About South Dakota Public Records

• South Dakota Records HubMain directory
• Cities & Counties308 cities • 66 counties
• Court RecordsSouth Dakota courts
• Criminal RecordsBackground checks
• Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage
• DMV RecordsDriver & vehicle
• Property RecordsReal estate & assets
• GenealogyHistorical research

Explore documents, files, transactions, registry and reports for the state of South Dakota. Perform criminal background, and personal history. Verify a Social Security number (SSN). Find documents from courts. Find a marriage license, birth certificate or death certificate. Inquire into a business. Check out South Dakota professional licenses of attorneys, teachers, nurses, and more. Keep an eye on sex offenders in your neighborhood.

South Dakota is located in the mid-western region of the U.S. and was the 40th territory to become a state in 1889. There are 66 counties functioning as local governments in the state of South Dakota. Agencies carry out many of the state's responsibilities on behalf of the state and local governments. The South Dakota Open Records (SDCL) allows members of the public to request information from their governments for better transparency. Better access to government information presents a tool for journalists to uncover stories of mishanding of public affairs. Concerned South Dakota residents can request to see employee salaries, budgets, minutes of meetings between elected officials and many other records and information for oversight of any abuses.

Criminal records are commonly the most important part of background checks. Searching criminal history can be challenging as protected data is not available to the public. The state of South Dakota offers step by step instructions on how to obtain a criminal history report. Look up the requirements and see what you need from the state's official division of criminal investigation and see how to conduct a finger based background check of an employee or yourself. You can order records of misdemeanors and felonies statewide as well as seeing how to obtain records from federal agencies as the central repository of criminal information on individuals.

For a thorough investigation you can expand your search to include other information derived from public records. The South Dakota Department of Health offers several easy and simple ways of obtaining a birth, death or marriage record. Electronic court record searches from the state of South Dakota judicial system offers online access to criminal cases, filings and civil lawsuits. Instant databases are offered to verify a professional license issued by the state. Regardless of your search needs and goals, a search of records available to the public can reveal an abundance of substantive information resulting in an informative final report.

The South Dakota supreme court has mandatory jurisdiction in civil, capital criminal, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile,disciplinary, and original proceeding cases, discretionary jurisdiction in advisory opinions for the state executive, interlocutory decision, and original proceeding cases. Circuit courts have exclusive civil jurisdiction, including civil appeals, small claims for cases up to $8,000, domestic relations, criminal trials, including criminal appeals, exclusive traffic, except for uncontested parking violations, which is handled administratively, and exclusive juvenile jurisdiction. The South Dakota circuit court also handles preliminary hearings and has jury trials except in small claims. The South Dakota family courts dictate that a marriage can only be dissolved by death or divorce and limited cases, marriages may be annulled by an action in circuit court.

South Dakota court records are maintained by the South Dakota Unified Judicial System. Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction serving multiple counties in each judicial circuit.

Case records can be searched through the South Dakota Unified Judicial System online portal at ujs.sd.gov.

South Dakota criminal records are maintained by the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) under the state Attorney General. The DCI Identification Section processes fingerprint-based criminal background checks statewide. The Computerized Criminal History (CCH) system contains arrest data for misdemeanors and felonies in South Dakota. Court records are accessible through the Unified Judicial System (UJS) Public Access Records Search (PARS), which provides statewide criminal and civil case information online. The South Dakota Department of Corrections maintains an offender locator for felony offenders sentenced to DOC custody. County sheriff offices across South Dakota’s 66 counties maintain local arrest records, jail rosters, and warrant information.

Certified copies of South Dakota birth and death certificates are issued by the South Dakota Department of Health. Marriage records are also kept by the local office that issued the license, and divorce records by the court that granted the divorce.

• South Dakota vital recordsSouth Dakota Department of Health

Locating assets in South Dakota using public records can reveal information other than just property records. Business filings with the Secretary of State online database showing company status, address and images of documents filed. View information of others involved with the subject of you search in partnerships, LLCs, corporations and other entity types. Bankruptcy filings can be obtained just as other court records, and can be accessed easily with the availability of the PACER system. Other court records from county and circuit courts can include judgments, divorces and other lawsuit related information.

SD.gov is the official South Dakota portal, and South Dakota Codified Laws are online from the South Dakota Legislature.

• SD.govOfficial South Dakota state portal
• South Dakota Codified LawsSouth Dakota Legislature

The Department of Public Safety keeps South Dakota driving records, and the Department of Revenue handles vehicle titles and registration.

• Request a South Dakota driving recordDepartment of Public Safety
• Title, fees and registrationSouth Dakota Department of Revenue

In South Dakota, expungement seals the records of an arrest, detention, trial or disposition. Under SDCL 23A-3-27 you can ask one year after an arrest with no charge filed, one year after the prosecutor dismisses the whole case, or any time after an acquittal.

• Expungement formsSouth Dakota Unified Judicial System

For family history, start with the South Dakota State Historical Society archives and the South Dakota State Library.

• South Dakota State ArchivesSouth Dakota State Historical Society
• South Dakota State LibraryState library services

The South Dakota Missing Persons Clearinghouse keeps a public search of missing persons from South Dakota.

• South Dakota Missing PersonsSD Missing Persons Clearinghouse
• NamUsU.S. Justice Department database of missing and unidentified people

Need a different South Dakota record?

Browse county pages, search vital records, look up court filings, or run a background check from the main hub.

Open South Dakota Records Hub

Top South Dakota Resources

Need direct contacts? Public Records Search