Beadle County’s Planning & Zoning Office issues building permits everywhere in the county except the City of Huron, under Zoning Ordinance 2017-1. You file a two-page county form with a scaled site plan at the courthouse in Huron; the permit is good for 12 months, and electrical and plumbing permits come from the state commissions.
When does Beadle County require a permit?
The county zoning ordinance says no building or other structure may be erected, moved, added to, structurally altered or put to use without a permit from the county Zoning Officer. Digging the foundation for any building or accessory building needs the permit first, and so does filling, grading, lagooning or dredging done to prepare a site for building.
County building permit
- New houses, including farm and non-farm homes
- Commercial buildings
- Additions and remodels that change the structure
- Accessory buildings, residential and agricultural
- Site filling or grading for future construction
Separate county approvals
- Moving a building (moving permit)
- Conditional uses and variances
- Floodplain development
- Drainage work (county Drainage Board)
- Concentrated animal feeding operations
- A driveway onto a county highway
The form asks whether the building is for agricultural or non-agricultural use, and whether the job is new, a remodel or an addition, residential or commercial.
Who issues building permits in Beadle County?
The Planning & Zoning Office, led by Planning & Zoning Administrator Kim Eichstadt, issues county building permits and 911 addresses, reviews site plans and CAFO applications, investigates zoning complaints and helps owners with plats, rezonings, conditional use permits and variances. The county’s building inspector is reached on 605-353-8512, the City of Huron’s inspections line, and the county pays the City of Huron each quarter for building inspector services.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Beadle County Planning & Zoning |
| Address | 450 3rd St SW, Suite 104, Huron, SD 57350 (Beadle County Courthouse) |
| Phone / fax | 605-353-8408 / 605-353-8410 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Building inspector | 605-353-8512 |
Cities and towns in Beadle County
The county ordinance covers the unincorporated county and the incorporated towns listed below. When a county permit is issued inside one of those towns, the applicant must show that the town was notified and that any permit the town requires was obtained.
| Community | Building permits |
|---|---|
| Huron | City of Huron Inspections Department, 605-353-8512; the county does not issue permits inside city limits |
| Wolsey | Wolsey Town Zoning Board, on application to the Zoning Board Secretary (town office 605-883-4710); the county ordinance also covers Wolsey |
| Broadland, Cavour, Hitchcock, Virgil, Yale, and the Beadle County parts of Iroquois and Wessington | Beadle County Planning & Zoning under the county zoning ordinance; the county permit applies, so ask the town office whether the town also requires one |
Most of Iroquois lies in Kingsbury County, and a small part of Wessington lies in Hand County; those parts are outside Beadle County’s ordinance.
Beadle County forms and applications
The county has no online portal. Its forms are posted on the Permits & Forms page and are filed with Planning & Zoning at the courthouse:
- Beadle County Building Permit: owner, job address, town or township, legal description, building, concrete, electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors, building material, value of the work, intended use and a site sketch on page 2.
- Moving Permit: decided by the county Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment, with a drawing of property lines and setbacks.
- Conditional Use Permit and Variance Request: heard by the county Board of Adjustment.
- Floodplain Development Permit: asks for the watercourse, floodway or fringe location, base flood elevation and the required lowest-floor elevation.
- Drainage application to the Beadle County Drainage Board, and a CAFO application for animal feeding operations.
- Driveway and Construction Permit and Utility Occupancy Permit from the Highway Department for work on county highways.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Beadle County permit fees
The ordinance has the County Commission set building permit fees by resolution and post the schedule in the Zoning Officer’s office; the building permit form has a fee line but no printed amount, so the office quotes it when you apply. The fees printed on the county’s other forms are:
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Moving permit | $100 |
| Conditional use permit | $100 |
| Driveway and construction permit (county highway) | $50; $100 fine for building an entrance without one |
| Building without a permit | The building permit fee is doubled, plus a civil fine of $20 a day |
No application is acted on until every fee is paid.
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work
The county permit form lists the electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors and has rough-in and final lines for each trade, but the electrical permit and inspection come from the South Dakota Electrical Commission and the plumbing permit from the South Dakota Plumbing Commission. Huron and Beadle County are not among the places where a city runs its own electrical or plumbing inspections.
What to submit
- The completed county building permit form, signed by the applicant.
- A site plan drawn to scale showing the lot, nearby roads, existing and proposed buildings and their distances to the lot lines.
- The water source and sewage disposal areas, including those on neighboring lots.
- The existing and intended use of every building, or a written statement of a change of use.
- For a new house in the agricultural district, a recorded Right to Farm covenant (see below).
- For a lake lot at Lake Byron, a plot plan approved by the county before the permit is issued.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Plans and data filed with the permit are final, and building something different needs a new permit.
How to get a Beadle County building permit
Huron issues its own permits, and Wolsey also requires a town permit from its Zoning Board.
Use the county, small-town and Lake Byron zoning maps on the Planning & Zoning page to find the setbacks and lot rules that apply.
A conditional use, variance, plat or moving permit goes to the Planning Commission or Board of Adjustment before the building permit.
For a new residence or non-farm structure in the agricultural district, sign and record the Right to Farm covenant with the Register of Deeds.
Bring the form, site sketch and town permit (if the town requires one) to Planning & Zoning and pay the fee.
Display the permit where it can be seen from the road, and call the building inspector at each stage listed on the form.
Inspections and certificate of occupancy
Page 2 of the permit says owners, general contractors or subcontractors must notify the building inspector (605-353-8512) at each stage: footing or slab, foundation wall, framing, insulation before it is covered, drywall or plaster, grading and landscaping, and final. A certificate of occupancy must be issued before anyone moves into the building.
The permit expires if work has not started within 6 months or is not substantially complete within a year. If substantial progress was made in the first 12 months, the Zoning Officer may extend it once by 6 months.
Rather not deal with the Beadle County building department?
Get a free quote →Local Beadle County rules that shape a project
Agricultural district: a house needs at least 5 acres, 300 feet of frontage and a 75-foot setback from the right-of-way, and density is one house per 40 acres unless more homes are needed for farm workers. Any new residence or non-farm structure must have a Right to Farm covenant recorded with the Register of Deeds.
Waterways and flooding: no building may go within 100 feet of the high-water mark of a natural drainage way or in the flood-prone area of the James River. Floodplain work needs a county Floodplain Development Permit.
Lake Byron: the Lake Front Residential district needs a 30-foot setback (or the neighbors’ average) from the normal high-water mark of 1,250.0 feet, a 15-foot front yard and 7-foot side yards, and the lowest floor must sit 3 feet above the highest known water level. Moving a building in requires a moving permit, posting, notice to neighbors within 150 feet and a Board of Adjustment hearing, and the building must be brought up to code within a year.
Septic systems: every residence and business files a septic system plan with the county, and systems must meet state rules. At Lake Byron a certified contractor installs the system after the county Planning Commission approves a plot plan, lots under 20,000 sq ft may have only a sealed holding tank, and the system is inspected before the property is sold.
Around Huron: a joint jurisdictional area of about 2 miles outside the city is zoned jointly by the Huron and Beadle County planning commissions. Agricultural-fringe land follows county rules there, while land zoned residential, commercial or industrial follows the city’s zoning ordinance. Wolsey shares a similar 1.5-mile joint area with the county.
Road approaches: a new approach needs a permit from the county Highway Superintendent, the town board or the township board, depending on who maintains the road.
South Dakota building code
South Dakota has no state-enforced building code: each city or county decides whether to adopt one. The state Electrical and Plumbing Commissions permit and inspect those trades, except in a few cities that run their own inspections. South Dakota rules
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official Beadle County permitting resources
- Beadle County Planning & Zoning (contacts and zoning maps)
- Beadle County Permits & Forms
- Beadle County Zoning Ordinance 2017-1
- Beadle County Building Permit form
- Beadle County Moving Permit ($100)
- Beadle County Driveway and Construction Permit
- Beadle County Floodplain Development Permit
- Wolsey town ordinances (Title 3, building permits)
- City of Huron Inspections & Planning
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission
- South Dakota Electrical Commission
Beadle County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Beadle County?
The Beadle County Planning & Zoning Office at the courthouse in Huron (605-353-8408), for all land outside the City of Huron.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a county permit for a farm building?
Yes. The form covers agricultural and non-agricultural buildings, and the ordinance requires a permit for any structure that is built, moved, added to or structurally altered.
How much is a Beadle County building permit?
The building permit fee is set by County Commission resolution and quoted by Planning & Zoning. A moving permit and a conditional use permit are $100 each, and a driveway permit on a county highway is $50.
How long is the permit good for?
12 months from the issue date. It expires if work has not begun within 6 months, and the Zoning Officer can add 6 months if substantial progress was made.
What happens if I build without a permit?
The permit fee is doubled and a civil fine of $20 a day can be charged for each day of the violation.
I live in Wolsey or Cavour. Who issues my permit?
Wolsey issues a town permit through its Zoning Board, and the county ordinance also applies there. Cavour and the other small towns are under the county ordinance, so file with the county and ask the town office whether the town also requires a permit.
Who inspects electrical and plumbing work?
The South Dakota Electrical Commission and Plumbing Commission, which issue those permits separately from the county.
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More South Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Beadle County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.