How to order a South Dakota birth certificate
Who holds it: South Dakota Department of Health, Vital Records (221 W. Capitol Ave, Pierre); certified copies also issued at any county Register of Deeds from the central state database1
On this page
Fee
$15 per copy (search fee, non-refundable); VitalChek online/phone: $15 + $6.50 VitalChek fee + $5 expedite (regular mail) = $26.50, or $44.00 with UPS next day; $2.50 surcharge for cards in person2
Who may order
Certified copies: registrant, spouse, child, parent, guardian, next of kin (grandparents, siblings), authorized agent (attorney, physician, funeral director), designated agent, or a person with a personal or property right. Informational copies go to any applicant. The applicant must show a government-issued photo ID (State, Tribal or Federal) or two alternative documents; mail applications need a copy of the ID or a notarized signature3
How to search and order
- How to order
- In person or by mail at the State Office or any Register of Deeds; online/phone only via VitalChek (the only authorized vendor)2
Who may order and what is restricted
- Public100
- Birth records more than 100 years old are searchable free online (452,468 records at check)4
Older records and indexes
- Years covered
- Statewide registration began July 1905; some earlier births filed later (incomplete)4
Related records in South Dakota
- Death certificates: who holds it
- DOH Vital Records holds originals for all deaths after 1905; county Register of Deeds keeps copies for deaths in that county1
- Death certificates: fee
- $15 per certified or informational copy5
- Older records: vital records for genealogy
- Genealogy vital-record requests by mail only to DOH; photostatic informational copies recommended1
How South Dakota handles it
- Register of Deeds is also the local vital-records registrar: it issues marriage licenses and certified birth, death and marriage copies from the statewide database, and accepts vital-record orders1
Birth certificates in South Dakota counties with a full guide
The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County | Minnehaha County Register of Deeds6 | — | $15.00 per copy, charged whether or not the record is found6 |
| Pennington County | Pennington County Register of Deeds - Vital Records7 | — | $15.00 each, back to 19057 |
For any other county, see the county list on the South Dakota guide.
Official warnings
- Vital records: VitalChek is the only third-party vendor authorized by DOH; other sites ordering SD certificates are not authorized2
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any South Dakota office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in South Dakota: South Dakota public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 7 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Genealogy ResourcesSouth Dakota Department of Health
- Order Vital RecordsSouth Dakota Department of Health
- Vital Records Eligibility & IdentificationSouth Dakota Department of Health
- Birth Record Search Site (birth dates over 100 years)South Dakota Department of Health
- Vital Records FeesSouth Dakota Department of Health
- Vital RecordsMinnehaha County Register of Deeds
- Pennington County, SD