South Dakota, county records

Pennington County, South Dakota Public Records

Sponsored

Find the right office in Pennington County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

Start here

Most requested Pennington County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

Filter by type

Showing 12 official sources

Official

Vital records

South Dakota Birth and Death Records

South Dakota Department of Health vital records, which issues certified birth and death certificates for events registered in the state and takes the orders for them.

doh.sd.gov
Open official site South Dakota Birth and Death Records
Official

State records

South Dakota Attorney General

The South Dakota Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer, prosecuting crimes, protecting consumers and overseeing the Division of Criminal Investigation. Court records come from the South Dakota Unified Judicial System.

atg.sd.gov
Open official site South Dakota Attorney General
Official

County court

South Dakota Federal Case Search

The U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota keeps civil and criminal case files in CM/ECF; anyone with a PACER account can read unrestricted filings. State cases come from the Unified Judicial System.

sdd.uscourts.gov
Open official site South Dakota Federal Case Search

Local record guide

About public records in Pennington County

County profile

Pennington County at a glance

State
South Dakota
County seat
Rapid City
Population
109,222
Area
2,784 sq mi
Founded
1875
Cities and towns
11

Pennington County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Pennington County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of Pennington County.

Police Departments. In addition to Pennington County Sheriff's Office, several municipal police departments operate within Pennington County. The Rapid City Police Department serves the largest city in Pennington County, handling urban law enforcement and coordinating with the Sheriff's Office on major crimes. Other city departments include the Box Elder Police Department and the Hill City Police Department, each responsible for maintaining law and order within their respective jurisdictions.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Pennington County Sheriff's Office, located at 300 Kansas City Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, provides law enforcement services to unincorporated areas of Pennington County and operates Pennington County Jail. Smaller communities like Hill City, Wall, and Box Elder maintain their own police departments or contract with Pennington County for services. Arrest records and booking information in Pennington County are considered public records under South Dakota Codified Law 1-27, the state's open records law.

Arrest Records. They are maintained by the arresting agency, primarily the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments.

• Phone: (605) 394-2151

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Pennington County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Pennington County

Old mine sites
323
Sites with no status in the records
8
Still producing
33
Worked underground, in the mine records
189
Main minerals
Gold, Silver; Tin; Feldspar
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
112
Shafts and tunnels
22
What they are
open pit mine, gravel pit, adit, mine shaft
Maps surveyed
1953 to 1984
Records behind them
554 records for 476 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 364 named mine sites inside the county, 323 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 112 holes drawn inside the county, 22 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Gold, Silver; Tin; Feldspar.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. South Dakota has no coal AML program; its old abandoned mines are in the Black Hills and the old denr.sd.gov AML page no longer resolves.

Pennington County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
South Dakota mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Pennington County (226 shown, 163 more named and 86 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Pennington County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Pennington County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in Pennington County. Ask that agency for its record. Under SDCL 23-5-7 a criminal booking photograph for a felony is a public record under the open records law (chapter 1-27); agencies need not provide one older than six months and may charge retrieval or copy costs. Other identification records may not be released outside the agency except to law enforcement, or to the public if the person becomes a fugitive or escapes.

How do I get a criminal background check in Pennington County, South Dakota?

The South Dakota criminal history record comes from the South Dakota Attorney General, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Identification Section. Checks are fingerprint based: mail a fingerprint card with the signed authorization and a check or money order, or submit the request form online and have fingerprints taken on a Livescan machine in South Dakota. Fee: $30.00 for a state check; $50.00 for a state and FBI check.

How can I look up sex offenders in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Search the South Dakota Sex Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Register with the county auditor or through the South Dakota Secretary of State. South Dakota has no online voter registration. The signed registration form must be received by the county auditor 15 days before the election; it cannot be sent by fax or email.

How do I look up property records in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Pennington County are kept by the Pennington County register of deeds. Property values are set by the county director of equalization, and tax bills come from the county treasurer. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Certified birth and death certificates for South Dakota come from the South Dakota Department of Health, Vital Records. Any South Dakota Register of Deeds also takes mail and in person requests for certificates. In person or by mail at the State Office, 221 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, or at any South Dakota Register of Deeds, or online or by phone through VitalChek, the only third party vendor the Department authorizes. Fee: $15 search fee for each certificate requested; online and phone orders add expedite fees.

How do I find business license records in Pennington County, South Dakota?

Business entity filings are searched with the South Dakota Secretary of State.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.

Rapid CityBox ElderWallHill CityNew UnderwoodKeystoneQuinnWastaCaputaOwankaScenicLawrence CountyCuster CountyJackson CountyMeade CountyHaakon CountyWeston County, Wyoming