South Dakota Death Records

Are Death Certificates Public in South Dakota?

Under South Dakota Laws, vital records are not open for public inspection. Vital records include birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. Only eligible persons can obtain certified copies of these records in the state. The general public, however, can request and obtain informational copies of vital records, including South Dakota death certificates. Hence, those looking to obtain public death records in the state can request informational copies of the desired record from the state Vital Record Office or any County’s Register of Deeds. Record seekers can also use third-party websites that provide South Dakota death record search services to request death certificates.

What Shows Up on Death Records in South Dakota?

South Dakota death records are vital documents prepared to register deaths that occur in the state. In South Dakota, official death records are death certificates. These documents establish the identities of the deceased and the causes of their deaths. Some key details found on a South Dakota death certificate are:

• Full name of the decedent
• Names of the decedent’s parents
• Sex, age, and race of the decedent
• Last known address of the decedent
• Where and when the decedent was born
• Where and when the decedent died
• Cause of death
• Name and signature of a medical officer, coroner, or physician providing a cause of death
• Name and signature of a funeral director making final arrangements for the deceased
• Death record registration number

Living relatives of a decedent may need copies of a death certificate for various reasons. In addition to certifying the passing of the individual named on the record, a death certificate is a legal document required for processing the insurance and pension benefits of the deceased. Financial institutions will also require this document to close the deceased's account and release his/her holdings to those inheriting the estate.

The government of South Dakota also prepares death records for its own benefit. These and other vital records are required for estimating population growth and calculating other population metrics. Such data help the state make better use of its resources. For example, health policies are better implemented knowing the age distribution in the population. In South Dakota, vital records generally include birth, death, marriage, and divorce.

Genealogists also use death records to trace lineages and construct family histories. Social scientists may use such records to make sense of observed socioeconomic trends in the state. Medical researchers also comb through death records for epidemiological studies. Such undertakings can help them identify and track the population's emergence and progression of infectious diseases and genetic conditions.

How are Death Records Created in South Dakota?

South Dakota expects the funeral director or whoever is responsible for handling the final remains of the deceased to initiate the process of recording a death. The head of the funeral home or crematorium fills in the details required on a death certificate. Personal details may be obtained from family members of the deceased. Such information includes the decedent’s last known address and the parents' names.

A medical officer, coroner, or physician provides the cause of death written on the prepared death certificate. This official must also sign the document to confirm their conclusions. The funeral director then signs the document before returning it to the Vital Records Office of the South Dakota Department of Health. Once submitted, the death is registered, and the record is prepared and sealed. Anyone requiring a copy of this record must then submit a request to the South Dakota Vital Records Office.

How to Find Death Records Online in South Dakota?

South Dakota does not host its vital records online. Therefore, there is no way to look up death records for the state on the internet. The state’s law also keeps vital records away from public inspection. Members of the public can only access specific death records by requesting them. While South Dakota makes no provision for viewing death records online, it does allow residents to order them online. This task is given to an approved third-party records provider. This partner accepts requests for copies of South Dakota death certificates on behalf of the Vital Records Office.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional government sources and third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are a good place to start when looking for specific or multiple records. To gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Death Record Search by Name in South Dakota

In South Dakota, there is no direct way to search for death records by using only a decedent's name. Most ways of searching for and ordering death records in the state usually require the requester to provide the decedent's name as well as other details of the deceased. For instance, interested persons can order a decedent death record from the state Vital Records Office by completing the state’s vital records request form. On the form, the record seeker would need to provide the decedent's full name, sex, date of death, and decedent's city or county of death. The record seeker would also need to select their relationship with the decedent and the type of copy being requested on the request form. Some third-party websites that provide South Dakota death index may allow users to search for a decedent death record by their name.

Death Record Search by Address

The easiest way to conduct a death record search by address is by visiting or contacting the library of the county or city where the decedent is believed to have died. At such libraries, interested persons can search through the newspapers archive section to find the obituaries of descendants in the region.

How to Find Death Records for Free in South Dakota

South Dakota does not allow the public to view or obtain copies of death records for free. It charges a fee for access to death records regardless of the method of access. The state charges a fee for certified and informational copies of these vital records as well as photocopies.

How to Obtain Death Records in South Dakota

The three locations where you can get South Dakota death records are:

• South Dakota Vital Records Office
• County Register of Deeds Offices
• Approved third-party partner record processor

The Office of Vital Records maintains all vital records prepared in South Dakota from 1905 to date. This state office accepts requests for death records. Residents of the state can also request copies of death certificates from Offices of the Registers of Deeds in their counties. These locations accept walk-in and mail requests. Phone and internet orders for South Dakota death certificates are only available from the partner third-party processor approved by the South Dakota Vital Records Office.

To order copies of a South Dakota death certificate by phone or online, visit the Vital Records order page on the website of the state’s Department of Health for instructions.

Requesters electing to order South Dakota death certificates in person should visit the Vital Records state office located at:

207 East Missouri Avenue
Suita 1-A
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-4961
Fax: (605) 773-2680

This office is open to the public between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday except on public holidays.

Each requester will be required to submit a completed and signed South Dakota Vital Records Request. Along with this application, the requester must present proof of identity and pay the required fee for the number of copies ordered.

South Dakota only accepts valid government-issued photo IDs. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• Driver’s license
• State ID card
• Tribal ID
• Passport or Visa
• Military ID

A requester with none of the above identifications may present any two of the following identifying documents:

• Social Security card
• Utility bill with current address
• Bank statement listing current address
• Pay stub (must include your name, Social Security number, and address of employer)
• Car registration or title listing current address

Requesters can also order copies of South Dakota death records from the County Register of Deeds Offices. They need to submit the same application form, payment, and proof of identity.

Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the South Dakota Office of Vital Records has suspended walk-in requests for all vital records until further notice. Requesters can order these records without visiting the state office or the county offices by mailing in their requests.

When requesting copies of a South Dakota death record by mail, send in the completed application with a photocopy of a valid ID or photocopies of any two of the alternate IDs listed above. In lieu of ID, South Dakota accepts notarized applications. If submitting a notarized application, you must sign it in front of a notary public. Enclose payment for the numbers of copies ordered with your request. Send this request to:

207 East Missouri Avenue
Suita 1-A
Pierre, SD 57501

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in South Dakota?

Yes. While South Dakota does not allow the public to inspect its death records, it permits anyone to request copies of specific death certificates. However, the copies provided to the general public are informational copies. Certified copies of South Dakota death records are only available to individuals deemed eligible. To be eligible to receive certified copies of a South Dakota death certificate, you must have one of these relationships to the decedent named in the record:

• Child
• Parent or legal guardian
• Grandparent
• Sibling
• Authorized agent
• Designated agent

Authorized agents include the attorney and physician of the deceased as well as the funeral director tasked with the deceased’s final arrangements. A designated agent is an individual authorized by the deceased, before their passing, to obtain the document. Authorized and designated agents must provide documents to support their claims and confirm their links to the deceased.

South Dakota also allows anyone requiring certified copies of a death record to claim personal or property rights to request them.

While a certified copy of a death certificate is printed on a security paper with a raised seal and the signature of the issuing official, an informational copy is printed on plain paper and includes the following statement: "For informational Purposes only. Not for legal proof of identification".

Photostatic copies are photocopies of original documents. They can be photocopies of certified copies or informational copies of death records. Like regular certified copies, certified photostatic copies have raised seals and official signatures. They can also be used for legal purposes. Photostatic copies are usually provided for genealogy purposes.

How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in South Dakota?

A copy of a South Dakota death certificate costs $15 regardless of whether it is a certified, informational, or photostatic copy. This is the fee paid at the state Office of Vital Records as well as the Register of Deeds Offices in the various counties of South Dakota.

For walk-in requests, total copy fees are payable in cash as well as with checks, money orders, and credit/debit cards. Note that when paying with a credit or debit card, there is a $2.50 surcharge for payment processing. Only checks and money orders are accepted for mail requests. When paying with a check or money order, make it out to South Dakota Vital Records.

In addition to the standard certificate fee of $15, there is a $6.50 fee for the approved third-party processor handling phone and online orders. Requesters choosing these methods must also include $5 for regular mail. Anyone opting for expedited shipping pays an additional $17.50 for UPS Next Day delivery for a total of $44 per order of one death certificate. An expedited order of multiple death certificates will cost $15 for each certificate besides the first one.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in South Dakota?

Those requesting South Dakota death certificates in person can receive them on the same day as their requests. This same-day delivery is provided at the state Vital Records Office as well as the County Register of Deeds Offices. However, certificates for deaths registered before 1960 are only available on the same day as requested in the counties where the events occurred.

Processing time for mail requests vary by location. Generally, requesters should expect their mailed requests to be fully processed 2 - 3 weeks after these requests are received. Online and phone orders also take 2 - 3 weeks to process. After processing, it may take another week to deliver these records by regular mail. For faster shipping, those ordering online and by phone may choose expedited shipping via UPS. Those requesting South Dakota death records may opt for faster shipping by enclosing prepaid priority envelopes with their orders.

How Long to Keep Records After Death

The length of time to maintain the records of a deceased person depends on the type of record. Generally, personal records may be kept for any amount of time but should be maintained for some time if there are pending court cases involving the deceased. Financial records should be kept for at least 5 years to allow for any pending IRS audit. Surviving relatives and those inheriting the estates of the deceased may also need to keep these records to finalize insurance claims. Property records should be maintained in perpetuity by those awarded the named properties in the deceased’s will.

How to Expunge Death Records in South Dakota

Expungement refers to the permanent erasure of a record. This most commonly applies to criminal records following pardons or the overturning of convictions. In South Dakota, there is no provision for expunging death records.

How to Seal Death Records in South Dakota

South Dakota death records are available to the public by default. Anyone can request informational copies of specific death records prepared in the state. Keeping a death record out of the public domain requires obtaining a court order sealing the record. The person applying for this order must demonstrate before the court that sealing the named record is necessary to protect those surviving the deceased.

How to Unseal Death Records in South Dakota

There is no reason to apply to unseal a South Dakota death record as they are available to anyone by default. However, one may need to unseal a sealed death record. Doing so requires petitioning the appropriate court and demonstrating that the reasons provided for sealing the record are no longer valid.

How to Use the South Dakota Death Registry

Unlike other states, South Dakota has no centralized state death registry. Neither the South Dakota vital record office nor any county register of deed offices maintains searchable death registries. However, there are third-party websites that provide South Dakota death indexes of deaths that occurred before 1960. The search criteria needed to use these death indexes may vary by the service provider. The most common criteria include a subject's full name and death date. Note that the term “death index” and “death registry” refers to the same thing, a database containing information about deaths that occurred in a particular region, be it at the national, state, or county level.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains the United States Death Registry at the national level. The register contains information on all deaths that have occurred in the entire country. The data contained in this registry are retrieved from United state death records maintained by different state offices. However, the United States Death Registry is not publicly accessible. It can only be accessed for eligible reasons and by certain qualified persons. These include for public health and medical studies by qualified professionals.

Another noteworthy United State Death registry is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). This registry contains United States death records that were reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) from 1962 until the present. The SSDI is accessible through third-party websites.

Besides South Dakota death registries or indexes, death notices are a good source of information on deaths in the state. A South Dakota death notice is a succinct announcement of a person's passing. South Dakota death notices are typically published in newspapers and on third-party websites.

How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in South Dakota

In South Dakota, obituary records are kept and maintained by local libraries. Hence, interested persons can find the obituary for a specific person in South Dakota through the local library of the city or county where they believe the decedent died. How obituary records are maintained and dispensed to the public varies by city and county library.

Record seekers can visit local libraries in person in cities and counties to request a South Dakota obituary search to find the obituary of a specific person. Some local libraries also provide other means of requesting obituary records. For instance, the City of Sturgis Library provides an obituary listing request service interested persons can use to request a South Dakota obituary search of records they maintain by email. The library charges a $5 research fee for up to five obituaries requested. The library also provides an online obituary index. This index contains details of obituary records they maintain, such as basic information on decedents, death dates, names, and pages of newspapers where obituaries were declared.

Others, like Watertown Regional Library, maintain an official website where obituaries are listed.

How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in South Dakota

Interested persons can conduct a free obituary search in South Dakota by visiting local libraries to search for obituary records in person. Alternatively, local libraries may provide an online obituary index record seekers can review to conduct free obituary lookups. Record seekers can search for obituaries using a decedent’s name and date on an online obituary index.

What is Considered a Death Notice in South Dakota?

A South Dakota death notice is a formal announcement of a person's passing in the state. Information about the deceased is available in their death notice. These specifics include but are not limited to the name of the deceased, age at death, death date, place of death, and information on their funeral service. Death notices are usually written and published in newspapers by the deceased's surviving loved ones.

What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries?

Obituaries and death notices differ greatly in how much information they offer. Although both death notices and obituaries serve as public announcements of a person's death, obituaries are usually more thorough than death notices. While death notices give general information like the name of the deceased, death date, and age at death. Similar details are included in obituaries, along with a biography that describes the decedent's life.