Resident Action Kit

Have a say in the data center rules where you live. You do not need to be a lawyer to take part. This kit shows you each step in plain words, and it writes letters for you, filled in for your county or city.

Where do you live?

This kit explains how things usually work in South Dakota. It is not legal advice. Check meeting times with your local office.

Start Here: What Is Happening Where You Live?

Pick the one that fits. If you looked up your county or city above, the right one is marked for you.

No Ordinance

Ask for Rules

Your county or city has no data center rules. Ask your local leaders to write some before a company comes asking.

Write a Request Letter

Proposed Ordinance

Improve the Draft

Your county or city is working on rules. Tell leaders what to fix before they vote. The Letter Builder shows what the draft is missing.

Write a Comment Letter

Project Proposed

Speak Up on the Project

A company wants to build. Learn how to take part in the hearing and what your options are afterward.

Know Your Rights

How a New Zoning Rule Gets Made

Zoning rules say what can be built and where. A new rule goes through these steps. Each step is a chance for you to speak, and the earlier you speak, the more you can change.

Someone Asks for Rules
A resident, a leader, or a company raises the topic at a public meeting.
What You Can Do
Speak during public comment. Send a short letter asking for rules.
The Planning Commission Writes a Draft
This is a small group of residents who advise your leaders. They meet in public, often once a month. Staff or a regional planning office may write the first draft for them.
Best Time to Change the Draft
What You Can Do
Go to their meetings. Ask for a copy of the draft. Suggest specific changes in writing.
The Planning Commission Holds a Hearing
For a county ordinance, the planning commission must hold at least one public hearing. Notice must run in a legal newspaper at least 10 days ahead. The commission then sends its recommendation to the county commission.
What You Can Do
Mark the date. Tell your neighbors. Add it to your calendar from the Coming Up page.
The Governing Body Holds Its Own Hearing
The county commission or city council must hold at least one public hearing of its own, again with notice published at least 10 days ahead. Anyone with an interest must be given a fair chance to speak.
What You Can Do
Speak for two or three minutes. Bring a printed copy and ask that it go in the record.
Leaders Vote
The vote happens at a public meeting. Leaders may adopt the draft, adopt it with changes, or reject it. An ordinance is usually read at two meetings before the final vote.
What You Can Do
Be there for both readings. Afterward, ask for the signed copy and send it to the tracker.
Twenty Days Before It Takes Effect
The adopted ordinance is published in the newspaper. It takes effect on the twentieth day after it is published, unless voters turn in a referendum petition during those 20 days.
What You Can Do
Read Know Your Rights to see how a referendum works and how many signatures it takes.

If You Need More Time

A county or city that is studying data centers may adopt a temporary zoning ordinance, often called a moratorium, after a public hearing. It can last up to one year and can be renewed once. If a project is already being discussed and there are no rules yet, ask your leaders for a temporary pause while the rules are written.

Tools That Do the Writing for You

Letter BuilderPick your county or city. Get a letter that names your leaders and lists what your rules are missing. What to Say at a HearingA fill-in outline for two or three minutes of remarks. Ask for Public RecordsA filled-in public records request, ready to print or email. Letter to the Planning CommissionComment while the planning commission works on the draft. Letter to the EditorA short letter for your local paper, under 250 words. Printable FlyerOne page with your community's status, the next meeting, and a QR code.

Beyond Your County or City

Some decisions are made by the state. You can follow these and comment on them too.

State Law Protects Local Rules

Under Senate Bill 135, signed on March 24, 2026, the state may not take away or limit the power of counties, cities, and other local governments to restrict, prohibit, or otherwise regulate data centers. Strong local rules are where the decisions are made.

The Legislature Meets Again in January

In 2026 lawmakers passed two data center laws, rejected a statewide one-year moratorium, and rejected sales tax breaks for large data centers. These questions may return in the next session. You can follow bills and find your legislators at the South Dakota Legislature website.

Water Use

Under Senate Bill 135, a data center with a peak demand of 10 megawatts or more must tell each local water provider how much water it expects to use before it operates. Each provider decides in writing whether that fits the local supply. The state Board of Water Management sets limits and must make the data center's water use reports public.

Power Lines

Large new power lines need a permit from the Public Utilities Commission, which holds public input meetings in the counties a line would cross and takes written comments.

Electric Bills

Senate Bill 135 requires electricity providers to set separate terms for data centers of 10 megawatts or more, so that those data centers pay the costs they cause. The Public Utilities Commission sets the rates of the six investor-owned electric companies, and you can comment in its cases.

If your power comes from a cooperative or a city utility: the Public Utilities Commission does not set those rates. A cooperative's board, elected by its members, sets its rates. As a member, you can go to board and annual meetings, vote in board elections, and ask the board how it will charge large data centers. Find your cooperative.