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Finding a will or probate case in South Dakota

Who holds it: Circuit court (Clerk of Courts in each county) handles probate under the Uniform Probate Code1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. More details
  3. Related records in South Dakota
  4. How South Dakota handles it
  5. Probate and wills in South Dakota counties with a full guide
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Search

Probate case summaries via eCourts (free registration) or courthouse public terminals; contact the county Clerk of Courts for files2

Fees

Fees
$75 to probate an estate; $2 for safekeeping or filing a will3

More details

Deposited wills
Wills deposited with a court for safekeeping are sealed and confidential during the testator's lifetime4
Courts: court system
Unified Judicial System: Supreme Court plus circuit courts (trial courts, seven judicial circuits) with magistrate courts handling misdemeanors, minor civil and small claims; records kept by the county Clerk of Courts5
Courts: statewide case search
PARS (Public Access Record Search) ujspars.sd.gov - summaries of public criminal cases (1989-present unless sealed) and protection orders, $20 per search; eCourts ecourts.sd.gov - free registration, case summaries by party name or case number; Civil Money Judgment search ujsjudgmentquery.sd.gov; public access terminals in every courthouse6
Courts: fees
Statewide record search by mail/email form: $20 per name (criminal from Jan 1989, civil from Jan 2006); $5 if certified as for a pending cause of action; no fee for named parties, legal representatives and qualified agencies. Clerk fees: $15 for an authenticated/exemplified copy; civil money judgment web search $4 per name/date search7
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 county8
Death certificates: fee
$15 per certified or informational copy9

How South Dakota handles it

  • Probate is in circuit court (Clerk of Courts), not a separate probate court1

Probate and wills 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.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Minnehaha CountyMinnehaha County Clerk of Courts10——
Pennington CountyProbate records are held by the Clerk of Courts Office11——

For any other county, see the county list on the South Dakota guide.

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: probate records and wills 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 11 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. SDCL § 29A-1-201 Uniform Probate Code definitionsSouth Dakota Legislature (SDCL)
  2. Cases and RecordsSouth Dakota Unified Judicial System
  3. SDCL § 16-2-29 Fees charged by clerk of courtsSouth Dakota Legislature (SDCL)
  4. SDCL § 29A-2-515 Deposit of will with courtSouth Dakota Legislature (SDCL)
  5. Court StructureSouth Dakota Unified Judicial System
  6. Court Records SearchSouth Dakota Unified Judicial System
  7. SDCL § 16-2-29.5 Records search feeSouth Dakota Legislature (SDCL)
  8. Genealogy ResourcesSouth Dakota Department of Health
  9. Vital Records FeesSouth Dakota Department of Health
  10. Minnehaha County court pageSD Unified Judicial System
  11. Skip to main content