Environmental Rules in Sioux Falls, SD (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Sioux Falls requires owners of privately built stormwater best management practices, like detention ponds and filters, to build, operate, and maintain them properly and report failures to public works.
Sioux Falls Stormwater BMP Maintenance Rules
Some RestrictionsSioux Falls Code of Ordinances § 55.003
(a) It is a violation for any owner to improperly construct or operate or fail to maintain the proper function of privately owned structural BMPs. Maintenance activities include, but are not limited to, removing trash and debris, reseeding, mowing, pest control, removing sediment accumulation, removing vegetation, replacing filter media, and repairing eroded areas.
Erosion Control
Sioux Falls requires a grading permit from the city engineer before any excavation or fill, separate from a building permit, with narrow exemptions for small fills and permit-covered work.
Sioux Falls Grading Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsSioux Falls Code of Ordinances § 150.017 (adopted IBC § 1804.8)
1804.8 Grading permits required. No person shall excavate or grade without first obtaining a permit from the city engineer. If a building permit is not obtained, a separate grading permit must be obtained from the city engineer for each site and may cover both excavations and fills. Exceptions: 1. A separate grading permit is not required from the city engineer where a site plan ...
Flood Zones
Any development, filling, or grading inside a Sioux Falls special flood hazard area requires a floodplain development permit from the city's floodplain administrator before work begins, and new residential construction is banned in the regulatory floodway.
Sioux Falls Floodplain Development Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsSioux Falls Code of Ordinances § 156.032
Required. Any person, owner, or authorized agent who intends to conduct any development (or change in water quality through spills, dumping, or inlets) in a special flood hazard area shall first make application to the floodplain administrator and shall obtain the required floodplain development permit prior to the start of development. (b) Application for floodplain development permit. Th...
Flood Elevation Requirements
New and substantially improved buildings in Sioux Falls flood hazard areas must have the lowest floor elevated two feet above the base flood elevation.
Sioux Falls Requires 2 Feet of Freeboard
Some RestrictionsSioux Falls Code of Ordinances § 156.066(a),(b)
New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement), elevated two feet above the base flood elevation... (b) Nonresidential construction. New construction and substantial improvements of any commercial, industrial, or other nonresidential structure shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated two feet above the ...
Looking for Minnehaha County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sioux Falls city rules.
Environmental Rules in Minnehaha County →