Preservation and repair of historic structures; tax credits; sunset.
Del. Code tit. 30, § 1813
in effect(a) Any person incurring qualified expenditures pursuant to this subchapter in the substantial rehabilitation of any certified historic property shall be entitled to a credit against bank franchise or income taxes imposed under Title 5, or under Chapter 11 or Chapter 19 of this title, respectively, subject to limitations set forth in this section and up to a maximum of:
(1) Twenty percent of qualified expenditures made in the rehabilitation of any certified historic property which is eligible for a federal tax credit under § 47 of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 47];
(2) Thirty percent of the qualified expenditures made in the rehabilitation of any certified historic property which is not eligible for a federal tax credit under § 47 of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 47];
(3) One hundred percent of the qualified expenditures made in the rehabilitation of a certified historic property qualifying for credit award as a resident curatorship property regardless of eligibility for a federal tax credit under § 47 of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 47].
(4) In no event shall the credit claimed pursuant to this section exceed the credit award.
(b) Any person, in order to receive a Certificate of Completion from the Delaware State Historic Preservation Officer that would entitle said person to a tax credit under this section, shall submit documentation of those qualified expenditures and project plans that would be required in order to qualify for tax credit under § 47 of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 47], whether or not such project would be eligible for such federal tax credit.
(c) Any person eligible for credits under this chapter may transfer, sell or assign any or all unused credits. If a certified historic property for which a certified rehabilitation has been completed is sold or transferred, the amount of any credit not used by the time of such sale or transfer may be transferred to the person to which the structure is sold or transferred.
(d) Except as otherwise provided, if the amount of credit allowed pursuant to this subchapter exceeds that total tax liability of the taxpayer for the tax year for which the credit is claimed, the amount of the credit not used as an offset against income or franchise taxes in said tax year shall not be refunded, but may be carried forward as a credit against subsequent years’ income or franchise tax liability for a period not exceeding 10 years, and shall be applied first to the earliest tax years possible.
(e) With respect to the tax credits awarded under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, no single certified rehabilitation of owner-occupied historic property may receive a tax credit in excess of $30,000. Owner-occupied historic properties may be eligible for multiple certified rehabilitations representing separate phases of rehabilitation of a certified historic property; provided, however, that following an initial credit award, any subsequent credit award shall be made not less than 24 months after any preceding credit award. With respect to tax credits awarded for qualifying expenditures by a resident curator, no single certified rehabilitation may receive a tax credit in excess of $5,000.
(f) Whenever any part of the certified rehabilitation of a residential property is determined under regulations promulgated by the State Office to be committed to low-income housing, subsection (a) of this section shall be applied with respect to such part by substituting “30%” for “20%” and “40%” for “30%” in said subsection.
(g) The Historic Preservation Tax Credit Act [73 Del. Laws, c. 6] is effective for an approval granted in a fiscal year that ends before June 30, 2030.
Source: DE Code (Official Site)URL: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title30/c018/sc02/index.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026