Building permits, zoning and land rules 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 use¹. Concrete flatwork under 500 square feet is exempt when it is at or immediately above grade¹.

The owner of record must sign or approve the application in writing, and the Zoning Administrator may require a site plan and details about the proposed buildings, uses, units and lot¹. The fee schedule is posted in the Zoning Administrator's office, and no application or appeal moves forward until all fees, charges and expenses are paid¹. Ask the Bon Homme County building-permit office for the current form, fee and submittal instructions³.

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 above³. The Zoning Administrator administers and enforces the county zoning ordinance for unincorporated land¹. The Planning Commission serves as the Board of Adjustment for conditional uses, variances and zoning appeals¹.

The current fee schedule is kept in the Zoning Administrator's office and may be changed only by the County Commission¹. The Zoning Administrator has enforcement inspection authority, but we could not confirm a routine construction-inspection schedule or certificate-of-occupancy rule¹. Ask the county building-permit office which drawings, inspections and completion documents apply before work begins³. Electrical and plumbing approvals are separate state-regulated parts of a project^4,6.

Bon Homme County zoning covers unincorporated land but excludes Avon, Scotland, Springfield, Tabor and Tyndall, where municipal rules must be checked separately¹. The county ordinance establishes Agricultural, Rural Residential, Platted Town Site Residential and Rural Commercial districts, and the official zoning map controls a parcel's current classification¹.

For a single-family, manufactured or modular home, AG generally requires 5 acres and 250 feet of frontage; RR requires 1 acre and 150 feet of width; and PTR requires 2,500 square feet, 25 feet of width and 100 feet of depth¹. RR setbacks are 75 feet in front and 25 feet at the rear and each side; PTR setbacks are 25 feet in front and 5 feet at the rear and each side¹. In the Rural Commercial district, the minimum lot is 1 acre and 150 feet wide, with 75-foot front and 25-foot rear and side setbacks¹. No general minimum dwelling floor area was confirmed.

South Dakota DANR administers statewide minimum standards for onsite wastewater systems, and local governments may impose stricter requirements². 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 construction². Septic rules stay with the state and any stricter local rule even inside Avon, Scotland, Springfield, Tabor and Tyndall; the DANR On-Site Wastewater Systems contact is listed above^2,7.

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 work⁸. 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 installation⁹.

We could not confirm a Bon Homme County rule that directly allows or prohibits long-term residential occupancy of one RV on private land. In AG, premises with 2 or more camping units count as a campground and unlisted uses are prohibited; in RC, a campground requires conditional-use approval from the Board of Adjustment¹. Ask the building-permit office about one RV, utility hookups and temporary occupancy during construction³.

Bon Homme County permits manufactured homes as principal uses in AG, RR and PTR, subject to each district's lot, yard, permit and other requirements¹. A tiny house has no confirmed county-specific classification or minimum floor area, but moving or erecting a structure still triggers the broad permit rule¹. For commercial or other nonresidential buildings, South Dakota's default design standard is the 2024 International Building Code where the local government has not adopted its own, but that default excludes residential structures, manufactured homes and farmsteads¹⁰. South Dakota's 2009 residential energy code is voluntary and does not establish a comprehensive county residential building code¹¹.

1. Call the Bon Homme County building-permit office with the parcel location and proposed use; confirm the zoning district, lot standards, setbacks, current fee and required plans^1,3.
2. Have the owner of record sign or approve the application in writing and prepare the requested site plan and project information¹.
3. Resolve wastewater early by confirming whether the system is conventional and whether DANR review is required².
4. Determine whether the planned well use needs a water-right permit before drilling; a new domestic well also requires water sampling⁵.
5. Obtain the county permit before starting regulated building work¹.
6. Arrange state electrical and plumbing requirements; electrical rough-in must be inspected before covering and final electrical inspection is required before occupancy^4,6.
7. Start within 180 days and substantially complete the work within 2 years to avoid permit expiration¹.

Confirm whether the parcel is inside the county jurisdiction and identify its zoning district before closing, because lot sizes and setbacks differ sharply by district¹. A Rural Commercial lot requires at least 1 acre and 150 feet of width, with 75 feet in front and 25 feet at the rear and each side for buildings and structures¹. Test septic feasibility early because only about 6.1% of county soils avoid a severe conventional-drain-field limitation⁸.

For water, determine whether the intended use requires a state water-right permit before drilling, and plan to sample a new domestic well⁵. For county-road access, ask the highway office what approval or culvert standard applies because we could not confirm a county driveway-permit rule³. A South Dakota state-highway driveway requires state permission before construction starts¹². Ask the building-permit office about the local floodplain process if mapping shows flood risk³.