Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Burke, South Dakota

Burke’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land in Burke city, South Dakota.

  • The listed districts apply to the incorporated areas of the city.

  “For the purpose of this chapter, the incorporated areas of the city are hereby divided into the following zoning districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  The incorporated areas of Burke city.

  • The code lists A Agricultural Land, R-1 Single Family Residential, R-2 General Residential, R-3 Mobile Home Park, C Central Commercial, C-1 Commercial Industrial, I Industrial, and FP Flood Plain districts.

  “For the purpose of this chapter, the incorporated areas of the city are hereby divided into the following zoning districts.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings and two-family dwellings in Burke's R-1 Single Family Residential District.

  • Two-family dwellings and their accessory buildings require a lot of at least 12,000 square feet, 100 feet wide, and 120 feet deep.

  minimum dwelling-lot area: >= 6000 square feet · minimum dwelling-lot width: >= 50 feet · minimum dwelling-lot depth: >= 120 feet

  “No dwelling together with its accessory buildings shall be hereafter erected upon a lot of less than 6,000 square feet or width of not less than 50 feet and depth of not less than 120 feet;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Permitted uses in Burke's A Agricultural Land District.

    “The minimum lot area for permitted uses shall be one acre;”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in Burke's R-1 Single Family Residential District.

  • Where a greater or lesser front setback is established in a block, a building may not approach a street lot line nearer than the general average setback determined by the Zoning Officer.
  • Accessory buildings may be within five feet of an alley.

  front-yard setback: >= 20 feet (subject to established block-average setback) · side-yard setback: >= 10 feet (each side of every building) · rear-yard setback: >= 25 feet (accessory buildings may be within five feet of an alley)

  “Front yard. There shall be a set back of not less than 20 feet from the front lot line as to all buildings, provided that when a greater or lesser set back distance than 20 feet has been established in any block, then no building shall approach nearer any street lot line than a general average of this set back distance as determined by the Zoning Officer;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Structures for permitted uses in Burke's A Agricultural Land District.

    “The location of any structure contained in the permitted uses must be located 75 feet from any public road or street right-of-way.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings and accessory buildings in Burke's R-1 Single Family Residential District.

  • Lot coverage includes a minimum area of 180 square feet of building area or lot area for automobile storage.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “Lot coverage. Dwelling and accessory buildings on any lot shall not cover more than 30% of the lot area. Lot coverage shall be computed to include minimum area of 180 square feet of building area or lot area for automobile storage;”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Burke or Gregory County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Burke city.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Burke city.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Burke city.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Burke city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Burke city.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Burke means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.