South Dakota

Buying Land in Union County, South Dakota

Extreme southeastern South Dakota's Union County, seat Elk Point, was one of the ten original counties created by the first Dakota Territorial Legislature in 1862 -- among the oldest organized counties in the state. Bordering Sioux City, Iowa, it also has a real, adopted zoning ordinance and genuine, verifiable development pressure: Union County has ranked second among all U.S. counties for per-capita economic development activity, driven largely by the Dakota Dunes master-planned community in its southeastern corner.

One of South Dakota's Original Ten Territorial Counties (1862)

Generally favorable

Union County was one of ten counties created by the first Dakota Territorial Legislature in 1862, originally named Cole County after territorial legislator Austin Cole and renamed Union on January 7, 1864, amid Civil War-era Union Army sentiment. That makes it among South Dakota's very oldest organized counties -- a genuine historical claim rather than a generic 'old county' assertion, and one reflected in a comparatively mature and long-established county government and land-records apparatus.

Real, Adopted County Zoning

Generally favorable

Union County has an adopted Zoning Ordinance (2008 Revised Zoning Regulations, with subsequent amendments including AG-to-Commercial rezonings) and separate Subdivision Regulations (effective 2011), administered by a dedicated Planning & Zoning Department based in Elk Point. This is a real exception to the state hub's point that many rural South Dakota counties have never adopted zoning at all -- a parcel in unincorporated Union County sits in a defined zoning district, and the department issues building permits, 911 addresses, and reviews plats, conditional use permits, and variances.

Genuine, Verified Development Pressure from the Sioux City Metro Area

Case-by-case / verify locally

Union County borders Sioux City, Iowa, and has ranked second among all U.S. counties with populations of 10,000 or more for per-capita economic development projects, according to Site Selection magazine. Much of that activity centers on Dakota Dunes, a roughly 2,000-acre master-planned residential and commercial development in the county's extreme southeast corner about five miles from downtown Sioux City, whose population grew 58.3% from 2,540 (2010) to 4,020 (2020) and whose two business parks (Sioux Point and Two Rivers) employ roughly 1,500 people. This is real, verifiable metro-adjacent growth, not generic proximity -- expect more active rezoning, subdivision, and commercial development activity near the Iowa and Nebraska borders than in the county's more traditional agricultural interior, and confirm zoning district and any pending development plans directly for a parcel in or near Dakota Dunes.

One of Dakota Territory's original counties, with a real zoning framework

Union County's roots run to the very beginning of organized government in what became South Dakota: it was one of ten counties created by the first Dakota Territorial Legislature in 1862, initially named Cole County for territorial legislator Austin Cole. Strong Union Army sentiment during the Civil War led to the name change to Union County on January 7, 1864, when the county's boundaries were also redrawn. A small graveyard north of Richland in the county marks what's identified as the first homestead filed in South Dakota (and possibly in the United States), entered by Mahlon Gore just after midnight on January 1, 1863 -- underscoring how early organized settlement and county government took hold here relative to most of the rest of the state.

That long institutional history shows up today in a real, adopted Zoning Ordinance -- most recently revised comprehensively in 2008, with later targeted amendments (including rezonings from Agricultural to Commercial) -- plus separate Subdivision Regulations effective in 2011, all administered by a dedicated Planning & Zoning Department at 209 E. Main Street in Elk Point. That's a materially more developed land-use framework than a county with no zoning at all: expect an actual zoning district, a permitted-use table, and a subdivision-review and conditional-use-permit process to apply to a specific unincorporated parcel, with the department also handling building permits and 911 addressing.

Real growth pressure from the Sioux City metro area, concentrated at Dakota Dunes

Union County sits in South Dakota's extreme southeast corner, bordering Sioux City, Iowa, and this is a county where that proximity translates into concrete, measurable development activity rather than mere geographic adjacency. Site Selection magazine has ranked Union County second nationally among all U.S. counties with populations of 10,000 or more for per-capita economic development projects. Much of that activity centers on Dakota Dunes, a roughly 2,000-acre master-planned residential and commercial community about five miles west of downtown Sioux City, originally developed in response to the 1980s farm crisis to diversify southeastern South Dakota's economy. Dakota Dunes' population grew 58.3% between the 2010 and 2020 Censuses (2,540 to 4,020), and its two business parks, Sioux Point and Two Rivers, together employ roughly 1,500 people in commercial and medical-oriented tenancies. Union County's overall population reached about 16,811 at the 2020 Census, with continued growth since.

For a land buyer, this means Union County's land market genuinely splits into two distinct pictures: traditional agricultural and rural residential land across most of the county's interior, governed by the standard county zoning and subdivision process described above, and a much more active, commercially- and residentially-driven market concentrated in and around Dakota Dunes and the Sioux City-adjacent corridor, where rezonings, new subdivisions, and commercial development are live, ongoing activity. Confirming a specific parcel's zoning district, any pending rezoning applications, and its proximity to the Dakota Dunes growth corridor with the Planning & Zoning Department is a genuinely more consequential due-diligence step here than in a county without comparable metro-adjacent development pressure.

What we could and couldn't confirm

Union County's status as one of Dakota Territory's original ten 1862 counties, its Cole County origin, and the 1864 renaming are drawn from local genealogical/historical sources and Wikipedia's summary; exact founding dates and boundary details in South Dakota's very early territorial period vary slightly across historical sources, and precise year-of-organization claims should be treated as broadly, not precisely, verified. The zoning ordinance status and effective dates are drawn from the county's own posted ordinance documents and website. The Dakota Dunes and Site Selection magazine economic-development ranking figures are drawn from Sioux City Journal reporting and the Urban Land Institute case study and should be treated as illustrative of a real, ongoing growth dynamic rather than current-year statistics -- confirm current development activity and any pending rezonings directly with the county.

Verify directly with: the Union County Planning & Zoning office for zoning-district and subdivision questions, particularly for any parcel in or near Dakota Dunes

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Union County

We could not confirm a direct email address for the Union County Planning & Zoning office or the Register of Deeds beyond their phone lines and website listings; the Director of Equalization's office listed a general office phone plus a separate cell phone (605-670-0118), but no confirmed email. Confirm current staff and contact details directly before relying on them.

Planning & Zoning

Union County Planning & Zoning

Zoning district confirmation, subdivision and plat review, conditional use permits, variances, building permits, and 911 addressing for unincorporated Union County parcels.

Phone: (605) 356-3354Official website →