Marriage Requirements

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)
  • 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:
  • 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 the marriage of those under 16.
  • The marriage must be solemnized within 90 days from the purchase of your license or the license becomes void.
  • 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.