DE 17 serves to connect Selbyville with the Bethany Beach area.

The route is a two-lane undivided road that runs through flat areas of the Atlantic coastal plain its entire length.

Following a turn to the north, the route comes to its terminus at an intersection with DE 26 to the west of the town of Millville.

[3][4] In 2016, DE 17 had an annual average daily traffic count ranging from a high of 4,571 vehicles at the northern terminus at DE 26 to a low of 3,124 vehicles at the northern border of Selbyville.

[1] The portion of DE 17 between Daisey Road and Peppers Corner Road serves as part of a hurricane evacuation route from the coastal town of South Bethany, providing an alternate to DE 26 to the north.