South Dakota Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

Choose the correct official service

Where Can You Search South Dakota Criminal Records Online?

South Dakota provides statewide court access through the Unified Judicial System, but full criminal-history records, police reports and correctional records are maintained separately.

Official statewide public criminal-history search

South Dakota PARS Criminal Records Search: Step-by-Step Instructions

The Public Access Record Search (PARS) is operated by the South Dakota Unified Judicial System. It searches publicly available criminal case information and designated protection-order records.

PARS permits a paid name search without opening a subscription account. Its Guest Search is suitable for someone making an occasional records request.

How to search criminal records using PARS

1. Open the official PARS Guest Search

   Use the South Dakota Judiciary’s secure guest-search website rather than a third-party background-check advertisement.

2. Enter the person’s last name

   The form requires a surname of at least three characters. Use the most accurate legal spelling available.

3. Include aliases where appropriate

   The application has a separate Last Name AKA/Alias field. This can help when a person has used another surname.

4. Enter the date of birth

   PARS requires the individual’s date of birth. The guest-search service does not permit searches for minors.

5. Choose the case type

   Select Criminal, Protection Orders, or Both Criminal and Protection Orders, depending on the information you need.

6. Provide the report-delivery email

   Enter and confirm a valid email address. The system uses the provided address to deliver the resulting search report.

7. Review the fee and complete payment

   Confirm the search information carefully. The $20 fee is charged when the search is submitted and is not waived because no results are returned.

8. Review the public court-history report

   Check the available case numbers, filing courts, criminal proceedings and reported dispositions. Contact the originating court if you need original documents.

How far back does PARS search?

The Judiciary states that PARS includes publicly available criminal court cases from January 1989 to the present, unless a case is sealed or otherwise restricted.

For proceedings before January 1989, the proper approach is to contact the Clerk of Courts in the county where the original case was filed.

Can you search PARS without making an account?

Yes. Occasional users can perform a guest search and pay by credit card. Frequent authorized users may apply for a drawdown account through UJS support.

PARS support: UJSPARSsupport@ujs.state.sd.us

Search an individual public court case

South Dakota eCourts: Criminal Case Lookup by Name or Case Number

In addition to PARS, the Unified Judicial System operates eCourts, an electronic case-information service.

UJS states that eCourts provides access to summaries of public cases searched by party name or case number. The service requires registration, but registration itself is free and confidential.

How to use eCourts

1. Open the eCourts website

   Use the official service at ecourts.sd.gov.

2. Register or sign in

   Follow the account registration or login procedure. The Judiciary states that registration is free.

3. Select the public case lookup

   Use the case-search option available to your account.

4. Enter the party name or case number

   A precise case number is generally preferable when you already have one from court paperwork or a PARS report.

5. Check the matching case

   Review the court, case category, parties and publicly accessible events or case summary.

6. Review document-access options

   Some documents or services may have fees. Confidential and restricted information is not automatically available to a registered public user.

7. Contact the Clerk for certified copies

   If you need an official court judgment or certified disposition, confirm the ordering procedure with the filing courthouse.

eCourts versus PARS: which is better?

Upcoming hearings and court calendars

Find South Dakota Criminal Court Dates and Public Dockets

South Dakota provides two helpful calendar tools: a Find a Court Date search for a particular proceeding and a Public Access Calendar for court settings in a selected county.

Find a specific criminal court hearing

1. Open the UJS Find a Court Date service.
2. Choose the individual case or party search.
3. Enter the case number or the requested party information.
4. Review upcoming court dates associated with the case.
5. Confirm the courthouse and appearance details before traveling.

South Dakota Public Access Calendar

The Judiciary introduced publicly requestable court calendars in July 2024.

These calendars can be generated by selecting:

• County
• Date
• Criminal, noncriminal or all case types
• Time or case-number sorting
• PDF or CSV output
• Email address for delivery

The service covers the current date and the next nine business days. Users request one calendar date at a time.

The emailed file may contain the case number, case name, courtroom or hearing location, time, hearing type and other calendar information.

County-specific courthouse access

South Dakota Criminal Records by County: Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen and More

South Dakota’s trial courts are organized into seven judicial circuits. The Clerk of Courts office in the county where a prosecution was filed maintains the applicable original court records.

These locally verified offices are useful for older case searches, certified judgments and documents that are unavailable online.

Other South Dakota counties

For Codington County (Watertown), Davison County (Mitchell), Meade County (Sturgis), Lawrence County (Deadwood and Spearfish), Beadle County (Huron), Union County (Elk Point) or another county, use the statewide UJS Court Finder.

It lists court offices across the state’s seven judicial circuits, with current contacts and office details.

Historic cases and unavailable online documents

How to Find South Dakota Criminal Records Before 1989

The Judiciary’s PARS criminal-history coverage generally begins in January 1989.

For older cases, contact the Clerk of Courts for the county where the criminal prosecution took place.

What information should you provide?

• Defendant’s full legal name
• Any former names or known aliases
• Approximate year of the prosecution
• County where the case was filed
• Type of criminal proceeding, if known
• Case number from older documents, if available
• Specific document requested

Ask whether the file remains with the Clerk, has been archived, or requires a manual search.

If an older file was never scanned into the electronic court system, the courthouse may need additional identifying details to locate it.

What about confidential juvenile records?

The Judiciary explains that juvenile criminal matters are confidential and are excluded from ordinary public criminal record searches.

South Dakota court-record access is governed by SDCL Chapter 15-15A, along with other applicable statutes and court orders.

Official judgments, dispositions and transcripts

How to Request Certified South Dakota Criminal Court Records

A PARS report or eCourts case summary can identify the original criminal proceeding, but it is not necessarily a certified court judgment.

For legal, licensing, immigration or other official purposes, the receiving organization may require the actual certified disposition.

1. Identify the case number

   Use the available UJS search services or the original court paperwork.

2. Find the filing county

   Use the court information shown on the docket or the UJS Court Finder.

3. Contact the Clerk of Courts

   Ask whether the requested document is available electronically or must be retrieved from the original courthouse file.

4. Specify the particular filing

   Identify whether you need a judgment, sentencing order, dismissal, final disposition or other court document.

5. Request certification if needed

   Tell the Clerk whether a standard copy, certified copy or authenticated copy is required.

6. Confirm charges and delivery

   Ask about page charges, certification, mailing or electronic delivery before submitting payment.

7. Review the document

   Verify the case number, defendant, court and final charge disposition.

Can you inspect South Dakota court records for free?

The UJS provides public-access computer terminals at courthouses across the state. Open court records may be viewed electronically from these terminals without purchasing a statewide PARS report merely to inspect an already identified public file.

Printing and obtaining certified copies may involve charges.

How do you obtain a criminal hearing transcript?

The Clerk’s Office can identify the court reporter or recorder responsible for an eligible hearing. Transcript charges vary based on the length and method of recording.

A written transcript is separate from the case docket and from a certified copy of the final criminal judgment.

Fingerprint-supported criminal-history records

South Dakota DCI Criminal Background Check: Requirements and Steps

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Identification Section maintains the state’s Computerized Criminal History (CCH) repository.

This repository contains fingerprint-supported information concerning qualifying criminal arrests, court outcomes and related criminal-history data.

DCI’s criminal-history checks are separate from the Judiciary’s name-based PARS court-history searches.

Two different DCI check categories

How to request a fingerprint-based South Dakota criminal history

1. Determine the required check type

   Choose a personal state-only background check or the authorized combined state-and-FBI process applicable to your employment or licensing request.

2. Confirm the agency requirements

   If a licensing board, employer or government agency requires the check, obtain its instructions and any identifying authorization information before applying.

3. Open the DCI online request process

   Create or verify the necessary account and complete the background-check request form.

4. Accept the required authorization

   Review the release of information, privacy and applicant statements.

5. Pay the processing fee

   Use the payment methods supported by the official DCI request service. The Attorney General’s instructions state that DCI does not issue refunds.

6. Print your receipt

   Bring the required receipt and identification to an appropriate Livescan fingerprinting location.

7. Submit fingerprints

   Follow the fingerprinting agency’s procedure. The provider may charge a separate fee.

8. Review the result through the approved channel

   The resulting criminal-history response is processed and released in accordance with the applicable personal or authorized-agency request.

Why does DCI require fingerprints?

The state’s criminal-history repository is fingerprint-based. Fingerprints provide a more reliable way to associate a record with a particular individual than a name match alone.

The Attorney General explains that the repository receives conviction and sentencing information from the Unified Judicial System and processes applicant searches under South Dakota law.

DCI Identification Section contact

Understand the different costs

South Dakota Criminal Records Search Fees

There is no single fee covering every South Dakota criminal record service.

Police records and arrest reports

How to Find South Dakota Arrest Records and Police Reports

Criminal court records begin when a matter enters the judicial process. An arrest or police investigation may have records maintained separately by a city police department, County Sheriff’s Office or another law-enforcement authority.

Where to request a particular arrest report

1. Identify the arresting agency

   Find the police department, sheriff or agency named on the arrest or incident paperwork.

2. Locate the agency’s official records section

   Look for Police Records, Records Division or a government public-records request page.

3. Provide the report identifiers

   Include the incident date, location, report or arrest number and other identifying details requested by the agency.

4. Check disclosure eligibility

   Some investigative information may be confidential, redacted, unavailable during an investigation or otherwise protected by law.

5. Pay any applicable copying charge

   Confirm the agency’s published fee before ordering.

6. Compare the report with the court disposition

   An arrest record alone does not establish the outcome of a criminal charge.

Sioux Falls Police Department

The City of Sioux Falls provides an official Police Information & Requests page with report requests, crime information and other public police services.

Rapid City Police Department

Rapid City’s Records Section provides public report-request information and publishes charges for arrest, case and other reports.

Records phone: 605-394-4117

South Dakota corrections and public offender information

South Dakota Department of Corrections Offender Search

The South Dakota Department of Corrections provides a free online Offender Locator.

It contains public information about qualifying felony offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections.

How to search the offender locator

1. Open the Department of Corrections Offender Locator.
2. Enter the individual’s DOC identification number or available name details.
3. Submit the query.
4. Compare the matching record with other lawful identifying information.
5. Use the original court records to verify conviction and sentencing documents.

Who is excluded from the offender locator?

The Department of Corrections states that its public database does not include people sentenced only to:

• County jail
• Probation
• Other supervision not included in the DOC offender database

A recent county jail detainee may therefore be absent even if they have a pending criminal case.

The Department warns that its public information may not be complete or current. It provides correction-contact numbers for inquiries about reported inaccuracies.

South Dakota Sex Offender Registry

South Dakota maintains a separate public registry for people required to register under its sex offender laws.

The official service supports:

• Search by first or last name
• Alias search
• City or county selection
• ZIP code filtering
• Neighborhood and map-based searches

This is a specialized statutory registry, not a comprehensive database of every criminal conviction in South Dakota.

An important South Dakota jurisdictional distinction

Are Tribal Court Criminal Records Included in South Dakota UJS Searches?

South Dakota is home to nine federally recognized Native American tribes with their own tribal court systems.

Tribal courts operate independently under tribal sovereignty. They handle matters within their respective authority, which may include criminal proceedings involving tribal members.

These tribal court cases should not be assumed to appear in the South Dakota Unified Judicial System’s PARS court database.

Where to begin a tribal court records request

1. Identify the tribe and reservation or jurisdiction connected to the case.
2. Determine whether the proceeding occurred in tribal, state or federal court.
3. Find the appropriate tribal judicial office.
4. Ask whether the requested criminal case information is publicly available.
5. Follow that court’s record-access and privacy rules.

For example, a proceeding connected with the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation may involve Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Court jurisdiction, while another matter arising in the area could belong to a state or federal court depending on the circumstances.

Published appellate decisions

How to Search South Dakota Supreme Court Criminal Appeals

The South Dakota Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. It hears appeals from Circuit Court judgments and publishes opinions and summary dispositions.

The UJS provides a free online archive of published Supreme Court decisions, including criminal cases.

How to find a criminal appeal

1. Open the official Supreme Court Opinions page.
2. Enter the case name or other known details.
3. Enable archived results when the case is older.
4. Review the opinion or summary disposition.
5. Use the original Circuit Court Clerk for the underlying trial judgment.

An appellate court may affirm, reverse, remand or otherwise modify a lower-court ruling. Therefore, the result of an appeal can materially change the description of a criminal case.

Expunged and confidential criminal histories

South Dakota Expungement and Sealed Criminal Records

South Dakota law permits expungement of qualifying arrest and criminal records under specified circumstances.

Under SDCL Chapter 23A-3, expungement generally involves sealing eligible records rather than necessarily destroying every original document.

Common eligibility situations

The UJS provides official forms for requesting relief in qualifying nonconviction situations, including:

• An arrest for which no accusatory instrument was filed, after the applicable waiting period
• A case in which the prosecutor dismissed all charges, subject to statutory timing and conditions
• An acquittal
• Other relief authorized under applicable South Dakota statutes

Different statutory provisions can apply to convictions, specific offenses, later pardons or automatic record relief. The filing instructions for one kind of expungement should not be applied to an unrelated criminal case.

Official South Dakota expungement forms

The Judiciary lists an expungement packet that includes:

• UJS-390: Expungement process instruction sheet
• UJS-232: Case filing statement
• UJS-391: Motion for expungement and statement of mailing
• UJS-392: Waiver of expungement hearing
• UJS-393: Notice of hearing for expungement
• UJS-394: Order of expungement
• UJS-395: Notice of entry of order

The forms page requires single-sided printing with black ink. Confirm the current law and applicable procedure before filing.

Why might an expunged case not appear in PARS?

A case that is legally sealed or otherwise restricted may be omitted from public record searches. UJS explicitly excludes sealed criminal cases from ordinary PARS coverage.

A missing case result, however, does not itself prove that expungement was granted.

Federal records are a separate search

Federal Criminal Court Records in South Dakota

Federal criminal cases are maintained by the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, not by the state’s Unified Judicial System.

The federal court has facilities in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and Aberdeen.

Federal court records are not automatically included in a South Dakota PARS public state court search or a state-only DCI criminal-history request.

Solve common search problems

Why Can’t I Find South Dakota Criminal Records Online?

How to interpret a South Dakota criminal court outcome

A public case history may show arrests, complaints, pleas, judgments, sentencing and other court events. They have different meanings.