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

Castlewood’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering buildings inside Castlewood city (zoning/building-use permit issued by the city's administrative official)

  • Permit must conform to the zoning ordinance
  • Excavation, filling, grading, lagooning or dredging for site preparation also needs a permit
  • No permit needed for shingling, replacement siding, window replacement, exterior painting, and interior improvements not moving load-bearing walls
  • Fences require a building permit (Sec. 4.02.01)
  • Starting work without a permit incurs an administrative fee of 100% to 200% of the permit fee

  “no building or other structure shall be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a permit issued by the administrative official.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Castlewood city limits (Hamlin County, SD)

  • Land annexed after adoption is automatically placed in the A agricultural district until rezoned

  ordinance: 2023-17

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall apply to all territory within the boundaries of the city of castlewood, south dakota, as established on the official zoning map of the city of castlewood.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Castlewood city zoning districts

  • FP flood plain overlay district applies on top of the underlying districts

  “"a" agricultural district "r1" single family residential district "r2" general residential district "r3" r3 manufactured home residential district "c1" central commercial district "hc" highway commercial district "i" industrial district "pud" planned unit development district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A agricultural district, single-family residential, inside Castlewood city

  • Table is extracted from PDF text; verify column alignment

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft

  “minimum lot area minimum lot width 43,560 square feet 150' to be determined by the board of adjustment maximum height maximum percent lot coverage 35' 10% 75' 45' na 10%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R1 single family residential district, single-family dwelling, inside Castlewood city

    “minimum lot area minimum lot width maximum height maximum percent lot coverage 6,000 square feet 6,000 square feet/dwelling unit 50' 100' 35' 35' 35% 40%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A agricultural district inside Castlewood city

  • Table extracted from PDF text; verify alignment

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent

  “minimum lot area minimum lot width 43,560 square feet 150' to be determined by the board of adjustment maximum height maximum percent lot coverage 35' 10% 75' 45' na 10%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R1 single family residential district inside Castlewood city

    “minimum lot area minimum lot width maximum height maximum percent lot coverage 6,000 square feet 6,000 square feet/dwelling unit 50' 100' 35' 35' 35% 40%”

• Building heightSpecified

  A agricultural district principal building inside Castlewood city

  • Towers/steeples 75 ft
  • Table extracted from PDF text; verify alignment

  maximum height, principal building: <= 35 ft (towers/steeples 75 ft)

  “minimum lot area minimum lot width 43,560 square feet 150' to be determined by the board of adjustment maximum height maximum percent lot coverage 35' 10% 75' 45' na 10%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R1 single family residential district inside Castlewood city

    “* maximum height for steeples and towers shall be seventy-five (75) feet”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside Castlewood city

  • R1 is for site-built and modular dwellings; manufactured homes are provided for in R2 and R3 districts
  • Replacement of existing Type I/II manufactured homes with larger units needs a conditional use permit

  “the purpose of the "r3" manufactured home residential district is to permit the development of a broad variety of housing types with the emphasis being on multiple-family and manufactured residential home park development.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building/use permit applications inside Castlewood city

  • Application content is published; fee schedule not found in the ordinance text reviewed

  “all applications for permits shall be accompanied by a site plan which may be required to be drawn to scale, showing the actual dimensions and shape of the lot to be built upon;”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Castlewood city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Castlewood city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Castlewood city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Castlewood city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Castlewood 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.