Code Enforcement Complaints

The City of Sioux Falls is dedicated to promoting community spirits and neighborhood integrity by promoting the community's health and general welfare, while preserving and protecting the character and intensity of various property uses and values against adverse or unharmonious adjacent uses.

With this goal in mind, the City's Building Services Division is authorized to investigate complaints regarding zoning, housing and building code violations within the City limits of Sioux Falls. The most common of these violations involve parking on the grass, business use of a residential property, multiple tenants occupying a single family residence without a permit, converting property to another use without obtaining a change in use permit, the location of buildings on the property, dilapidated housing conditions and signage allowed on a property.

What can I do to start an investigation?
The public may initiate a complaint by contacting the Building Services Division at (605) 367-8670 or by calling CITYLINK to the Mayor at (605) 367-8000.

What information will you need from me?
Please be prepared to provide a description of the violation, including the address where the violation exists. You will also be asked to provide your name, address, telephone number and the best time to contact you.

Why do you need my name and telephone number?
Public input during the investigation stage has proven extremely valuable in resolving many complaints. Our investigators work primarily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Many violations occur when our investigators are not available. Your cooperation in monitoring the site allows our investigators to get a clear understanding of the nature of the violation and what needs to be done to resolve the problem.

Will my name be given out to anyone?
We want to provide the best possible service to the community while maintaining confidentiality. For this reason, it is the City's policy not to release the names of anyone initiating a complaint, unless we need to call you as a witness in the event that the case would go to court for prosecution, which is very rare.

How will I know who will investigate my complaint?
Upon receipt of your complaint, you will be notified as to which of our staff will be investigating your complaint and how you can contact them.

What will be done to correct the problem?
Our staff will:

• Contact you if additional information is needed prior to conducting our inspection
• Make as many on-site inspections as necessary
• Consult with other City departments if necessary (Health, Engineering, City Attorney's etc.)
• If violations are found, notify the responsible party of what action needs to be taken to abate the problem and a time frame to gain compliance
• Follow through with court action if compliance does not occur
• Contact you with a final disposition and make sure you are satisfied with the outcome prior to closing the complaint.