Vital Records

South Dakota Marriage Requirements

(NOTE: The Department of Health DOES NOT maintain lists of individuals able to perform marriage ceremonies. Such information may be available from local Register of Deeds offices.)

• Get a license from a Register of Deeds Office in a South Dakota county.
  ( Marriage License Application Worksheet for Bride and Groom)
• A South Dakota marriage license costs $40. Some offices accept only cash and travelers checks.
• For those getting married during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, area Register of Deeds offices include:
  • Sturgis — 1425 Sherman St. —  605-347-2356
  • Rapid City — 315 St. Joseph St. —  605-394-2177
  • Deadwood — 90 Sherman St. —  605-578-3930
  • Custer — 420 Mount Rushmore Rd. — 605-673-8109
  • Hot Springs — 906 N. River —  605-745-5139
  • Belle Fourche— 839 5th Ave. — 605-892-2912
    
• Identification is required, either a driver's license or a certified copy of a birth certificate.
• No blood test or waiting period is required.
• Those 16 and 17 must have parental consent. South Dakota law does not permit marriage of those under 16.
• The marriage must be solemnized within 20 days from the purchase of your license or the license becomes void. Call the City of Sturgis Rally Department at (605) 720-0800 for a listing of individuals who can solemnize marriages at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
• Once you are married, the individual who solemnizes the marriage must return the license to the Register of Deeds within 10 days. If not, there will be no record of your marriage. Marriage may be solemnized by a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the circuit court, a magistrate, or any person authorized by a church to solemnize marriages. See SDCL 25-1 for specific statutes.