Are Autopsy Reports Public in South Dakota? (2026)
Autopsy reports are generally not public in South Dakota. The state AG holds them exempt under SDCL 1-27-1.5(5). Learn who can request a coroner report and how.
6 min read
South Dakota Laws
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Bankruptcy in South Dakota (2026): Exemptions & Means Test
South Dakota opted out of federal exemptions. Its homestead has no dollar cap and is limited only by acreage, and a personal-property allowance covers a vehicle.
6 min read
Common Law Marriage in South Dakota: Is It Recognized? (2026)
South Dakota does not recognize new common law marriages. SDCL 25-1-29 abolished formation after July 1, 1959. South Dakota does recognize valid out-of-state CLMs.
8 min read
How Long Is a Life Sentence in South Dakota? (2026 Guide)
Complete guide to life sentences in South Dakota: parole eligibility, LWOP rules, notable cases, recent legislative changes, and sentencing statutes. Updated March 2026.
8 min read
How to Find a Cause of Death in South Dakota (2026)
Find a cause of death in South Dakota via the death certificate, autopsy report, or obituary. Anyone can order an informational copy showing the cause for $15.
6 min read
How to Get a South Dakota Death Certificate (2026)
Get a South Dakota death certificate from the Department of Health Vital Records. Each certified or informational copy costs $15. See who is eligible, methods, and timing.
5 min read
Medical Malpractice Laws in South Dakota (2026): Caps
South Dakota medical malpractice in 2026: a strict 2-year occurrence deadline, a $500,000 cap on general (noneconomic) damages, and the slight-gross fault rule.
7 min read
South Dakota Adoption Records: Original Birth Certificates at 18 and the Sealed Court File
South Dakota adult adoptees get their original birth certificate directly at 18, no court order needed. The adoption court file needs a separate court petition.
5 min read
South Dakota Age Verification Law: SDCL 22-24-69 Explained
South Dakota requires age verification for adult content under SDCL 22-24-69 to 22-24-72, with dual criminal and AG-only civil penalties. Details here.
7 min read
South Dakota AI Laws and Regulation (2026)
Guide to South Dakota AI laws, regulation, and legislation covering deepfakes, employment AI, healthcare AI, and more.
8 min read
South Dakota AI Meeting Recording Laws (2026)
Learn how South Dakota consent laws apply to AI meeting recorders. One-party consent rules, penalties, and compliance.
8 min read
South Dakota Alimony Laws: How Spousal Support Works (2026)
South Dakota alimony laws explained: SDCL 25-4-41, the six discretionary factors (including fault), four types of spousal support, modification rules, and tax treatment.
9 min read
South Dakota At-Will Employment Laws: Exceptions and Your Rights
South Dakota is an at-will employment state under SDCL 60-4-4. Learn about public-policy, implied-contract exceptions, and right-to-work protections.
6 min read
South Dakota Audio Recording Laws
Learn South Dakota audio recording laws under SDCL 23A-35A-20. One-party consent allows recording your own calls and conversations. Penalties and evidence rules.
11 min read
South Dakota Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
South Dakota background check laws explained: expungement rules, FCRA lookback periods, employer screening, housing checks, and licensing requirements.
14 min read
South Dakota Biometric Privacy Laws: Collection, Consent & Penalties (2026)
South Dakota has no dedicated biometric privacy law. Learn how the breach notification statute SDCL 22-40-19 protects biometric data and what gaps remain.
7 min read
South Dakota Car Accident Laws: Fault, Insurance, and Your Claim
South Dakota is an at-fault state with a rare slight-gross negligence rule (SDCL 20-9-2). Learn the 25/50/25 minimums, mandatory UM/UIM, and the 3-year filing deadline.
8 min read
South Dakota Car Seat Laws: Requirements and Guidelines
Learn about South Dakota's car seat laws: age and weight requirements, rear-facing rules, booster seat guidelines, and penalties for violations.
6 min read
South Dakota Child Custody Laws (2026): Types, Best Interests, and Your Rights
South Dakota child custody law explained: best interests standard, no joint-custody presumption (SDCL 25-4A-26), 23 statutory factors, relocation rules, and how to modify an order.
6 min read
South Dakota Child Support Laws (2026): Guidelines & Calculator
South Dakota uses the Income Shares Model under SDCL 25-7-6.2. Learn how guidelines, the 2026 updated schedule, modifications, and enforcement work.
11 min read
South Dakota Court Records: How to Search, What's Public, and How to Seal Them (2026)
South Dakota court records run through two tools: the paid PARS system ($20 per search) and free eCourts. Learn coverage, exclusions, and expungement.
5 min read
South Dakota Dashcam Laws
Learn South Dakota dashcam laws. Dashcams are legal with proper mounting. Audio recording rules, evidence use, and commercial fleet dashcam regulations explained.
7 min read
South Dakota Data Breach Notification Laws: Reporting Rules & Timelines (2026)
South Dakota requires data breach notification within 60 days. Learn about the AG reporting threshold of 250 residents, $10,000/day penalties, and protected information coverage.
7 min read
South Dakota Data Privacy Laws: Breach Notification & Consumer Rights (2026)
South Dakota requires 60-day breach notification under SDCL 22-40-19. No comprehensive privacy law yet. Learn about penalties, consumer rights, and 2026 legislative updates.
11 min read
South Dakota Death Records: Are They Public + How to Get Them
South Dakota restricts certified death certificates to eligible requesters, but anyone can order an informational copy for $15. Here is how access and cause of death work.
8 min read
South Dakota Debt Collection Laws: The 20% Garnishment Cap and 120-Day Lien
South Dakota caps wage garnishment at 20% with a 120-day continuing lien. How the formula, 6-year debt SOL, and repossession rules work.
7 min read
South Dakota Deepfake Laws: AI Images, Voice Cloning & Penalties (2026)
South Dakota has three deepfake laws: SDCL 22-21-4 (manipulated intimate images), SB 79 (2024) AI-CSAM, and SB 164 (2025) election deepfakes. SB 41 adds a felony tier effective July 1, 2026.
8 min read
South Dakota Defamation Laws: Libel & Slander (2026)
South Dakota defamation laws: a 2-year deadline under SDCL 15-2-15, a new 2026 anti-SLAPP law (SB 137), libel and slander by statute, and how to sue.
8 min read
South Dakota Divorce Laws (2026): Grounds, Residency, and Process
South Dakota divorce laws explained: no-fault irreconcilable differences requires mutual consent, 60-day wait, equitable distribution, no separation required.
7 min read
South Dakota Dog Bite Laws: Liability and Victim Rights
Learn South Dakota dog bite laws, including the one-bite rule, negligence claims, vicious dog statutes, penalties, and the three-year filing deadline.
12 min read
South Dakota Drone Laws: Privacy, Trespass, and Prison Rules
South Dakota bans drone spying, landing on private land without consent, and flying over prisons under SDCL 50-15. See warrant, hunting, and felony rules.
8 min read
South Dakota DUI Laws: Penalties, BAC & License (2026)
South Dakota DUI laws: the 0.08% BAC limit, first-offense penalties under SDCL 32-23-2, license revocation, the 10-year look-back, and the felony threshold.
7 min read
South Dakota E-Scooter Laws: Sidewalk, Helmet & Age Rules (2026)
South Dakota exempts small motorized foot scooters (15 mph, 12-inch wheels) from motorcycle law entirely. Larger, faster devices are regulated differently.
7 min read
South Dakota Emancipation Laws: How to Get Emancipated in South Dakota (2026)
Learn how to get emancipated in South Dakota. Covers SDCL 25-5-26 petition requirements, minimum age (16), marriage and military pathways, rights granted, child support effects, and FAFSA impact.
9 min read
South Dakota Employee Monitoring Laws: Workplace Surveillance and Social Media (2026)
South Dakota employee monitoring law explained: the lack of a GPS tracking or social media password statute, one-party consent recording, and hidden camera penalties.
10 min read
South Dakota Expungement Laws: Arrest Records, Suspended Imposition, and What You Can Clear
South Dakota allows expungement of arrest records under SDCL § 23A-3-27 and conviction sealing through suspended imposition of sentence under SDCL § 23A-27-13. Learn eligibility, waiting periods, and the petition process.
7 min read
South Dakota Final Paycheck Laws: When the Deadline Depends on Returning Company Property
South Dakota ties its final-paycheck deadline to the return of employer property, an unusual condition, plus its dual civil and criminal penalties.
7 min read
South Dakota GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)
South Dakota has no GPS tracking device law. Learn when putting a tracker on a car counts as stalking under SDCL 22-19A-1 and what victims can do in 2026.
10 min read
South Dakota Grandparents' Rights: Visitation Law and the Troxel Gap
South Dakota's grandparent visitation law reads permissively, but no court has tested it against constitutional fit-parent protections. What that means.
6 min read
South Dakota Hit and Run Laws: Penalties and What to Do
Learn South Dakota hit and run laws, penalties for leaving the scene, driver duties after an accident, insurance rules, and what to do as a victim under SDCL 32-34.
11 min read
South Dakota Identity Theft Laws: SDCL 22-40-8 Penalties
South Dakota identity theft under SDCL 22-40-8 is a flat Class 6 felony. The state's minor freeze law, Chapter 54-16, predates the federal version by two years.
6 min read
South Dakota Landlord-Tenant Laws (2026): Deposits, Notice, and Tenant Rights
South Dakota security deposit cap is 1 month's rent (2 with a pet). Landlords have 14 or 45 days to return it. 24-hour entry notice required. Full 2026 guide.
6 min read
South Dakota Landlord-Tenant Recording Laws
Learn South Dakota landlord-tenant recording laws. Tenants can record landlord conversations under one-party consent. Camera rules, entry notice, and evidence guide.
7 min read
South Dakota Laws on Recording in Public
Learn South Dakota public recording laws. No restrictions on filming in public. Open Meetings Law protects recording government proceedings. First Amendment rights explained.
7 min read
South Dakota Laws on Recording Police
Learn your rights to record police in South Dakota. First Amendment protections, one-party consent rules, body camera access, and what to do if your rights are violated.
9 min read
South Dakota Lemon Law (2026): How to Qualify & Get a Refund
South Dakota's lemon law (SDCL 32-6D) covers new vehicles with 4+ repair attempts or 30 days out of service. Learn the rights period, refund formula, and how to file.
13 min read
South Dakota Marriage & Divorce Records: How to Get a Copy (2026)
South Dakota vital records are not open for public inspection. Learn who may order a marriage or divorce certificate, the $15 fee, and who holds decrees.
6 min read
South Dakota Medical Recording Laws
Learn South Dakota medical recording laws. Patients can record doctor visits under one-party consent. HIPAA does not restrict patient recording. Evidence and telehealth rules.
7 min read
South Dakota Medical Records Retention Laws (2026 Guide)
South Dakota medical records retention laws: how long hospitals and doctors keep your records, HIPAA rules, and patient rights.
11 min read
South Dakota Motorcycle Accident Laws (2026): Deadlines
South Dakota motorcycle accident law: the 3-year deadline to sue, the unique slight/gross comparative fault rule, the under-18 helmet law, and lane splitting.
6 min read
South Dakota Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in South Dakota: the circuit court petition under SDCL ch. 21-37, the four-week publication rule, and marriage-license changes.
5 min read
South Dakota Nursing Home Camera Laws: Video Monitoring Rights
South Dakota's S.D.C.L. chapter 34-12I lets nursing facility and assisted living residents install a video monitoring device, but separately makes audio monitoring a class 1 misdemeanor.
8 min read
South Dakota Phone Call Recording Laws
Learn South Dakota phone call recording laws under SDCL 23A-35A-20. One-party consent rules, interstate call recording, and business call recording explained.
8 min read
South Dakota Police Body Camera Laws: No Mandate, No Access Rule
South Dakota has no bodycam statute. Agencies decide for themselves whether to use cameras, and SDCL 1-27-1.5(5) lets them keep the footage closed.
7 min read
South Dakota Police Report: How to Get a Crash Report, Incident Report, or Body Camera Footage
How to get a South Dakota crash report through safesd.gov, request a local incident report, and what SDCL 32-34-13 says about confidentiality.
5 min read
South Dakota Pornography Laws (2026): No State Obscenity Statute
South Dakota has no state obscenity law; regulation is local-option. State AV law is criminal, not civil. CSAM penalties carry 1-10yr mandatory minimums.
9 min read
South Dakota Power of Attorney Laws: Durable, Medical, and Financial POA (2026)
South Dakota power of attorney laws explained: SDCL ch. 59-12 (Uniform Power of Attorney Act, eff. July 1, 2020) requires express durability language and notarization; health care POA under SDCL 59-7-2.1 requires two witnesses or a notary; living will under SDCL ch. 34-12D.
7 min read
South Dakota Probate and Intestate Succession: What Happens Without a Will (2026)
South Dakota probate runs through Circuit Court under a full UPC model. Learn intestate succession, the $100,000 small estate threshold, and estate tax rules.
8 min read
South Dakota Property Records: How to Find Out Who Owns a Property (2026)
South Dakota's Register of Deeds fees are set by state law, but there's no statewide index. Learn how to search South Dakota property records and find an owner.
8 min read
South Dakota Public Records Law: How to Request Records (SDCL 1-27)
South Dakota public records requests explained: the 10 business day deadline and deemed denial rule under SDCL 1-27-37, and hearing examiner review.
10 min read