Building permits and land rules in McPherson County, South Dakota

Yes. Unincorporated McPherson County requires a building/use permit before a building or structure is erected, moved, enlarged, structurally altered or used¹. The requirement also reaches accessory buildings and excavation, filling, grading, lagooning or dredging done to prepare a future construction site¹. Field crops and grasslands are exempt from the building permit in the Agricultural Land District, but that narrow exemption does not cover every farm building or agricultural activity¹. Apply to the county Zoning Officer with a scaled site plan showing existing and proposed buildings, intended uses and utilities¹. A nonconforming proposal may also need administrative review, a conditional use or a variance¹. McPherson County expressly requires cannabis establishments to conform to the International Building Code, but we could not confirm a generally adopted county building code for an ordinary home; ask Planning & Zoning which construction standards apply¹.

McPherson County Planning & Zoning accepts building permit applications and makes printed building, drainage, variance and conditional-use forms available in its office⁶. Planning & Zoning is a function of the Equalization Office in the McPherson County Courthouse⁶. Reach the office at 605-439-3663 or mail P.O. Box 50, Leola, SD 57456⁶. The published building-permit fee is $25 for projects costing from $0 through $999,999; projects costing $1,000,000 or more are charged $100 per million, and fees are reviewed each January⁷. The Zoning Officer grants or denies a complete building/use permit application within a reasonable time¹. We could not confirm a routine county inspection schedule or separate certificate-of-occupancy process, so ask the office what inspections and closeout documents your project needs.

McPherson County zoning applies in unincorporated areas, but the mapped area within generally one mile of Eureka is under City of Eureka jurisdiction¹. The county districts are Agricultural, Commercial/Industrial, Lake Park and Town, and the Official Zoning Map controls where they apply¹. In the Agricultural Land District, eligible building lots for permitted uses generally need at least 2 acres, subject to the ordinance's stated exception¹. Agricultural District buildings generally need a 150-foot front setback and 25-foot side and rear setbacks; corner lots have front yards on both streets, and the Board sets conditional-use setbacks¹. Principal buildings there generally may not exceed 35 feet, although the ordinance lists exceptions¹. Town District residential minimums depend on utilities: 20,000 square feet with public water and septic, 43,560 with a well and septic, or 9,600 with public water and sewer¹. A manufactured home must have more than 700 square feet of occupied space and be at least 14 feet wide¹. A modular home must have more than 1,000 square feet in a ranch style or 850 square feet in a split style, and sit on a permanent foundation¹. We could not confirm a minimum floor area for site-built homes or a countywide lot-coverage limit.

South Dakota DANR administers the statewide minimum requirements for individual and small on-site wastewater systems, while local governments may impose stricter requirements³. McPherson County identifies DANR rather than a county septic authority for on-site wastewater systems, so county Planning & Zoning issues the building/use permit while the state sets the septic rules². For any plat in the Lake Park District, the developer must provide for a DANR-approved sewage system before plat approval, and individual on-site systems must meet the state rules¹. Contact the DANR On-Site Wastewater Systems Program at (605) 773-4647 about installation plans and the review required for a proposed system². We could not confirm whether every conventional residential system follows a general permit or inspection process, so settle that question with DANR and county Planning & Zoning before installation. About 59.6% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field; that countywide figure cannot replace a parcel-level soil and site evaluation⁸. South Dakota also requires installers of individual and small wastewater systems to be certified².

We could not confirm a McPherson County rule that directly allows or prohibits long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy. Because unincorporated land is zoned, ask McPherson County Planning & Zoning whether the parcel's district permits the proposed dwelling and whether a building/use permit, conditional use or variance is required¹. For land in the mapped area under Eureka's jurisdiction, direct the same zoning questions to the City of Eureka; septic rules there are still the state's^1,3. A structure sold as a tiny home may face a specific dimensional rule if it is classified as a manufactured home: manufactured homes must contain more than 700 square feet of occupied space and be at least 14 feet wide¹. In a county-regulated private campground, no manufactured home is allowed except one used as the campground office¹. An off-grid sanitation plan is separate: when water or electricity is unavailable, state rules allow specified unconventional systems, with advance approval required for specified experimental systems⁹.

1. Ask McPherson County Planning & Zoning to confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning district and allowed use; the mapped area near Eureka is handled by the city¹.

1. Check the district's lot, setback and height standards before designing the home¹.

1. If land must be divided, discuss the subdivision with the Board of County Commissioners before proceeding with the plat¹.

1. Prepare the scaled site plan and building, use and utility information required with the county building/use permit application¹.

1. Resolve any conditional use or variance before construction¹.

1. Contact DANR about septic design, installation-plan review and installer requirements; a Lake Park plat must provide for a DANR-approved sewage system before approval^1,2,3.

1. Determine whether the well use needs a water-right permit; when one applies, approval must come before drilling¹⁰.

1. Obtain state electrical and plumbing approvals. Qualifying resident owners may wire their own home under the homeowner process, but a permit and inspections still apply^4,11.

Start with jurisdiction and zoning: the county's Official Zoning Map controls unincorporated zoning status, while the mapped area near Eureka is under city jurisdiction¹. Check access before closing. We could not confirm the county's own driveway rule, but a new or modified connection to a South Dakota state highway needs state permission before construction starts¹². Water needs advance planning: domestic use generally avoids a water-right permit unless it exceeds 25,920 gallons per day or a peak rate of 25 gallons per minute⁵. The county averages about 21 inches of precipitation annually and has experienced severe drought in about 10.3% of years⁸. Typical farmland value is about $2,389 per acre, while the effective property-tax rate is about 1.6% and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,218⁸.