City Shares Home Improvement Tips, Reminders

Published on April 16, 2025

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As the weather warms up, the City of Sioux Falls has a few tips and reminders for homeowners planning their home improvement projects this year.

Projects that involve a home’s building, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing systems or involve permanent installation like fences, decks, garages and sheds require permits issued by the City to protect life safety and building quality.

“For homeowners, permits are important because they protect your home investment,” said Neil King, the City’s Chief Building Official. “For the City, permits help us uphold minimum life safety standards to ensure our community remains safe for everyone.”

Permits are overseen by the City’s Building Services team, a division of Planning and Development Services. For most permits, a site or construction plan is required as part of the permit application. Once the application and plan are received, they are reviewed by the City for code and zoning compliance. City team members work with homeowners or licensed contractors to make any necessary adjustments, and then the permit is issued. As work progresses, the homeowner or licensed contractor is required to schedule inspections, depending on the project. Every permit requires a final inspection to complete the project.

Permits are important to:

  • Reduce potential hazards of unsafe construction
  • Protect your home’s property value
  • Avoid risk of having a property insurer deny coverage of work or damages caused by construction done without permits and inspections
  • Make the property easier to sell, as proof of final inspections are required by financial institutions
  • Avoid redoing the work that was unpermitted
  • Comply with local ordinances and avoid costly fines or fees

Common Permit Types

Building Permits
Most home building projects require a permit from the City to ensure code compliance for structural integrity and minimum life safety for building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems. Examples include door, window, and siding replacements, additions, finishing of a basement, roofing or shingle repairs, plumbing repairs, electrical rewiring, and framing and drywall.

Fences

A permit is needed to build, move, replace or repair a fence. Regulations are in place to ensure public safety, keep the neighborhood looking good, provide privacy, reduce noise, and allow enough air, light, and visibility for all properties.

Detached Garages and Sheds

Sheds and garages require permits prior to construction or placement on a lot, and sheds must be anchored down.

Deck

Decks of any size or material require a permit.

Aesthetic projects like interior or exterior painting, carpeting or other flooring replacement, cabinets and countertops and gutters and facia do not require a permit.

Helpful Reminders

  • Homeowners can apply for and track their permits online using the City’s Customer Self Service (CSS) software. Accounts are free and can be used to apply for a permit, submit plans, pay permit fees, and schedule inspections. It typically takes two business days for a CSS account to be activated.
  • If homeowners are hiring a contractor, make sure they are licensed through the City, which is required depending on the work they perform. Licensed contractor lists are available on the City’s website.
  • Plan ahead. It usually takes two business days for plans to be reviewed and the permit issued. Inspections are performed in one to two business days after they are requested.
  • Call 811 before you dig. This is an important step to ensuring you do not hit any public or private utility lines while digging in your yard or the public right-of-way.
  • When in doubt, check with the City. If homeowners are unsure if a project requires a permit, call the City’s Planning and Development Services team at 605-367-8670 or stop by the permit desk at City Center (231 N. Dakota Ave.).

Additional permit requirements and access to CSS are available at siouxfalls.gov.

 

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