Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-07-01
11 of South Dakota's 66 counties — 17% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 21st-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Custer County (68/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 969 counties nationwide → South Dakota: no building codes → South Dakota: no codes, no zoning → Full South Dakota profile →
11 of 66 South Dakota counties · sorted by Index score
County FAQ states plainly: 'Currently, there is no zoning or building codes in Custer County.'
Custer County Planning & Economic Development ↗No planning and zoning department or countywide zoning ordinance appears in Tripp County's official directory or website.
Tripp County Department Directory ↗County states 'Outside of Edgemont and Hot Springs There is no planning and zoning' in unincorporated Fall River County.
Fall River County SD - Planning & Zoning ↗No planning and zoning department is listed among Corson County's offices and no county zoning ordinance is published; inferred no county zoning.
Corson County SD - Official Website (Departments) ↗Jones County's listed government offices include no planning or zoning department, and county zoning is optional under SDCL 11-2, indicating no county zoning ordinance in this l…
Jones County Government Offices (Murdo, SD) ↗No zoning ordinance appears among the county's adopted ordinances (only building-permit, drainage, and other ordinances are listed).
Charles Mix County - County Ordinances ↗The county's official Planning & Zoning page states Oglala Lakota County does not currently have any planning or zoning regulations in place for any of the fee land.
Oglala Lakota County - Planning & Zoning ↗No planning & zoning department or zoning ordinance is listed among the county's official departments.
Ziebach County - Home ↗Campbell County had no county zoning as of the wind-farm zoning debate (commission chair: 'we have no regulations at all'); a temporary zoning ordinance was proposed in 2019 but…
KELOLAND News - Campbell County Considers Zoning ↗Buffalo County's official department list includes no planning and zoning office, and no countywide zoning ordinance was found; zoning is a local-option power in South Dakota.
Buffalo County, South Dakota - County Offices ↗No county planning/zoning department or zoning ordinance is evident for Haakon County; zoning appears limited to the City of Philip.
Haakon County, SD - Official County Site ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the South Dakota state page for all 66 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
