In Hand County, the Assessor is tasked with the duties related to ZONING.  Most functions of zoning are conducted in the assessor’s office which is located on the 2nd floor of the courthouse.

The auditor, as clerk for the county commission, also plays a roll in zoning as it relates to appearances before the Hand County Commission when they convene as the Hand County Board of Adjustment or Hand County Zoning Board.  The terms are used synonymously in Hand County.  The county auditor is also on the second floor of the courthouse.

Building Permits:

This document contains an example of the building permit information and the costs as of April 2020.  The actual permits and pricing of permits is what is determined by the zoning official at the time of application.
Building permits are to be requested by calling the Assessor’s office at 605-853-2115 during courthouse hours or you can complete a form below and mail or email Zoning@handcountysd.gov to the Zoning Administrator’s office.

• Hand County Building Permit Fee Schedule
• Building Permit Form

Zoning Information

• Hand County Comprehensive Plan & Zoning Ordinance
• Conditional Use Permit Application
• Link to Legal Notice Page
• Link to Planning & Zoning Board & Draft Documents

 

 

PUBLIC NOTICES REGARDING ZONING 

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COUNTY TO REVISE ZONING REGULATIONS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING REVISED ZONING REGULATIONS FOR HAND COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA

Notice is hereby given that the Hand County Commission will hold a public meeting to receive public input concerning Hand County’s proposed adoption of Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held at the Hand County Courthouse at the following time on the following date: At 1 P.M. on Tuesday, the 7th day of July, 2026. Copies of the proposed zoning regulations are available for public review during normal business house at the Hand County Courthouse and available through the County website at www.handcountysd.gov or by contacting the Director of Equalization at the County Courthouse at zoning@handcountysd.gov. At the Public Hearing, all persons will be given a full, fair and complete hearing and are encouraged to attend are invented and encouraged to send written comments to the County Zoning Officer, Jaime Russell, at 415 W 1st Avenue, Suite 204, Miller, SD  57362.  After the public hearing is held the County Commission will hold the first reading of the zoning ordinance 2026-01 and set a second reading date.

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County Commission to adopt Comprehensive Plan

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING HAND COUNTY COMMISSION TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING ADOPTION OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE COUNTY OF HAND

Notice is hearby given that the Hand County Commission will hold a public hearing to receive public input concerning the County’s proposed adoption of the Comprehensive Plan. The hearing will be held at the Hand County Courthouse at the following time on the following date; At 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday the 7th of July, 2026. Copies of the proposed Comprehensive Plan are available for public review during normal business hours at the Hand County Courthouse and available for review through the County website3 at www.handcountysd.gov. At the Public Hearing, all persons will be given a full, fair, and complete hearing and are encouraged to attend and make their views known. Those not able to attend are invited and encouraged to send written comments to the County Zoning Officer, Jaime Russell, at 415 W 1st Avenue, Suite 204, Miller, SD 57362.

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Hand County Board of Adjustment Notice of Public Hearing for A Conditional Use Permit

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held in the commission chambers, on the second floor, of the Hand County Courthouse at 1 p.m. or thereafter, on Tuesday September 2, 2025 for the purpose of the Hand County Zoning Board of Adjustment to hear the Conditional Use Permit application for a 4,800 head pig barn that exceeds the current maximum of 1,000 on behalf of Three Lost Pigs and will be located in the N½NW¼ 36-116-69, Spring Township, Hand County.

Dated this 12th day of August, 2025.

Signed: Jaime L. Russell, Director of Equalization, Zoning Admin.

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Hand County Board of Adjustment Notice of Public Hearing for A Conditional Use Permit

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held in the commission chambers, on the second floor, of the Hand County Courthouse at 1 p.m. or thereafter, on Thursday June 5, 2025 for the purpose of the Hand County Zoning Board of Adjustment to hear the Conditional Use Permit application for a feedlot expansion that exceeds the current minimum, on behalf of Chris Howard Ranch LLC; which will be located in the SW ¼ 13-113-69, Greenleaf Township, Hand County.

Dated this 21st  day of May, 2025.

Signed: Jaime L. Russell, Director of Equalization, Zoning Admin.

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March 5, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that: Pursuant to SDCL 11-4-4, The Planning and Zoning Board of Hand County in and for Hand County, South Dakota, will hold a public hearing on the 24th day of March, 2025, at the hour of 7 P.M., at the Hand County Courthouse Commission Chambers. The purpose of the meeting to receive public comment relevant to the possible adoption of the addition of Article 17 Hazardous Liquid Pipeline (HLP) to the Hand County Zoning Ordinance; the intention being to set forth guidelines for routing or location of HLP’s within Hand County.

Jaime Russell – Zoning Administrator

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September 4, 2019

From Terry Augspurger, Zoning Official.

“The Hand County Commissioners will meet as the Hand County Zoning Board to continue the conditional use hearing meeting of August 6, 2019 for the purposed hog production facility by Ratio, LLC in the NE & NW 1/4s section 32 – 111-67 (Pearl Township). The meeting will be held at the Hand County Courthouse on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.”
If you have questions in advance of the meeting, please call the office during business hours, 8-5, M-F. 605-853-2115
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* An agenda for this meeting will be posted on or about September 19th.  Should you want to present and provide your data / handouts ahead of time, please provide them to the auditor’s office prior to September 18th (preferably before noon).

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On September 3rd, 2019 (at about 10:35) the commissioners will have a “work period” in which they work amongst themselves on pending issues. One topic will be two fold and about zoning. The public is more then welcome to listen to their discussion. The two topics will be the adoption of the Wind Energy Ordinance. The ordinance became law without referendum. The second will be about the proposed swine production facility. The length and format of this discussion rests solely on the commission’s needs for time and content.

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On September 24, 2019 at 10 A.M. the commission will hold a statutorily required meeting for a public hearing on the county’s 2020 provisional budget. Again, the public is invited so they may be heard and offer comment.

Following the budget hearing, the zoning board will hold the continuation / conclusion of the August 6th public hearing regarding the conditional use permit for the Pipestone swine production facility. The two hearings are currently planned to take place in the commission chambers. If there is sufficient reason to believe the chambers is not large enough, the board reserves the right to move either of the meetings to the courtroom.

This information is being provided to avoid any misconceptions about when the board(s) will make a decision on the provisional budget for the county and the conditional use permit for the swine operation.

The published notice of meeting in the Miller Press will be the formal and official notice of the hearing and will supersede the contents of this message so please look to the Miller Press for the official notice. The first publication is currently scheduled for September 4.

Thank you in advance.

ddb