How Do I Questions
South Dakota courts do not maintain birth certificates or other vital statistic records such as marriage certificates or death certificates. Contact your local county Register of Deeds office or South Dakota Department of Health Vital Records.
Marriage licenses are issued by the county Register of Deeds office—not by South Dakota courts. Contact your county Register of Deeds office for specific questions. At a minimum, you should be prepared to provide identification and pay a fee. Once a license is issued, the wedding must take place within 90 days, or the license becomes void. Learn more.
Instructions and forms are available to file you own divorce case in a South Dakota court if it will be simple and non-contested. These forms can be obtained from any Clerk of Courts office for $10 or online at no cost. UJS strongly encourages you to consult with an attorney before filing for divorce as many of the laws regarding marital assets and child custody can be complex.
In South Dakota, you can submit applications for a passport at some post offices and in some county Register of Deeds, Treasurer or Auditor offices. For locations in South Dakota, visit the U.S. Passport Service Guide website.
The UJS Jury Duty website provides information about all aspects of jury duty service and to help make jury service as convenient, comfortable, informative and rewarding as possible. The website provides the juror questionnaire, juror handbook, orientation video, courthouse information, FAQs and the ability to create a jury duty account.
In South Dakota, circuit courts are the only entity with authority to modify a child support obligation. This is usually done in response to a petition filed by one of the parents. Either parent or a representative may file a petition to modify their child support order. Learn more.
Protection orders, also called restraining orders, require a person (typically those charged with domestic violence or stalking) to stay a specified distance away from a named victim for a certain amount of time. Instructions and forms are available to file your own protection order case in court in South Dakota. Instructions/forms can be obtained from any county Clerk of Courts office or online.
Vehicle registration/decal renewals and license plate purchases are not processed by South Dakota courts. Contact your local county Treasurer’s office or visit the South Dakota Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division’s website.
To obtain an attorney certificate of good standing, contact the South Dakota Supreme Court Clerk’s Office at 605-773-3511.