South Dakota Death Records: Are They Public + How to Get Them

South Dakota restricts certified death certificates, but it is not a fully closed-record state. The South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records issues two kinds of copies: a certified copy and an informational copy. You must meet the state eligibility requirements only to obtain a certified copy. An informational (non-certified) copy is not subject to that eligibility list, so a member of the public can generally order one. Either copy costs $15.

Are Death Records Public in South Dakota?

Partly. South Dakota restricts certified death certificates, but it is not a flatly closed-record state. By state law, vital records filed in South Dakota are not open for public inspection, and you must meet eligibility requirements to obtain a certified copy. The state also issues an informational (non-certified) copy, and that eligibility list applies only to certified copies.

Access is controlled by South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 34-25 (Vital Records and Burial Permits). The statute and the Department of Health draw a line between the certified copy, which is used for identification and legal purposes, and the informational copy, which is marked "For informational purposes only. Not for legal proof of identification."

This is different from a fully open-record state, where any member of the public can buy a certified copy of any death certificate. In South Dakota, you must show that you are an eligible person before the state will release a certified copy. To obtain an informational copy, the state does not require you to meet that eligibility list, so a member of the public can generally order one of those.

There is no fixed waiting period in statute that automatically opens all certified death records to the public after a set number of years. Instead, the state allows limited genealogical access to older records through county death indexes and the South Dakota Genealogical Society.

For the bigger picture on what death and cause-of-death information is and is not public, see Are Cause of Death Records Public? and the Death Records by State guide.

Who Can Request a South Dakota Death Record?

It depends on the type of copy. A certified copy is limited to eligible people with a direct connection to the record. An informational (non-certified) copy is not subject to that eligibility list, so a member of the public can generally request one.

Eligible requesters for a certified copy include:

• The spouse of the deceased
• A child of the deceased
• A parent or legal guardian
• Next of kin, including grandparents and siblings
• An authorized agent such as an attorney, physician, or funeral director (documentation may be required)
• A designated agent authorized in writing by an eligible person to act on their behalf
• Anyone with a direct personal or property right to the record, such as a named beneficiary or estate representative

Government-issued photo ID is required of the person completing the application. Acceptable ID includes a state, tribal, or federal photo ID such as a driver license, state ID card, tribal ID, passport, or military ID. If you do not have a government photo ID, the state accepts photocopies of two alternative documents such as a Social Security card, utility bill, bank statement, pay stub, or vehicle registration.

How to Get a South Dakota Death Certificate

You order a death certificate from the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. The state offers in-person, mail, phone, and online ordering, and you can request either a certified copy or an informational copy.

The Office of Vital Records is located at 221 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, and can be reached at 605-773-4961. The same office handles birth, death, marriage, and divorce records for the entire state.

A copy of a death certificate costs $15.00. The state charges the same $15.00 to search for a record and verify the result even when no certificate is found, so the fee is not refunded if the record does not exist.

Phone and internet orders carry an additional expedite fee of $11.50, which covers electronic authentication and regular-mail shipping of the certificate. In-person and mail requests submitted directly to the state generally avoid that surcharge.

To order, complete the state vital records application, include a legible copy of your photo ID, and submit payment. If you are requesting a certified copy, state your eligibility and relationship to the deceased. Processing times vary by method, with in-person requests typically the fastest and mailed requests taking longer depending on volume.

Is the Cause of Death Public in South Dakota?

It can be. The cause of death is printed on the death certificate, and the informational (non-certified) copy reproduces the record content. Because the informational copy is not subject to the certified-copy eligibility list, a member of the public can generally obtain that copy and see the cause of death. The certified copy, used for legal and identification purposes, remains limited to eligible requesters.

In practice, that means a journalist, researcher, or other member of the public can generally order an informational copy of a death certificate, which carries the cause-of-death information even though it is marked "not for legal proof of identification." Family members, legal representatives, and others with a direct interest can additionally obtain the certified copy.

Related autopsy and medical-examiner findings follow their own access rules. For more on that, see Are Autopsies Public Records?.

How Far Back Do South Dakota Death Records Go?

South Dakota statewide vital records, including death records, begin in 1905. The Office of Vital Records maintains death records from that year forward.

There is no automatic public-release date in statute that opens all older certified death certificates to anyone. Instead, South Dakota allows limited genealogical research. Counties may make a death-certificate index available for genealogical research to research members of the South Dakota Genealogical Society, which is how older records are most often accessed for family history.

On a national level, there is no federal death-records database. The CDC National Center for Health Statistics confirms that death certificates are issued and held by each state, not by the federal government. For older deaths, researchers often use the Social Security Death Index, which is built from the Social Security Administration Death Master File. Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, the public version of that file excludes deaths that occurred within the most recent three calendar years.

For a related closed-versus-open comparison, see Are Birth Certificates Public Records?.

South Dakota Death Records at a Glance

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information about access to South Dakota death records and is not legal advice. Eligibility rules, fees, and procedures can change. Always confirm current requirements with the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records before relying on this information.

Sources

This article is based on official South Dakota Department of Health vital records guidance, including the Department of Health vital records eligibility page (doh.sd.gov), South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 34-25, and federal sources from the CDC and the Social Security Administration; the citations below link directly to those primary documents.