5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
Verified from official government sources
Under Section 12.01 of the 1990 Revised Zoning Ordinance for Minnehaha County, fences up to 4 feet may be placed anywhere on the lot, and fences up to 6 feet are allowed only at or behind the front building line of the main structure. Fences within 30 feet of a street intersection may not exceed 30 percent solid construction (sight-triangle rule). These rules govern unincorporated areas only; cities (Sioux Falls, Brandon, Hartford, Dell Rapids, etc.) maintain their own fence codes.
Minnehaha County has no local boundary-fence cost-sharing ordinance; disputes between adjoining landowners are governed by South Dakota's statewide partition-fence statute, SDCL Chapter 40-28, plus the civil-nuisance framework at SDCL 21-10-1. South Dakota is a 'fence-out' state - landowners who want to exclude neighbor's livestock must build the fence themselves unless a partition-fence agreement is in place. Boundary fence location and 'spite fence' claims are litigated in state circuit court, not before the County.
Minnehaha County adopts the 2021 International Building Code and 2021 International Residential Code by ordinance (effective May 31, 2022). Under those codes a building permit is required for any retaining wall over 4 feet tall measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, or any wall supporting a surcharge load. The County Zoning Ordinance explicitly excludes retaining walls from the definition of 'structure' (Section 26 Definitions, MC16-73-05), so retaining walls do not count toward lot coverage but still require engineering review under the building code.
Minnehaha County adopted the 2021 IRC including Appendix G in 2022. Under IRC Section R327 every outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, or spa containing 18 inches or more of water must be enclosed by a barrier at least 42 inches tall with a maximum 2-inch ground clearance, no openings that allow a 4-inch sphere to pass, and self-closing/self-latching gates. Existing pools must comply within 90 days of notice from the building official. South Dakota has no statewide pool-barrier statute, so this locally adopted IRC appendix is the controlling rule.
The Minnehaha County Zoning Ordinance imposes no general restriction on residential fence materials (no barbed-wire, electric-fence, or chain-link prohibition in unincorporated areas - reflecting South Dakota's agricultural land-use culture). Material specifications apply only where a fence is used as a required bufferyard between incompatible uses: treated wood, PVC, or galvanized/vinyl-coated chain link with privacy slats in earth tones (90% opacity), with the 'good side' facing the adjacent property.
1 cities in Minnehaha County have their own fence regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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