Buying Land in Foster County, North Dakota

Zoning: one countywide ordinance, administered from Carrington

Foster County's Planning & Zoning Department, based at the county courthouse in Carrington, administers a single zoning regulation that applies countywide -- a genuinely different structure from counties on this site where the county itself doesn't zone and each organized township sets its own rules instead. The county's Planning and Zoning Committee is responsible for preparing, coordinating, and implementing Foster County's development regulations, and the most recent regulation document on file with the county dates to 2018.

For a buyer, this is a simpler starting point than a township-by-township county: there is one office to call and one ordinance to review for a given parcel's zoning district, permitted uses, and any setback or lot-size requirements. It does not, however, mean rural land in Foster County is exempt from zoning -- confirm the district and permitted uses for any specific parcel with the Planning & Zoning Department directly rather than assuming agricultural land is unregulated by default.

A lean county office: zoning and tax equalization share a desk

Foster County's government reflects its small population (3,397 at the 2020 census, with the county seat of Carrington home to roughly 2,080 of that total). As of this review, Karen Evans holds both the Zoning Administrator and county Tax Director roles -- meaning the same office that handles a zoning-permit question likely also handles the county's property assessment and tax equalization function. This is a routine pattern in North Dakota's less-populous counties and isn't itself a problem, but it's worth knowing before you expect a large, departmentalized planning staff or fast multi-step review committees. Confirm current contact information and any recent staffing changes directly, since small offices see occasional turnover.

Septic permitting runs through a multi-county health district

Onsite sewage treatment systems (septic) in Foster County are permitted and inspected through the Central Valley Health District (CVHD), a public health unit that also covers Barnes, Dickey, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Stutsman, and Wells counties -- not a dedicated Foster County-only department. CVHD licenses septic installers and issues permits for new systems and repairs. As the state hub notes, North Dakota's onsite wastewater program was undergoing a state-level regulatory transition (NDCC 23.1-07.1, 2025) as of this writing, so confirm the current permitting process and any recently updated requirements directly with CVHD before assuming an older description of 'how it works' still applies.