How to Get a Death Certificate in South Dakota

South Dakota limits certified copies to people with a direct connection to the person who died. The state application lists:

• The current spouse
• A child or parent
• A guardian (send proof of the legal guardianship)
• Next of kin: grandparents, grandchildren over 18, and siblings only
• Funeral directors, attorneys, or physicians acting on behalf of the family (documentation may be required)
• A designated agent: someone an eligible person appoints by a notarized statement, using the "Designated Agents" section on page 2 of the application
• Someone with a personal or property right to the record not covered above (send documentation of that right)

Executors who are not family may qualify under the personal or property right category, or an eligible family member can name them as a designated agent.

Anyone can get an informational copy, which cannot be used for legal purposes.

The state's sources differ slightly: the application lists grandchildren over 18 as next of kin, but the eligibility page lists only grandparents and siblings. If you are a grandchild, call Vital Records at 605-773-4961 to confirm.

South Dakota has two kinds of issuing offices: the county Register of Deeds (by law, the local registrar of vital records) and the state Vital Records Office in Pierre. Both charge $15 per copy. South Dakota only has records for deaths that happened in South Dakota.

At a county Register of Deeds. The state says you can mail or bring your request to any South Dakota Register of Deeds. There are 64 offices serving all 66 counties: Oglala Lakota County is served by the Fall River County office in Hot Springs, and Todd County by the Tripp County office in Winner. Find addresses in the state's Register of Deeds directory.

• Minnehaha County's Register of Deeds says any South Dakota Register of Deeds office can issue records for deaths in South Dakota from January 1, 1960 to the present. The state itself does not publish a cutoff year, and its genealogy page says counties standardly keep copies of deaths that occurred in their own county. For older deaths, the State Office is the safest route.
• If a county cannot find the record, the request is forwarded to the Department of Health for a further search.
• Payment methods vary by county. Some do not take personal checks, and some add a fee for card payments. Call the county office before you go.

At the State Office. The Vital Records Office holds the original record of every South Dakota death since 1905.

• In person: 221 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday. Cash, check, and money order are accepted; credit or debit cards add a $2.50 surcharge.
• By mail: send the South Dakota Vital Records Request with your fee and ID to Vital Records, South Dakota Department of Health, 221 West Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501. Pay by check or money order to the South Dakota Department of Health (a county office may ask you to make it payable to the county Register of Deeds). You can include a prepaid priority envelope for faster return.
• Online or by phone: order through VitalChek or call 605-773-4961. The state says phone orders are also processed through VitalChek. Each order adds a $6.50 VitalChek fee and a $5.00 expedite fee, so one copy by regular mail costs $26.50. UPS Next Day shipping adds $17.50 (total $44.00 for one copy). Each additional record on the same order adds $15. The credit card must be in your name.

Processing time. The state does not publish turnaround times for any method. It says only that processing times may vary by location. State law allows the state or a local registrar to hold back a certified copy for up to three days. Contact the office you are ordering from to confirm.

• The application: the South Dakota Vital Records Request. You check a box for your relationship to the person who died.
• Payment: $15 per copy. By mail, use a check or money order. The $15 is also a search fee: it is not refunded if no record is found. Copies are free for veterans and their spouses, widows or widowers, children, and other dependents when needed for a claim with a federal or state agency (SDCL 34-25-54).
• Photo ID of the person filling out the application: a current government-issued photo ID (state, tribal, or federal), such as a driver's license, state ID card, tribal ID, passport or visa, or military ID. It can be from another country of residence.
• In person: show your photo ID.
• By mail: send a clear copy of your photo ID, or have your signature on the application notarized instead.
• No photo ID? Send copies of two of these: Social Security card, a utility bill or bank statement with your current address, a pay stub (with your name, Social Security number, and the business's name and address), or a car registration or title with your current address.
• Online: identity is checked electronically. By phone, state rules allow faxing a clear copy of your photo ID or an electronic identity check.
• Proof of relationship if asked. The state says proof may be required at the time of request but does not list specific documents for spouses, children, parents, or next of kin.
• Extra papers for some requesters: guardians send proof of the guardianship; people claiming a personal or property right send documentation of that right; a designated agent needs page 2 of the application signed by the eligible person in front of a notary.

South Dakota issues two kinds of copies, and both cost $15:

• Certified copy: printed on security paper with a raised seal and the signature of the issuing agent. This is the copy banks, insurers, courts, and agencies accept. Only eligible requesters can get one.
• Informational copy: plain paper with no raised seal or signature, marked "For informational purposes only. Not for legal proof of identification." Anyone who sends an application, ID, and the fee can get one.

For settling an estate, you will almost always need certified copies. The state also offers "photostatic" copies (a photocopy of the original record), mainly for genealogy. By law, South Dakota vital records are not open for public inspection.

Two filings happen after a death in South Dakota:

• The funeral director (or the person acting as one) who first takes custody of the body files the fact of death record with the Department of Health within five days after the death, using personal details from the next of kin. (SDCL 34-25-25)
• The doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner last in attendance completes, signs, and files the medical certificate within five days of the date of death. (SDCL 34-25-18)

The state does not publish how soon after a death copies can be ordered. If the death may not have been from natural causes, the county coroner refers it to the state's attorney, sheriff, or police for investigation (SDCL 34-25-22), which can hold up the medical certification.

Funeral directors acting for the family are eligible to order certified copies. Ask your funeral home whether it can order your first copies.

Many banks, insurers, and agencies ask for their own certified copy. In South Dakota every copy costs the same $15, so there is no discount for ordering extras at once, but ordering online or by phone charges the $11.50 order fee only once per order. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

The Department of Health makes all amendments to South Dakota death records. Under the state rules:

• The next of kin, the funeral director, or the person acting as funeral director can request an amendment.
• Changes to the medical section (cause of death) need an affidavit from the attending licensed physician or the county coroner who took jurisdiction.
• You need an affidavit of correction (identifying the certificate, the wrong information as listed, and the correct information) or a court order with the same details. The department may ask for documents proving the correct information.
• Amending a death record one year or more after the death costs $8 (no copy included).
• Changing a surname a year or more after the death needs a court order, unless it is a minor spelling change.
• Amended records are marked "amended." Copies you already bought can be exchanged at no cost.

The state's amendments page and forms cover birth and marriage records only. For a death record, contact Vital Records at 605-773-4961 or vitalrecords@state.sd.us.

South Dakota's official ways to order are:

• Any county Register of Deeds office (see the state directory)
• The State Vital Records Office, 221 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, in person or by mail
• VitalChek, online at vitalchek.com or by phone at 605-773-4961. The state calls VitalChek the only third-party vendor it authorizes to take South Dakota vital records orders.

Other websites may offer to order for you, but the state does not authorize them. Start from the state's ordering page to be sure you are in the right place.