South Dakota Rental Application
Fill out a South Dakota rental application below and download a print-ready PDF — identity, rental history, employment, references and screening consent. Free, no signup.
Maintained by the SealForms editorial team · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified July 2026 · Not legal advice.
South Dakota application-fee rule · as of July 2026
No statewide cap
SDCL 43-32 (no provision)
Source: South Dakota Codified Laws ↗. Laws change — confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
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Know your South Dakota rules
Application-fee rules come from state law, not the form: in South Dakota, no statewide cap (SDCL 43-32 (no provision)). Cities can add their own caps. Check the currentSouth Dakota screening rules before charging or paying a fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in South Dakota?
South Dakota sets no statewide cap on application fees (SDCL 43-32 (no provision)), so the amount is up to the landlord — market rates run $25-$75. Source: South Dakota Codified Laws.
Is the application a lease?
No. The application only collects information for screening. If approved, landlord and tenant then sign a lease — see our South Dakota lease agreement template, which reflects South Dakota's deposit and notice rules.
How does South Dakota compare? See application-fee limits in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How South Dakota compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of July 2026). Source for South Dakota: South Dakota Codified Laws ↗.
- South Dakota is one of 33 of 51 jurisdictions that set no statutory limit on application fees (8 cap the application fee by statute; 6 limit the fee to the landlord's actual screening cost; 4 ban application fees outright).
The rest of what South Dakota requires
The figures below are South Dakota's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full South Dakota page for that document.
- Security deposit cap· as of 2026
- 1 month's rentS.D. Codified Laws §43-32-6.1 & §43-32-24 ↗
- Deposit return deadline· as of 2026
- 14 days after move-outS.D. Codified Laws §43-32-6.1 & §43-32-24 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy· as of 2026
- 30 daysS.D. Codified Laws §43-32-6.1 & §43-32-24 ↗
- Small claims limit· as of 2026
- $12,000SDCL 16-12C-13 (jurisdictional limit); SDCL ch. 15-39 (small claims procedure) ↗
- Where you file· as of 2026
- Small claims procedure in Magistrate Court / Circuit Court (SD Unified Judicial System) · filing fee $24.84 to $42.84 all-in by claim size per the official UJS schedule: up to $100 = $24.84; $100.01-$1,000 = $30.84; $1,000.01-$3,999.99 = $40.84; $4,000-$12,000 = $42.84; add $11.84 per additional defendant (totals include certified-mail service).SDCL 16-12C-13 (jurisdictional limit); SDCL ch. 15-39 (small claims procedure) ↗
- Bill of sale notarization· as of 2026
- Not requiredSouth Dakota DMV (Form MV-016) ↗
- Power of attorney signing· as of 2026
- Notarization requiredS.D. Codified Laws §59-12-4 (form §59-12-41) ↗
- LLC operating agreement· as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rulesSDCL §§ 47-34A-101(14), 47-34A-103 ↗
- Recording a deed· as of 2026
- County Register of Deeds (SDCL 43-28-1 — 'must be recorded by the register of deeds of the county in which the real property... is situated') · no witnessesSDCL 43-25-26 ↗
Rental application in other states
More South Dakota legal forms
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