(a) All locations and lines of roads and other actions of the County related to subdivision of land and opening of roads legally established in New Castle County prior to January 3, 1967, and legally established prior to the adoption of an ordinance establishing an official map in accordance with §§ 1154, 1307 and 1308 of this title, shall remain in full force and effect until changed in accordance with Chapter 11 of this title. Any county maps or records showing the locations and lines of roads, and dealing with other matters related to the subdivision of land, and legally established prior to January 3, 1967, shall continue in force and effect until changed in accordance with this chapter and Chapter 11 of this title.

(b) Pending the enactment of an ordinance establishing the location and lines of roads in accordance with Chapter 11 of this title and this chapter, changes in locations and lines of roads, legally established, and in the locations and lines of new roads shall be recorded only after approval by the County Council and shall be presented to the Department for review before such changes or new locations and lines are adopted by the County Council. Such changes, or new locations and lines shall also be presented to the State Department of Transportation for approval before being adopted by the County Council, provided that the approval of the State Department of Transportation shall be presumed should the County Council have received no communication to the contrary within 30 days of submission of the changes or new locations and lines to the State Department of Transportation. The approval of a plan or proposal by the County Council to make changes in locations and lines of existing roads or creating new roads shall, when recorded, be deemed and taken as an acceptance of the intended locations and lines of roads, but shall not impose any duty upon the County Council or upon the State Department of Transportation respecting the maintenance or improvement thereof.

(c) No plat of land changing locations and lines of roads legally established, or creating locations and lines of new roads, shall be received or recorded by the Recorder of Deeds of New Castle County until the plat shall have been submitted to and approved by the Department and the County Council and such approvals are endorsed in writing on the plat by the general manager and the President of the County Council. The filing or recording of a plat without the approval of the general manager of the Department of Land Use and the County Council shall, upon application of the general manager of the Department of Land Use or the County Council to the Superior Court in and for New Castle County, be expunged from the records.

(d) The County Council may prescribe a schedule of fees based on the cost to the County for considering proposed plats to be paid by those submitting the plats. The County Council may prescribe reasonable rules and regulations governing the size and character of plats to be submitted for consideration and the information to appear on the plats and the markers, boundary stones or stations to be installed.

(e) Pending the enactment of an ordinance establishing an official map or regulating the development or subdivision of land as provided by this chapter, the Department shall approve or disapprove a plat within 40 days after the submission thereof; otherwise, such plat shall be deemed to have been approved and a certificate to that effect shall be issued by the Department on demand. Such period may be extended by mutual agreement between the Department and the applicant for the Department’s approval. The grounds of disapproval of any plat shall be stated upon the records of the Department and a copy of such statement shall be furnished to the applicant. No plat shall be acted upon by the Department without affording a hearing thereon. Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be sent by registered mail to such applicant not less than 5 days before the date fixed therefor. In the application the applicant may waive the requirement of such hearing and notice.

9 Del. C. 1953, § 1349; 55 Del. Laws, c. 85, § 2; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 401, § 59.