says the Animal Control Officer responds to bites, abuse, neglect, aggressive behavior, wildlife encounters, trapping, and noise complaints. |
| Dover Police Kent | Dover | 302-736-7111 | The state animal-services page tells residents in Dover city limits to use Dover Police for stray dogs. |
| Delaware Animal Services | Not published* | 302-255-4646 | The home page says DAS responds to cruelty, stray dogs, aggressive dogs, bites to people, and other animal-related emergencies. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- If the problem is a stray dog, cruelty, or a bite outside Newark or Dover city limits, start with Delaware Animal Services at the statewide number.
- If you are in Newark or Dover city limits, use the local police animal-control contact listed by the city or state animal-services page.
- For sick, dead, or possibly rabid wildlife, call DNREC’s wildlife staff first rather than trying to keep or transport the animal yourself.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Delaware's population center, for comparison only):
- ACCT Philly / City animal control contact, Pennsylvania · about 56 miles
- Baltimore City Office of Animal Control, Maryland · about 57 miles
- Anne Arundel County Animal Services, Maryland · about 58 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Delaware Animal Services Home
Website →Phone: (302) 255-4646 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Delaware page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.