Outside city and town limits, Roberts County’s Zoning Department at 411 2nd Avenue East in Sisseton (605-698-3205) issues the building/use permit required before any building is put up, moved, enlarged or structurally altered. The fee comes from the county’s table of estimated project values, from $25 for work under $5,000 to $750 for a $300,000 project, and every new home needs a recorded Right to Farm Notice Covenant.
What needs a Roberts County permit?
Under Section 1702 of the zoning ordinance, no building may be erected, moved, added to, structurally altered or put to a new use without a permit from the Zoning Administrator. Excavating for a building, and filling, grading, lagooning or dredging to prepare a site, also need a permit.
Permit needed
- New houses and garages
- Additions and alterations
- Accessory buildings and grain bins
- Moving a building onto a site
- Demolition and excavation
- Fences and walls, except customary farm and animal fencing in the Agricultural District
Lot rules on the form
- A house in the Agricultural District needs a site of at least 3 acres
- A house in the Lake Front district needs 20,000 sq ft, unless it is a lot of record
- Commercial and industrial sites need 5 acres, unless a lot of record
- New homes need a recorded Right to Farm Notice Covenant or a CAFO waiver
State law now bars counties from requiring a permit to repair or replace with something substantially similar the fence panels or posts, siding, gutters, soffits, fascia, or same-size doors and windows of an owner-occupied detached single-family home, unless it is a designated historic property.
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Get a free quote →Who issues permits in Roberts County?
The Zoning Department administers the zoning ordinance in the unincorporated county, as mapped on the Official Zoning Map, and issues building/use permits signed by the county zoning officer. It is at 411 2nd Avenue East, Sisseton, SD 57262 (605-698-3205, rc-zoning@robertscosd.gov), open 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Variances, conditional uses and permit extensions go to the Board of Adjustment.
| Place | Permit office |
|---|---|
| Sisseton | City of Sisseton: a permit is needed whenever a structure is moved, erected, added to or structurally altered; City Business Office, 605-698-3391 |
| Wilmot, Rosholt, New Effington, Summit, Peever, Corona, Claire City, Ortley and White Rock | Outside county zoning; the published sources do not say whether these towns require a permit, so ask each town’s finance office |
| Unincorporated land | Roberts County Zoning Department |
Roberts County includes land of the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. For a parcel held in trust, contact the tribe’s Tribal Realty office, which handles home sites and rights-of-way (tribal offices 605-698-3911), and the BIA Sisseton Agency at Agency Village (605-698-7676), which serves about 108,589 acres of trust land.
The building/use permit application
Roberts County uses one Building/Use Permit Application, revised in 2026, for houses, garages, alterations and additions, accessory buildings, moving, demolition, excavation and grain bins. It asks for the legal description, parcel number, zoning district, the new structure’s size, foundation, roofing, heating, basement and siding, the estimated construction cost including labor, and the intended use. The contractor, applicant and owner all sign, and signing allows zoning and equalization staff to visit the site.
New homes also need the county’s Right to Farm Notice Covenant, recorded with the Register of Deeds with a copy given to the Zoning Department. On June 23, 2026 the County Commission approved buying Civic Review software for building permits in the zoning office; the posted application is the 2026 PDF form.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Roberts County permit fees
The building permit fee is read from the county’s Permit Fee Schedule, a table of estimated project values set by Resolution 2017-38 and posted on the Planning and Zoning page. Sample rows:
| Estimated value | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $0 – $4,999 | $25 |
| $10,000 | $35 |
| $50,000 | $100 |
| $100,000 | $350 |
| $200,000 | $550 |
| $300,000 | $750 |
| $400,000 | $950 |
| $500,000 | $1,150 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,650 |
The table runs in $1,000 steps up to $1,319,000 ($1,979). The same schedule sets hearing fees, each with $100 non-refundable: a variance $500, a conditional use $300 and a rezoning $500; a plat costs $100 and a special hearing $400. Applying after work has started adds an administrative fee equal to the normal fee if the permit is filed within seven working days of the county’s notice, and twice the fee after that.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing and septic work
The county application includes an acknowledgment that electrical and plumbing permits come from the State of South Dakota: the South Dakota Electrical Commission and the South Dakota Plumbing Commission.
Private sewage systems follow the state’s onsite wastewater rules (ARSD 74:53:01). The permit application needs a letter or estimate from the system’s installer confirming it will be or was built to those rules, and the zoning ordinance asks for the name of the certified installer supervising the work.
What to submit
- The completed Building/Use Permit Application with the estimated construction cost.
- Building plans, which the county prefers, or a sketch showing north, the new structure’s size and location on the lot, street names, existing buildings, front and side setbacks and distances to property lines.
- Proof the site meets the district’s minimum lot size (3 acres for a farm-zone house, 20,000 sq ft at the lake, 5 acres for commercial or industrial).
- For a new home, the recorded Right to Farm Notice Covenant or a CAFO waiver.
- For a moved-in building, the signatures required by Section 1617 of the zoning ordinance.
- The septic installer’s letter or estimate.
The 2026 application says a permit is void unless substantial progress is made within six months of issue, and a project running past one year needs an extension request to the Board of Adjustment; the zoning ordinance itself lets an unstarted permit stand for 12 months.
Local Roberts County details
Lake Front district: a single-family lot needs at least 20,000 sq ft, 50 feet of road frontage and 75 feet of shoreline. Buildings sit at least 50 feet from the high-water mark, 7 feet from side lines, and 50 feet from federal and state highways or 30 feet from other roads, measured from the eaves, and the lowest floor must be at least 3 feet above the highest known water level. Drain fields stay at least 80 feet from the shoreline, and lots under 20,000 sq ft without central sewer must use sealed holding tanks.
Rather not deal with the Roberts County building department?
Get a free quote →Garage limits (Ordinance 35): a garage on a lake-front lot may be up to 36 by 48 feet with 14-foot sidewalls, and on back or non-lake-front lots up to 40 by 60 feet with 16-foot sidewalls, matching the house’s design and siding. Anything larger needs a conditional use permit with the adjoining owners’ signatures.
Sisseton permits: the City charges $15 for a residential permit and $50 for a commercial one; its Zoning Board reviews applications on the Friday before the second Monday, and the City Council approves them at its second-Monday meeting.
Tribal contracting: the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate’s Tribal Employment Rights Office (605-698-3549) enforces Indian preference in employment and contracting for businesses operating on the reservation.
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 Roberts County permit resources
- Roberts County Planning and Zoning
- Roberts County Building/Use Permit Application (2026)
- Roberts County Permit Fee Schedule (Resolution 2017-38)
- Roberts County Right to Farm Notice Covenant (2026)
- Roberts County Zoning Ordinance
- Roberts County Ordinance 35, lake district building sizes
- City of Sisseton ordinances, licenses and permits
- Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Realty
- Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sisseton Agency
- South Dakota Electrical Commission
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission
Roberts County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Roberts County?
The county Zoning Department in Sisseton (605-698-3205) for unincorporated land. The City of Sisseton issues its own permits, through its Business Office at 605-698-3391.
How much is a building permit in Roberts County?
It depends on the estimated project value: $25 under $5,000, $350 at $100,000 and $750 at $300,000, under Resolution 2017-38.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a permit for a fence?
Yes, for fences and walls, except customary farm and animal fencing in the Agricultural District. Like-for-like replacement of fence panels or posts at an owner-occupied single-family home needs none under state law.
What is the Right to Farm Notice Covenant?
A covenant every new home must record with the Register of Deeds, with a copy to the Zoning Department, before the permit is issued; a CAFO waiver can serve instead where it applies.
Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?
The South Dakota Electrical Commission and Plumbing Commission. The county application asks you to acknowledge this.
How big can a lake garage be?
Up to 36 by 48 feet with 14-foot sidewalls on a lake-front lot, and 40 by 60 feet with 16-foot sidewalls on a back lot, unless a conditional use permit is granted.
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More South Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Roberts County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.