SOUTH DAKOTA VEHICLE REGISTRATION
Here to help you with your SD Vehicle Registration and tittle needs
Let our dedicated staff of experts help you with obtaining a SD title and license plates for your vehicle.
The first step in this process is to set up your mailbox address with us BEFORE you purchase and/or register your vehicle. This is especially important before you buy your new vehicle. This could save you thousands of dollars in sales tax. (*Some states have requirements as to how long you must be a resident of another state before you can avoid paying sales tax on a purchase; check with your current state and dealer to make sure you meet their requirements.)
Once you have filled out the Mail Service Agreement and your mailbox is activated, please email us your completed checklist, to have us determine the approximate cost to title and license your vehicles in South Dakota. We will need the completed “Vehicle Checklist”, along with the basic documents, before we can determine the title & licensing costs.
From start to finish, the vehicle registration process will vary. If you provide all the necessary documents right away, the process may take as little as 2 to 3 weeks. However, it may take several more weeks if you need to provide documents from other sources, such as your lien holder.
There are never any inspections or proof of insurance required. Your vehicles never need to be in South Dakota. If you have not yet been issued a South Dakota driver’s licenses, the vehicles are registered to your social security number. Once the vehicles are registered, the South Dakota law states you should obtain a SD Driver’s License within 90 days.
PLEASE NOTE: We do NOT utilize the DMV when handling your vehicle registrations. In South Dakota, the DMV only handles driver’s licenses. If you or your dealer refer to, or mail to, the DMV, your registrations may be delayed for weeks or months while that paperwork is in the wrong hands.
We do NOT utilize the “DMV” when handling your vehicle registrations. In South Dakota, vehicle titles and licensing are handled through the local county treasurer’s office. If your documents are mailed to the “DMV”, your registrations will definitely be delayed.
License and registration fees are calculated based on the age and weight of your specific vehicles and then prorated for the first year based upon the first letter of your last name. Please supply us with this information on our checklist as described above and we will calculate the South Dakota Title & Registration fees.
If you own outright OR have just purchased the vehicle, you must supply the original title or the original manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (keep copies for your records). Once the process is complete, you will be issued a new title from the state of South Dakota.
If you do NOT have the title in your possession, you must obtain the original paper title from your lienholder. You will need to request the original paper title from your lien holder. You can request the title from your lien holder by filling out the Title Request Form, provided by the Treasurer’s Office. You will also sign our Power of Attorney in front of a notary in the same way your name(s) appear on the vehicle title so that we may complete the process for you. Utilize our new online notary service for the ultimate in convenience!
In South Dakota, for all cargo/utility trailers, travel trailers, 5th wheels and motorhomes, we will need either:
- A manufacturer’s document indicating the unladen or shipping weight and VIN of the vehicle.
- – OR –take a digital picture of your specification sticker inside your RV with both the VIN number and the unladen (UVW), or dry weight, print it out and send that along.
- – OR – you will need to go to a CERTIFIED weigh scale (Flying J, Loves, etc.) and have your vehicle weighed separately.
Tax (Sales/Excise/Use) in South Dakota is 4%. If you have not previously paid sales tax on your vehicle, SD will assess 4% to the total purchase price. If you have a purchase/sales agreement, buyer’s order, or bill of sale (private purchase only) showing your purchase price and/or any sales tax paid, that may be used along with the applicable tax Affidavit to prove taxes were already paid. If not, then your original registration document showing the state “Sales”, “Use”, or “Excise” taxes paid must be provided. This will ALWAYS apply if the issue date on the title is less than 6 months old, since regardless of purchase date, proof of taxes is always required.
When you a buy a new or used vehicle, you will pay 4% sales tax to the state of South Dakota. You MUST title and license the vehicle within 45 days of the purchase date, or you will be paying a late fee in addition to the one-time 4% tax. It does not matter how long your temporary tags from another state may be good for; South Dakota starts assessing penalties on the 46th day.
When you a buy a vehicle, whether new or used, on which you will be paying the 4% to South Dakota, you MUST have us complete your paperwork and licensing within 45 days of the sale date, or you will be paying a late fee in addition to the one-time 4% tax. It does not matter how long your temporary tags from another state may be good for; South Dakota starts assessing penalties on the 46th day.
South Dakota assesses the one-time 4% tax (if you have not paid at least that much to another state) on all vehicles, EXCEPT a purchase of a vehicle over 11 years old for an amount less than $2200.
For you folks who are from the East Coast, what South Dakota calls an Excise Tax is NOT what you are used to. Think of this as you would a sales tax. This is NOT a tax that you have to pay every year, over and over…this is a one-time charge. In fact, if you’ve already paid 4% or more state sales tax on your vehicles, you would not have to pay it again.
If you’ve paid less than 4%, you’ll have to pay the difference. If you have held the clear title for at least two years, issued from a state collecting at least 4% sales tax, you would verify that with the original registration document from that state.
We register your vehicles for you long-distance through our Power of Attorney that you have notarized wherever you’re at. As an added convenience, we also provide online notary services for our customers. It is important to have the notary WITNESS your signature, and please make sure that there is NOTHING crossed out or erased, by either you OR the notary, or the document will be void.
You do NOT need a South Dakota driver’s license to register your vehicles in Pennington County. You can title/register your vehicle in South Dakota with an out-of-state driver’s license and your Social Security number. (SD will use your Social Security number in lieu of a SD driver’s license). However, you will not be able to obtain any specialty or vanity license plates until you have a South Dakota driver’s license. When you obtain a SD driver’s license, you can then apply for specialty plates.
If using our vehicle registration services, you will need to fill out the applicable forms. The basic vehicle checklist can be found below, as well as other commonly used forms. If using our vehicle registration services, you will need to fill out the applicable forms for us to obtain title/registration for your vehicles. Please download and complete the correct form(s).
Vehicle Checklist – Start the new SD title/registration process here with our checklist; This easy-to-follow checklist will help to simplify the process. Please be sure to review and complete the Terms of Service agreement as well.
Boat and Boat Trailers – Download this for boat and boat trailer registration.
Power of Attorney – This only gives us authorization to apply for your title and registrations on your behalf – nothing else. You only need to fill this out if you want us to register your vehicle. PLEASE NOTE: The Power of Attorney MUST be notarized! It must be free of any erasures or cross-outs. If there are ANY mistakes whatsoever, a NEW notarized Power of Attorney will need to be furnished.
Other forms you may need to fill out to allow us to complete your vehicle registration:
Title Request – If you have a loan on your vehicle(s), the first step in the registration process is to fill out the Title Request Form and send it to your lienholder. You must call and follow-up with the lienholder to ensure the transfer of the title is being processed. Once you have confirmed that the title has been mailed to the Pennington County Treasurer’s Office, please let us know so we can then begin to finalize the titling and registration process on your behalf. Please provide us with a copy of this request to ensure accurate lien notation on the title application.
General Authorization Form – If you would like to renew your SD registration, we will need this form completed/signed and emailed back to us. This form can also be used to obtain a duplicate title or registration documents. *THIS FORM IS NOT USED FOR A NEW SD TITLE/REGISTRATION.
FOR RENEWALS ONLY: If you are renewing your SD vehicle registration, please complete and sign this form and email it back to us at: renewals@southdakotavehicleregistration.com.