South Dakota, Codington County
Where Watertown's records are kept. Watertown has its own utility office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Watertown's own offices, along with State of South Dakota offices; the Codington County offices are on our Codington 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
Watertown city, South Dakota in U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: estimated population 23,736 in July 2025, median owner home value $229,400, and data on households, education, jobs, income and poverty.
Open official site U.S. Census Bureau QuickFactsCity records
Watertown Fire Rescue page with its 2025 annual report and incident news, alongside fire prevention and fire permit pages on the City of Watertown site.
Open official site Watertown Fire RescueCity records
Watertown city government at 20 North Maple, phone (605) 882-6200, posts city council agendas, ordinances, licenses and permits, park and recreation registration, garbage pickup and flight booking at the airport.
Open official site City of WatertownCity records
Watertown Regional Library, a city department at 160 6th St NE, phone 605-882-6220, gives card holders NewsBank access to Watertown Public Opinion articles from 1999 to now.
Open official site Watertown Regional Library Online ResourcesEverything else, organized
12 more Watertown sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Watertown, a place of 22,655 people, is the seat of Codington County. Court and property records sit with Codington County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of South Dakota. Watertown's own offices are in the cards above, and our Codington County page lists each county office.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 7 named mine sites inside the city or town limits, 2 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 11 holes drawn inside the city or town limits, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The mineral the records name is construction sand and gravel.
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.
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
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 Watertown. South Dakota has no online voter registration: the signed form goes to the Codington County Auditor at least 15 days before an election.
Deeds for property in Watertown are recorded by the Codington County Register of Deeds, and the county office that assesses property keeps the tax values. Our Codington 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.