US Land Life

South Dakota

Buying Land in Hanson County, South Dakota

Southeastern South Dakota's Hanson County, seat Alexandria, is genuinely one of the state's smallest counties by land area -- about 435 square miles, ranking among the three or four smallest of South Dakota's 66 counties. It has a real, actively administered zoning ordinance, and several Hutterite colonies along the James River farm land communally rather than as individually owned tracts -- both real, specific facts worth understanding before buying here.

Genuinely One of South Dakota's Smallest Counties by Area

Could not confirm

Hanson County covers roughly 435 square miles of land and water, ranking 64th of South Dakota's 66 counties by total area -- meaning only one or two counties in the state (Clay County, the smallest at roughly 412 square miles, and possibly one other) are smaller. Union County, by comparison, is documented as the state's 5th-smallest at roughly 467 square miles -- larger than Hanson. This confirms Hanson County really is among the smallest handful of counties in South Dakota, a real geographic fact that means fewer total parcels and a more compact land market than in most of the state's counties.

Real, Active County Zoning

Generally favorable

Hanson County has an adopted Zoning Ordinance with an active Zoning Board and Planning Commission -- documented handling of an actual Agricultural District setback variance case (for a shelterbelt) in county Planning Commission minutes confirms the ordinance is genuinely in force and administered, not simply on the books. Zoning administration runs through a combined Director of Equalization & Zoning Administrator role (Christi Pierson at the time of this research) rather than a standalone planning department -- the Assessor's office is the right first call for both tax and zoning questions.

Hutterite Colonies Along the James River: A Distinct Communal Land-Ownership Pattern

Could not confirm

Hanson County hosts several Hutterite colonies, including the historic Rockport Colony (originally established 1894, present colony dating to 1934, listed on the National Register of Historic Places) on the James River near Alexandria, plus Oak Lane Colony (138 residents at the 2020 Census) and Millbrook Colony (98 residents). Land in and immediately around these colonies is typically owned and farmed communally by the colony as a whole rather than by individual families -- a genuinely different ownership structure than a standard family farm or ranch tract, worth understanding if evaluating a parcel that borders or was carved out of colony land.

A small county on paper, and genuinely zoned in practice

Hanson County's roughly 435 square miles put it near the bottom of South Dakota's 66 counties by land area -- documented as the 64th-largest, meaning only Clay County (the state's smallest, at roughly 412 square miles) and possibly one other county cover less ground. For comparison, Union County -- itself documented as South Dakota's 5th-smallest county -- covers about 467 square miles, larger than Hanson. In practical terms, this means Hanson County simply has fewer total acres and a more compact land market than most of the state's counties, a real structural fact for a buyer comparing land availability and pricing across counties rather than assuming county size is roughly uniform statewide.

Despite its small size, Hanson County has a real, actively administered Zoning Ordinance -- not just an ordinance on the books, but one with documented enforcement activity: county Planning Commission minutes record an actual variance request involving Agricultural District setback requirements for a shelterbelt, confirming the zoning framework genuinely governs land-use decisions here. As in several other small South Dakota counties, zoning administration is combined with property assessment in a single Director of Equalization & Zoning Administrator role rather than split into a separate planning department -- meaning the Assessor's office at the county courthouse in Alexandria is the right starting point for both an assessed-value question and a zoning district or setback question.

Hutterite colonies on the James River: land owned and farmed communally

The James River runs through Hanson County near Alexandria, and its valley here is notable for a concentration of Hutterite colonies -- Rockport Colony (with roots dating to an original 1894 settlement, though the present colony was re-established in 1934 after most North American Hutterites relocated to Canada during World War I; the historic Old Rockport Colony site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), Oak Lane Colony (population 138 at the 2020 Census), Millbrook Colony (population 98), and Rosedale Colony. These are communal agricultural settlements where land is typically owned and farmed collectively by the colony rather than by individual member families, using mechanized, large-scale communal farming methods -- a genuinely distinct land-ownership and land-use pattern from an ordinary privately owned farm or ranch parcel, and one that shows up repeatedly across a county this size.

For a buyer, the practical implication is that a meaningful share of Hanson County's agricultural land may be colony-owned rather than available on the open market, and a parcel bordering colony land may have different practical neighbors and land-management patterns than one surrounded by individually owned farms. Hanson County's population was 3,461 at the 2020 Census, with Alexandria as the county seat (population around 630) and Emery as its other notable town (around 450). Confirm current zoning district, any Agricultural District setback rules, and land-status specifics directly with the Director of Equalization & Zoning Administrator's office before purchasing a specific parcel.

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Hanson County

We could not confirm a direct email address for the Director of Equalization / Zoning Administrator or the Register of Deeds beyond the phone numbers listed -- both offices are reachable at the courthouse address (720 5th St, Alexandria, SD 57311). We also could not independently confirm whether any Hanson County zoning provisions apply specifically and differently to land bordering or within Hutterite colony boundaries versus standard Agricultural District land -- confirm with the Zoning Administrator for a parcel near colony land.

Planning & Zoning

Hanson County Director of Equalization / Zoning Administrator

Zoning district confirmation, Agricultural District setback and variance questions, and property assessment -- both functions handled by the same office.

Phone: (605) 239-4445Official website →

Recorder / Clerk / Land Records

Hanson County Register of Deeds

Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.

Phone: (605) 239-4512Official website →

Other

Hanson County Auditor

General county government contact and commission agendas/minutes.

Phone: (605) 239-4714Official website →

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Sources

  1. Hanson County Department of Equalization — Hanson County, South Dakota Government (accessed 2026-09)
  2. Zoning Board — Hanson County, South Dakota — Hanson County, South Dakota Government (accessed 2026-09)
  3. Hanson County Planning Commission Minutes of Proceedings, January 26, 2022 — Hanson County, South Dakota Government (accessed 2026-09)
  4. Register of Deeds — Hanson County, South Dakota — Hanson County, South Dakota Government (accessed 2026-09)
  5. Hanson County, South Dakota — Wikipedia (cross-checked against U.S. Census Bureau figures) (accessed 2026-09)
  6. Union County, South Dakota — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
  7. Old Rockport Hutterite Colony — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
  8. Rockport Colony, South Dakota — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
  9. Oak Lane Colony, South Dakota — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
  10. Millbrook Colony, South Dakota — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
  11. Alexandria, South Dakota — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)

Last reviewed 2026-09