Buying Land in Clark County, South Dakota

Zoning: an adopted ordinance built on a comprehensive plan

Clark County administers a genuine, adopted zoning ordinance -- Ordinance 1-14, which amended the county's earlier Ordinance 03-03 -- grounded in the county's own Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and the county states the ordinance is meant to protect public health, safety, and general welfare through orderly land-use regulation. The Planning and Zoning office operates out of the second floor of the county courthouse, under Director Jarvis Reidburn, who also serves as the county's Director of Equalization -- a combined-role pattern typical of a small South Dakota county office. The Planning and Zoning Board meets the third Tuesday of each month, and the office issues building permits, assigns 911 addresses, and processes plat, conditional-use, and variance applications. As always, confirm current zoning district, permitted uses, and any recent amendments for a specific parcel directly with this office rather than relying on an older copy of the ordinance found online.

The Crocker Wind Farm: a real, large wind project north of Clark

What sets Clark County apart from a purely agricultural read of northeast South Dakota is the Crocker Wind Farm. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission permitted the project in 2017 under Docket EL17-028, covering roughly 29,331 acres of privately owned land approximately 8 miles north of the city of Clark, with a permitted capacity of up to 400 megawatts and up to 200 turbines (project descriptions vary somewhat on the exact turbine count between the original filing and built phases), plus a 345 kV transmission line and collector substation. Phase I -- 200 MW across 77 GE 2.7-116 turbines, built by Wanzek Construction -- began commercial operation in November 2019, ahead of its original targeted date, with virtual power purchase agreements supplying corporate buyers including Walmart and Cargill. A second phase of similar size is permitted but had not started construction as of the most recent reporting available for this research.

For a land buyer, this means two things: whether a parcel within or near the roughly 29,000-acre footprint carries an existing wind-lease or easement (steady income, but real use constraints) or simply sits near turbines on a neighbor's land (setback, noise, or shadow-flicker considerations); and, since Phase II remains permitted but apparently not yet built, whether an updated layout could change that picture. See our dedicated guide below for the specific PUC permit conditions and the county's own setback record.

A modestly growing, agriculture-based county

Outside the wind-energy story, Clark County presents a fairly typical northeast South Dakota agricultural profile, with a population that grew modestly from 3,837 at the 2020 census to an estimated 3,973 in 2024. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting remains the county's dominant employment sector, followed by retail trade and educational services, with a reported 2024 median household income around $70,700. Clark, the county seat, functions as the county's administrative and commercial hub. For a land buyer, this combination -- real population growth, adopted zoning, and a large, income-generating wind energy project alongside conventional agriculture -- gives Clark County a somewhat different profile than a purely static, farming-only rural county.