South Dakota has general jurisdiction trial courts and a single appeals court – the South Dakota Supreme Court. Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction. They handle all civil and criminal cases. The Circuit Courts assign Magistrates to oversee marriages, ordinance violations, misdemeanors, small claims, and preliminary hearings. The state is divided into seven judicial circuits, with a total of 41 Circuit Court judges presiding.
Circuit Court records are not available online. A statewide search of South Dakota Circuit Court civil or criminal records can only be conducted through a Clerk of Court, which you may contact in person, by mail, or by fax. The cost is $15 per search and results are mailed. For instructions, click on “Court Records – Statewide Search” below.
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| Bankruptcies, Judgments, Tax Liens Pay Site Use our Search Systems Premium database to search South Dakota or U.S. Nationwide for tax liens, bankruptcies, and judgments for only $5.00. Immediate results. |
| Court Calendar | Supreme Court Review the current term court calendar from the South Dakota Supreme Court. Provides case listings and pdf files. |
| Court Opinions | Supreme Court View recent Supreme Court opinions at this South Dakota Unified Judicial System page. |
| Court Records | U.S. District PACER Bankruptcy Pay Site U.S. District Court of South Dakota. Register with the fee-based PACER system to search for Federal bankruptcy court records by case number, name, SSN/Tax ID, or case type. Provides dockets and documents. |
| Court Records | U.S. District PACER Civil & Criminal Pay Site Register with the PACER system to search the U.S. District Court of South Dakota PACER system for Federal civil & criminal court records. |
| Court Records | Civil Judgments Register with this South Dakota Judicial System service to search for civil judgments in South Dakota State Courts. |
| Court Records | Unified Judicial System Pay Site Information on how to order statewide civil and criminal court record searches in South Dakota. |
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