South Dakota, Pennington County
Where Rapid City's records are kept. Rapid City has its own city government, police department, fire department and public library; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Rapid City's own offices, along with State of South Dakota offices; the Pennington County offices are on our Pennington County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
South Dakota State Historical Society archives page for planning a research visit, with collection indexes, digital archives, newspapers online and the library catalog.
Open official site South Dakota State Archives ResearchCounty court
Bankruptcy court for South Dakota with clerk's offices in the Pierre federal courthouse and the Sioux Falls U.S. Courthouse, both open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.
Open official site U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of South DakotaPolice & jail
South Dakota Unified Judicial System guide to looking up case information, court dates and record searches. Only adult matters are covered; juvenile cases are confidential and left out of searches.
Open official site South Dakota Court Records AccessVital records
State office for South Dakota birth, death, marriage and divorce records, with fees, eligibility and ID rules, genealogy help, birth records over 100 years old and an online services portal.
Open official site South Dakota Department of Health Vital RecordsPolice & jail
State clearinghouse listing missing persons reported in South Dakota, searchable by first name, last name and reporting agency, with statistics and resources for families and law enforcement.
Open official site South Dakota Missing Persons ClearinghousePolice & jail
Division of Criminal Investigation public registry, set up after 2006 law changes, listing all offenders registered in South Dakota. Users must accept the terms before searching.
Open official site South Dakota Sex Offender RegistryPolice & jail
DCI Identification Section processes fingerprint based South Dakota background checks for any person who asks. Send a request by mail or file online with fingerprints taken on a South Dakota Livescan machine.
Open official site South Dakota DCI Background ChecksFederal
Population, housing, income and business statistics for Rapid City city, South Dakota, published by the U.S. Census Bureau in QuickFacts from its population estimates, American Community Survey and economic programs.
Open official site U.S. Census Bureau QuickFactsCity records
City of Rapid City at 300 6th Street, with licenses, permits and land use applications, city jobs, bids and vendor registration, city phone numbers, budget information and water or trash service.
Open official site City of Rapid CityPolice & jail
Rapid City Police Department, with the incident reports, record requests and contacts the department publishes.
Open official site Rapid City Police DepartmentCity records
Fire & Rescue 1205 N Maple Ave Rapid City, South Dakota 57701 (605) 394-4187
Open official site Rapid City Fire DepartmentCity records
10 Van Buren Street, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701 (605) 716-4098
Open official site Rapid City Public LibraryEverything else, organized
15 more Rapid City sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Rapid City, a place of 74,703 people, is the seat of Pennington County. Court and property records sit with Pennington County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of South Dakota. Rapid City's own offices are in the cards above, and our Pennington County page lists each county office.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in South Dakota is run by the South Dakota Secretary of State and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, polling places and the local election office for Rapid City. South Dakota has no online voter registration: the signed form goes to the Pennington County Auditor at least 15 days before an election.
Deeds for property in Rapid City are recorded by the Pennington County Register of Deeds, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our Pennington County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in South Dakota come from the state vital records office, South Dakota Vital Records. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
Same county
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.