Building permits, zoning and land rules in Bon Homme County, South Dakota

At a glance

Building permit

Required for most regulated work in unincorporated areas¹

Zoning

County zoning applies²

Septic

State minimum standards; local rules may be stricter³

RV living

Not confirmed; ask the county building-permit office⁴

Tiny homes

No specific treatment confirmed; ask before buying or placing one⁴

Owner electrical work

Allowed for a qualifying owner-occupied residence or farmstead with a homeowner permit⁵

Private well

A state water-right permit may be required before drilling⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 27, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Bon Homme County, South Dakota?

Yes. In unincorporated Bon Homme County, a permit from the Zoning Administrator is required before a regulated building or structure is erected, moved, enlarged, removed, demolished, burned or put to a different use.¹ Concrete flatwork under 500 square feet is exempt when it is at or immediately above grade.¹

The application must be signed or approved in writing by the owner of record, and the county may require a site plan plus details about proposed buildings, uses, units and lot conditions.⁷ The county's fee schedule is posted in the Zoning Administrator's office, and an application or appeal does not proceed until required charges are paid.⁸ Ask the Bon Homme County building-permit office for the current form, fee and submittal instructions.⁴

Who issues permits in Bon Homme County, and how do you reach them?

The Bon Homme County office listed for building permits is at the county courthouse in Tyndall and can be reached at the phone number shown above.⁴ That office is the practical first call for a rural parcel because the county ordinance assigns permits to the Zoning Administrator.¹

Bon Homme County's ordinance does not publish one fixed application fee; instead, the current schedule is kept in the Zoning Administrator's office and can be changed only by the County Commission.⁸ We could not confirm a separate county construction-code ordinance, a routine building-inspection schedule or a certificate-of-occupancy rule. Ask the building-permit office which drawings, inspections and completion documents apply to the exact project before work begins.⁴ Electrical and plumbing approvals are separate state-regulated parts of a project.⁹¹⁰

Does Bon Homme County have zoning?

Bon Homme County has an adopted zoning ordinance administered through a Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission, so rural land should not be treated as unrestricted.² South Dakota law allows counties to regulate building size, lot occupancy, yards, density, and the location and use of buildings and land.¹¹

The material available for this guide did not confirm a general minimum dwelling size, a general building-height limit, a lot-coverage percentage or a countywide accessory-dwelling rule. Before buying, give the building-permit office the parcel location and intended uses—including a house, shop, farm building, second dwelling or temporary living arrangement—and ask which zoning district, setbacks and approvals apply.⁴ Farm buildings may be permitted uses in an agricultural district, but we could not confirm a blanket county permit exemption for agricultural structures; the county permit requirement should be the starting assumption.¹

How do septic permits work in Bon Homme County?

South Dakota DANR administers statewide minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems, and local governments may impose stricter requirements.³ DANR says to contact the department before installing a new onsite system except a conventional system serving an individual residence; other systems require state review, and works of sanitary significance require plans at least 30 days before construction.¹² The state septic contact and phone number are listed above.¹³

Only about 6.1% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so a buyer should make septic feasibility part of the purchase investigation rather than assuming a standard drain field will work.¹⁴ State rules also allow certain unconventional sanitation systems where water or electricity is unavailable, but systems other than vault privies are experimental and require approval before installation.¹⁵

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Bon Homme County?

We could not confirm a Bon Homme County rule that directly allows or prohibits long-term residential occupancy of an RV on private land. Ask the county building-permit office how the parcel's zoning district treats RV occupancy, utility hookups and living on site during construction before relying on an RV as housing.⁴

We also could not confirm a county definition or occupancy rule specifically for tiny homes, nor a general minimum dwelling floor area. A tiny house may still trigger the county permit requirement because the ordinance broadly covers erecting, moving, enlarging and changing the use of buildings or structures.¹ Septic rules still apply to onsite wastewater, and unconventional off-grid sanitation systems generally need state approval before installation.³¹⁵ Treat the structure, the proposed residential use and the sanitation plan as separate approval questions.

Building a home in Bon Homme County: what are the steps?

1. Call the Bon Homme County building-permit office with the parcel location, proposed use and structure type; ask for the zoning district, current application, fee schedule, setbacks and required plans.⁴⁸
2. Have the owner of record sign or approve the application in writing and prepare the site information the Zoning Administrator requests.⁷
3. Resolve wastewater early: confirm whether the proposed system is conventional and whether DANR review is required.¹²
4. Determine whether the planned well use needs a water-right permit before drilling.⁶
5. Obtain the county permit before starting regulated building work.¹
6. Arrange state electrical and plumbing requirements; electrical rough-in must be inspected before covering and final electrical inspection is required before occupancy.⁹¹⁰
7. Begin promptly because the county permit expires if work has not started within 180 days or is not substantially complete within two years.¹

What should you check before buying land in Bon Homme County?

Confirm zoning and buildability with the county before closing, especially when the plan includes an RV, tiny house, second dwelling or farm structure whose specific treatment could not be confirmed.⁴ Test septic feasibility early because only about 6.1% of county soils avoid a severe conventional-drain-field limitation.¹⁴

For water, determine whether the intended use requires a state water-right permit before a well is drilled.⁶ For access from a county road, ask the county highway office what approval or culvert standard applies; a county driveway-permit rule was not confirmed.¹⁶ Access onto a South Dakota state highway requires state permission, and construction cannot start until the access permit is issued.¹⁷ If mapping shows a floodplain, ask the county permit office which local process applies because participating communities require permits for floodplain development.¹⁸ The effective property-tax rate is about 1.2%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,499.¹⁹²⁰

Watch-outs

• A Bon Homme County permit can expire if work does not begin within 180 days or is not substantially complete within two years.¹
• Owner-performed electrical work is a limited licensing exemption, not an exemption from the homeowner permit or inspection requirements.⁵
• A state-highway driveway needs South Dakota Department of Transportation permission before construction starts.¹⁷
• Bon Homme County's RV occupancy, tiny-home treatment and general minimum dwelling size remain unconfirmed; ask the county building-permit office before purchase.⁴

Sources

1. Bon Homme County Zoning Ordinance No. 99-1, quoted and re-checked
2. Bon Homme County Zoning Ordinance No. 99-1 (filed with SD PUC) (2026 county census)
3. One-Stop Permitting and Regulation Guide (2025 Edition), quoted and re-checked
4. Bon Homme County Building Permits (tyndallsd.org)
5. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Homeowner Wiring (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. South Dakota Water Rights - Drilling a Well, quoted and re-checked
7. Bon Homme County Zoning Ordinance No. 99-1, quoted and re-checked
8. Bon Homme County Zoning Ordinance No. 99-1, quoted and re-checked
9. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Homeowner Wiring (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Inspections (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. 2000 Session Laws Chapter 69 — Planning and zoning statutes revised (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. One-Stop Permitting and Regulation Guide (2025 Edition), quoted and re-checked
13. South Dakota DANR On-Site Wastewater Systems (danr.sd.gov)
14. Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
15. Administrative Rule 74:53:01 — Individual and Small On-Site Wastewater Systems (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Bon Homme County Highway Department (tyndallsd.org)
17. Instructions: Applying for permission for driveway or intersection on a South Dakota state highway (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. National Flood Insurance Program (South Dakota statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written September 27, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.