In Spearfish, the City’s Building Services Division issues building permits inside city limits and in the surrounding Joint Powers Area, and it is one of the five cities on the state Plumbing Commission’s list that permit and inspect their own plumbing. Applications go through the OpenGov portal; the permit fee comes from a valuation table ($1,748.14 for a $300,000 project), and residential plan review takes up to 7 working days.
When does Spearfish require a building permit?
A permit is needed for new construction, additions, alterations, remodeling, repairs and demolition, both inside city limits and in the Joint Powers Area. Mechanical permits apply in both areas; plumbing permits come from the City inside city limits and from the state in the Joint Powers Area.
Permit needed
- New homes, duplexes and accessory dwelling units
- Additions, remodels, detached garages, shops, pole barns and sheds over 200 sq ft
- Decks 30 inches or more above grade at any point, covered patios, and fences over 7 feet
- Commercial buildings, tenant improvements and changes of use or occupancy
- Plumbing, mechanical and gas work
- Fire sprinkler, kitchen hood and other suppression systems
- Manufactured home placement and demolition
Exempt on houses
- One-story detached accessory buildings up to 200 sq ft
- Fences up to 7 feet and retaining walls up to 4 feet without a surcharge
- Sidewalks and driveways outside the City right-of-way
- Above-ground prefabricated pools and playground equipment
- Replacement siding or roofing of similar material
- Gutters, downspouts, storm windows, and windows replaced without changing the rough opening
- Finish work such as painting, flooring and cabinets
These exemptions are the City’s amendments to the residential code; for commercial buildings the accessory-structure exemption stops at 120 sq ft. The Master Fee Schedule, however, still carries a $130 roofing permit for garages, single-family homes and duplexes (Resolution 2024-03).
Who issues permits in Spearfish?
Building Services, part of the Community Development Department, reviews plans, issues permits, inspects new buildings, additions, alterations, plumbing and HVAC work, and licenses contractors. Rodney Spiering is the Building Official.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 625 N 5th Street, second floor, Spearfish, SD 57783 |
| Phone, fax and email | 605-642-1335, fax 605-642-1337, buildings@spearfish.gov |
| Inspection line | 605-722-2611 |
| City Hall hours | Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Applications | OpenGov Application Portal |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The Joint Powers Area extends the City’s permitting beyond its limits: Lawrence County says building permits and platting in Spearfish’s 3-mile area go through the City, while county zoning and variance rules still apply there. To see which side of the line a lot falls on, open the Lawrence County GIS map and turn on the City Limits/Joint Powers Area layer. Further out, Lawrence County Planning and Zoning in Deadwood issues permits.
Permit types in OpenGov
All building permit applications are filed in the City’s OpenGov portal, which is also used to upload photo inspections and track status. The main record types are:
- Residential New Construction for single-family homes, duplexes and accessory dwelling units.
- Residential Additions or Alterations, which also covers detached garages, shops, sheds and pole barns.
- Residential Decks, Covered Patios or Fences.
- Commercial New Construction for commercial buildings and multifamily buildings with more than two units; the Special Structural Testing and Inspection Form is required with the application.
- Commercial Additions, Alterations or Tenant Improvements.
- Change of Use or Occupancy, needed even with no construction when a business buys, moves into or changes the use of a space; it asks for a labeled layout and a code analysis cover sheet.
- Residential or Commercial Demolition, Fire Code Permit, Manufactured Home Placement, Standalone Plumbing, Mechanical or Gas, and Telecommunication Facility.
Every contractor and subcontractor needs a City of Spearfish contractor’s licence before the permit is issued. Applications go through the online licensing portal with a certificate of insurance naming the City as certificate holder ($1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate) and a South Dakota contractor’s excise tax number. Licences cost $100 and expire on December 31; renewals open 60 days before. Owners working on their own owner-occupied home, or on a commercial building they control, need no licence unless the work is structural.
Spearfish permit fees
Fees are in the City’s Master Fee Schedule, last updated January 2, 2026; the building permit table was set by Resolution 2025-15, in effect since April 25, 2025. The permit fee is based on the project valuation, including materials and labor.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $500 | $30 |
| $500.01 – $25,000 | $30 plus $3.61 per $500 or part over $500 |
| $25,000.01 – $50,000 | $206.89 plus $7.89 per $1,000 or part over $25,000 |
| $50,000.01 – $100,000 | $404.14 plus $6.20 per $1,000 or part over $50,000 |
| $100,000.01 – $500,000 | $714.14 plus $5.17 per $1,000 or part over $100,000 |
| $500,000.01 – $1,000,000 | $2,782.14 plus $4.02 per $1,000 or part over $500,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $4,792.14 plus $3 per $1,000 or part over $1 million |
For example, a project valued at $300,000 pays $714.14 plus 200 × $5.17, or $1,748.14. The schedule lists no separate plan review percentage for a standard permit; revisions to approved plans are billed at $50 an hour, with a one-hour minimum. A builder’s master plan is reviewed for 40% of the valuation fee per model, and permits built from it get a 30% discount.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Re-inspection | $65 per hour |
| After-hours inspection | $200 for up to 2 hours, then $50 per hour |
| Occupancy permit / temporary certificate of occupancy | $100 / $1,250 per week |
| Commercial change of occupancy | $15 |
| Demolition permit | $50 |
| Manufactured home placement and connection | $150 |
| Grading permit | $50 from 1,000 sq ft to ½ acre, $100 to 1 acre, $150 for 1 acre and up |
| Right-of-way permit | $50 per excavation |
| Water tap / sewer tap, 1-inch | $1,500 each (sewer tap sized to the water tap) |
| Work without a permit | $100 first offense, $250 second, $600 third |
Plumbing, mechanical, gas and fire permits
Spearfish is on the South Dakota Plumbing Commission’s list of cities that do their own plumbing inspections, and it adopts the 2024 South Dakota Plumbing Code. Inside city limits the City issues and inspects plumbing permits; in the Joint Powers Area plumbing permits and inspections come from the state, while the City still inspects mechanical and gas work. Electrical permits and inspections come from the South Dakota Electrical Commission; a homeowner doing their own wiring includes a copy of the state homeowner wiring certificate with the building permit.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| New house, plumbing or mechanical: up to 1,500 / 1,501–2,500 / over 2,500 sq ft | $75 / $125 / $175 each |
| Residential alteration, plumbing or mechanical | $50 each |
| Commercial plumbing, fewer than 6 fixtures | $150 |
| Commercial plumbing, more than 6 fixtures | $200 plus $5 a fixture |
| Multi-family plumbing | $30 per unit plus $5 per fixture outside the units |
| Commercial furnace, air conditioner or water heater | $120 per unit ($40 per unit in multi-family) |
| Exhaust fans / other mechanical | $5 per fan / $40 per unit |
Installing, changing or removing a fire suppression system needs a Fire Code Permit, priced by the number of appliances: a new suppression system with 1 to 20 costs $405, and a new fire alarm system with 1 to 15 costs $225.
Documents and plan review
- A plot plan drawn to scale with easements, property lines, the new work and its distances to lot lines and other buildings, plus the legal description.
- One PDF of the building plans: floor plans with labeled rooms and gross square footage, cross sections, elevations showing foundation steps, stair sections and decks, and a foundation plan with interior footings and a rebar schedule.
- Structural data for floor joists, roof trusses and beams; homemade trusses are not allowed.
- Plans and structural data for retaining walls over 4 feet.
- A South Dakota engineer’s stamp on pole, post-frame and steel buildings, except accessory buildings for a single-family home.
- The total project cost, excluding land, and a list of the licensed contractors.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Commercial site plans add an engineered drainage plan, landscaping, parking, water and sewer line sizes, dumpster and sidewalk locations, and a state stormwater permit when an acre or more is disturbed. A grading permit is needed inside city limits when more than 1,000 sq ft of soil is disturbed, and a digging permit for work in the City right-of-way. Toilet facilities for workers are required on site.
The City says residential plan review takes up to 7 full working days and commercial or industrial review up to 20, counted from a complete submittal; anything filed after 10 a.m. starts the clock the next working day.
How to get a Spearfish building permit
Use the Lawrence County GIS jurisdiction layer to see whether the lot is in city limits, the Joint Powers Area or the county.
Make sure every contractor and subcontractor holds a current City licence before applying.
Pick the matching record type and upload the plans, plot plan, project cost and contractor list.
Allow up to 7 working days for a house and 20 for commercial work once the submittal is complete.
Pay the permit and any tap fees; the City assigns a street address only once the permit is issued.
Request each inspection a day ahead and finish with the occupancy permit before moving in.
Spearfish inspections
Call the inspection line at 605-722-2611 at least 24 hours ahead to book an inspection on an active permit. City inspectors check every building permit at the stages of construction set by the codes, plus plumbing in city limits and mechanical and gas work throughout the Joint Powers Area.
Two residential inspections can be done by photo: the pre-roof (underlayment) inspection and the pre-siding or window (water-resistive barrier) inspection. Upload clear photos in one PDF to the OpenGov record, name the file with the address and inspection type (for example “132 Main Street - Pre Roof”), and request the inspection at the same time. The inspector may ask for more photos, and a failed photo inspection can mean removing installed material.
Local Spearfish details
New rules from July 2026: on July 6, 2026 the City Council adopted a new Chapter 151 on flood prevention and a new Chapter 154 on subdivisions, and approved Engineering Design Standards dated July 2026, which the council is to review by July 2027.
Floodplain: a floodplain permit application costs $65, plus $25 for a fence or accessory structure, $100 for improvements below 50% of the structure’s value, $150 for new buildings or substantial improvements, and $100 to review an elevation certificate.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Septic and sewer: in the Joint Powers Area a septic system needs a site-specific design stamped by a South Dakota professional engineer, who also inspects the installation and sends the report to Building Services. Lots served by the Spearfish Valley Sanitation District submit its connection form.
Demolition: the $50 demolition permit requires an asbestos inspection report for buildings covered by the state program (homes and buildings with four or fewer apartments are excluded), capped water and sewer lines, and removal of all concrete, including footings, slabs and septic tanks.
Design criteria: 43 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind speed, a 42-inch frost depth and ice-shield underlayment.
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
Official Spearfish permit resources
- Spearfish Building Services Division
- Spearfish building permit applications and exemptions
- Spearfish OpenGov Application Portal
- City of Spearfish Master Fee Schedule (updated January 2026)
- Checklist for Building Permit Requirements
- Spearfish design criteria and adopted codes
- Spearfish Code § 150.016, amendments to the building code
- Spearfish contractor licensing
- Residential Photo Inspection Submittal Guide (August 2026)
- Spearfish demolition permit information
- South Dakota Electrical Commission
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Spearfish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Spearfish?
The City’s Building Services Division (605-642-1335), for property in city limits and in the Joint Powers Area. Applications are filed in OpenGov.
How much does a building permit cost in Spearfish?
It follows the valuation table in Resolution 2025-15: $30 up to $500 of work, and $1,748.14 for a $300,000 project. A new house also pays $75 to $175 each for its plumbing and mechanical permits, depending on size.
How long does plan review take?
Up to 7 full working days for residential work and up to 20 for commercial or industrial, starting from a complete submittal.
Do I need a permit for a deck or fence in Spearfish?
A deck needs one when any part is 30 inches or more above grade, and a fence when it is taller than 7 feet. Covered patios always need a permit.
Does Spearfish issue plumbing permits?
Yes, inside city limits. In the Joint Powers Area plumbing permits come from the South Dakota Plumbing Commission, and electrical permits come from the state everywhere.
Do I need a contractor’s licence?
Anyone contracting in the city needs one ($100 a year). Owners working on their own owner-occupied home are exempt unless the work is structural.
How do I book an inspection?
Call 605-722-2611 at least 24 hours ahead; pre-roof and pre-siding inspections can be done with photos uploaded to OpenGov.
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More South Dakota permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Spearfish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.