Off-Grid Living in Codington County, South Dakota

Codington County, South Dakota, is one of the few rural SD counties that has adopted its own countywide zoning ordinance (Ordinance #65, under authority of SDCL Chapter 11-2), so a lot of what would otherwise be "state baseline, no county rule" territory is actually pinned down locally here. That said, several off-grid-specific questions, especially septic, greywater, and rainwater, simply aren't addressed in the documents I could find at the county level, so those fall back to whatever the state does (or doesn't) require.

Zoning. All unincorporated land in Codington County is zoned under Ordinance #65, with an Official Zoning Map and a separate Rural Residential District map. Near Watertown, a joint city-county jurisdiction ordinance also applies. The county has special Aquifer Protection Districts that restrict certain uses over shallow aquifers, so if you're eyeing land near one of these, that matters.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The ordinance defines "seasonal camp trailers or recreational vehicles" as temporary-use structures, which suggests the county doesn't treat an RV as a permanent residence by default, but I could not confirm specific occupancy limits or a clear path for full-time RV or tiny-home living. There's also no formal accessory dwelling unit (ADU) category in the code. Call the Zoning Office before you commit to this plan.

Building permits. Codington County requires a building permit before you start excavation or construction anywhere in the unincorporated county, per the Planning and Zoning Office. Skip it and you risk an administrative penalty plus possible civil or criminal exposure, per the county's own ordinance. I couldn't confirm whether the county has adopted the full IBC beyond this permit requirement.

Septic, greywater, rainwater. I found no Codington County page describing a county septic permit process, fee, or composting-toilet stance, no county greywater rule, and no county rainwater rule. These likely default to state oversight (South Dakota DANR handles onsite wastewater statewide), but the exact county/state division of labor here isn't confirmed. Ask Planning & Zoning and DANR directly.

Wells. No county-specific well permitting was confirmed beyond the Aquifer Protection District siting restrictions. Statewide, DANR's Water Rights Program and Well Construction Standards govern wells.

Off-grid utilities. Nothing explicitly bans disconnecting from utilities, but any dwelling still needs a county building permit, and any electrical work falls under state electrical licensing rules. Whether the county conditions a building permit on proof of septic/well hookup, as some SD counties do, is not confirmed for Codington.

Bottom line: zoning and building permits are clearly the county's turf here, everything water-related is murkier and worth a phone call before you buy land or start building.