Off-Grid Living in Bon Homme County, South Dakota

I'll say upfront: Bon Homme County, South Dakota is one of those places where the paper trail online is thinner than I'd like, so a good chunk of this guide ends with "call the county" rather than a tidy citation. I'd rather tell you that honestly than pretend I found rules that aren't posted anywhere.

Zoning. Unlike a lot of rural South Dakota counties, Bon Homme County actually has adopted its own countywide zoning ordinance (No. 99-1, amended in 2003 and 2015) under the state's county zoning authority in SDCL Chapter 11-2. The county is split into districts, including Agricultural (AG) and Rural Residential (RR), each with its own allowed and conditional uses. Living on raw or undeveloped land may need conditional-use approval depending on which district you're in, so the district matters a lot here. Note this only applies outside the incorporated towns (Tyndall, Springfield, Avon, etc.), which run their own separate municipal zoning.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not find an official county ordinance section that specifically addresses tiny homes or living in an RV. Some commercial sites claim there's no accessory-dwelling-unit provision, but I can't verify that against actual ordinance text, so I'm not going to repeat it as fact. This one falls back to "call the county Zoning Office."

Building permits and codes. South Dakota has no statewide mandatory building code, and permitting authority sits with local government, county for unincorporated land, towns for their own limits. I could not confirm whether Bon Homme County has formally adopted the IBC or IRC. Electrical and plumbing permitting, though, run through state agencies regardless of where you are: the South Dakota Electrical Commission and Plumbing Commission, both under the Department of Labor and Regulation.

Septic and composting toilets. This follows the state baseline. On-site wastewater systems are governed by state administrative rules (ARSD 74:53:01), administered by DANR, and installation must be done by a certified installer. I couldn't find Bon Homme's own septic permit sheet (other counties post lot-size and setback specifics; Bon Homme hasn't that I could find), so treat local specifics as unconfirmed.

Greywater and rainwater. Both are unclear at the county level, same as the state level. There's no state rule specifically addressing residential greywater reuse, and no county-specific rainwater harvesting rule either. Domestic water use is generally exempt from DANR's water-rights permitting, but that's not the same as a clear "yes" on collection and storage.

Wells. Wells follow the state baseline: DANR's Water Rights Program sets statewide well construction standards, and a licensed driller is generally required. No stricter county rule was found.

Utilities. No state or county law bars off-grid living outright. Self-wiring provisions exist at the state level through the Electrical Commission, and that would apply in Bon Homme County too, absent a stricter local rule, which I didn't find.

Bottom line: zoning is real and county-specific here, but a lot of the day-to-day construction and living details aren't posted publicly, so a phone call to the county courthouse in Tyndall will save you guesswork.