Minnehaha County does not set a county-specific occupancy cap for short-term rentals. Occupancy is governed by the South Dakota State Plumbing Code, the locally adopted International Property Maintenance Code (where adopted by an overlying municipality), and SDCL 21-10-1 nuisance principles. There is no statewide STR occupancy preemption.
No section of the Minnehaha County Zoning Ordinance or county code establishes a per-bedroom or per-square-foot occupancy cap specific to short-term rentals. South Dakota likewise has no statewide STR occupancy statute (contrast Colorado HB24-1007). The default operative standards in the unincorporated county are: (1) septic-system capacity limits under the Minnehaha County On-Site Wastewater Regulations, which size septic fields based on bedroom count and effectively cap practical occupancy; (2) any building code occupancy limits where IRC/IBC is adopted; and (3) SDCL 21-10-1, which defines a nuisance as anything that "annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of others," giving the county sheriff a tool against grossly overcrowded parties even without a numeric cap. STRs inside Sioux Falls fall under Sioux Falls Code Title 153 zoning, and STRs in Brandon, Hartford, or Dell Rapids follow those cities' codes — operators should check the relevant municipal code separately.
There is no county fine schedule for STR occupancy violations because no occupancy ordinance exists at the county level. Septic-overload violations of the county On-Site Wastewater Regulations can trigger abatement orders. SDCL 21-10-1 nuisance complaints proceed civilly under SDCL 21-10-5 (abatement) and SDCL 21-10-6 (damages).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Minnehaha County, SD
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Minnehaha County, SD
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Minnehaha County, SD
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Minnehaha County, SD
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Minnehaha County, SD
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Minnehaha County, SD
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