The 2017 Minnehaha County Revised Animal Control Ordinance defines 'Livestock and Poultry' (§ 1.06) to include horses, mules, cattle, bison, burros, llamas, alpacas, swine, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, game birds, peafowl, and ostriches, but does NOT impose a numerical cap, coop-setback rule, or permit requirement for keeping them in the unincorporated county. The four-animal cap in § 3.07(A) applies only to dogs, cats, and pot-bellied pigs in a 'Residential Development Area.' Outside that narrow zone, agricultural and acreage parcels in the unincorporated county may keep chickens and livestock subject to the underlying zoning district in the 1990 Revised Minnehaha County Zoning Ordinance and to state running-at-large law at SDCL Chapter 40-1.
Permitted use by district: agriculture (poultry, cattle, swine, etc.) is a principal permitted use in the A-1 Agricultural district under the 1990 Revised Minnehaha County Zoning Ordinance; small-scale chickens and 4-H livestock are commonly permitted in RR (Rural Residential) and A-2 districts. Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) above thresholds require a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission. Running at large: SDCL § 40-1-3 makes it unlawful for the owner of any horse, mule, cattle, sheep, goat, swine, llama, alpaca, or domesticated buffalo to allow such animal to run at large; the county animal control ordinance § 3.02 ('No animal shall run at large') reinforces this for all animals including poultry. Inside Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids and other incorporated cities, the municipal code governs and the county ordinance does NOT apply (§ 1.02 limits the county ordinance to the 'unincorporated areas of Minnehaha County').
Violation of the Minnehaha County Animal Control Ordinance is a Class 2 misdemeanor under § 8.01 (up to 30 days in jail and/or up to a $500 fine under SDCL 22-6-2). Livestock running at large under SDCL 40-1-3 is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and the owner is civilly liable for damages caused (SDCL 40-28-4). The Animal Control Officer or Sheriff may impound stray livestock under Article V and the owner must pay impoundment, board, and veterinary costs before reclaim (§ 5.02). Zoning-ordinance violations (running an unpermitted CAFO, exceeding density limits in a residential district) are enforced by the Planning & Zoning Department through stop-work orders and SDCL Chapter 11-2 civil-penalty procedures.
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