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South Dakota court costs guide

By the Court Cost Guide Editorial Team · Last updated: October 22, 2026

Filing for divorce in South Dakota costs $97 in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in South Dakota — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.

South Dakota at a glanceFigure
CourtCircuit Court
Divorce filing fee$97 total — $50 filing fee + $40 automation surcharge + $7 law library fee (UJS Schedule of Court Costs, rev. July 1, 2026).
Name change filing fee$72 total — $25 + $40 automation + $7 law library.
Name-change publicationRequired — Required — SDCL §21-37-4: publish once a week for 4 successive weeks in a legal newspaper of the county of residence. Exceptions for trafficking/abuse victims (§21-37-5.2).
General civil filing fee$72 total on the same UJS schedule.
Probate filing fee$122 total — $75 + $40 automation + $7 law library.

Divorce filing fees

$97 total — $50 filing fee + $40 automation surcharge + $7 law library fee (UJS Schedule of Court Costs, rev. July 1, 2026).

See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.

Name change: fee and publication

$72 total — $25 + $40 automation + $7 law library.

Publication: Required — SDCL §21-37-4: publish once a week for 4 successive weeks in a legal newspaper of the county of residence. Exceptions for trafficking/abuse victims (§21-37-5.2).

Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.

General civil filing fees

$72 total on the same UJS schedule.

Probate court costs

$122 total — $75 + $40 automation + $7 law library.

How filing works in South Dakota

  1. Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit Court — most South Dakota courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
  2. File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
  3. Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
  4. Complete any publication the rules require — for a South Dakota name change: required.
  5. Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.

Worked total: what a divorce filing costs

ItemCost
Filing fee$97
Service of process (typical private process server)$50–$100
Estimated total to file$147–$197

Filing fee plus service for one respondent, before any mediation, parenting-class, or copy charges described in the guides. Run your own combination in the cost calculator.

Sources: SD Unified Judicial System — Schedule of Court Costs · UJS Adult Name Change packet (UJS-024). Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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