The purpose of this chapter is to standardize the procedures and methods whereby certain state agencies exercise their statutory powers and to specify the manner and extent to which action by such agencies may be subjected to public comment and judicial review.

60 Del. Laws, c. 585, §  1;  62 Del. Laws, c. 301, §  2;  71 Del. Laws, c. 48, §  7; 

As used in this chapter:

(1) “Agency” means any authority, department, instrumentality, commission, officer, board or other unit of the state government authorized by law to make regulations, decide cases or issue licenses. Agency does not include the General Assembly, courts, municipalities, counties, school districts, the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College and other political subdivisions, joint state-federal, interstate or intermunicipal authorities and their agencies.

(2) “Agency action” means either an agency’s regulation or case decision, which could be a basis for the imposition of injunctive orders, penal or civil sanctions of any kind or the grant or denial of relief or of a license, right or benefit by any agency or court, or both.

(3) “Case” or “case decision” means any agency proceeding or determination that a named party as a matter of past or present fact, or of threatened or contemplated private action, is or is not in violation of a law or regulation, or is or is not in compliance with any existing requirement for obtaining a license or other right or benefit. Such administrative adjudications include, without limitation, those of a declaratory nature respecting the payment of money or resulting in injunctive relief requiring a named party to act or refrain from acting or threatening to act in some way required or forbidden by law or regulation under which the agency is operating.

(4) “Court” means the Superior Court of the State except for appeals from the Division of Child Support Services, which will be heard by the Family Court of the State.

(5) “License” means the whole or part of any agency permit, certificate, approval, registration, charter or similar form of permission required by law, but it does not include a license required solely for revenue purposes.

(6) “Party” means each person or agency named or admitted in an agency proceeding as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party to an agency proceeding.

(7) “Regulation” means any statement of law, procedure, policy, right, requirement or prohibition formulated and promulgated by an agency as a rule or standard, or as a guide for the decision of cases thereafter by it or by any other agency, authority or court. Such statements do not include locally operative highway signs or markers, or an agency’s explanation of or reasons for its decision of a case, advisory ruling or opinion given upon a hypothetical or other stated fact situation or terms of an injunctive order or license.

(8) “Subordinate” means either:

a. One or more but less than a quorum of the members of a board constituting an agency; or

b. Any person or persons designated in writing to act on its behalf.

(9) “Substantive” or “substantive in nature” means, when used in connection with regulations, those regulations allowing, requiring or forbidding conduct in which private persons are otherwise free or prohibited to engage, or regulations which state requirements, other than procedural, for obtaining, retaining or renewing a license or any kind of benefit or recompense.

60 Del. Laws, c. 585, §  1;  62 Del. Laws, c. 301, §  2;  65 Del. Laws, c. 228, §  9;  70 Del. Laws, c. 90, §  1;  73 Del. Laws, c. 401, §  1;  80 Del. Laws, c. 234, §  29;