Lake County Register of Deeds

Useful Information

• Fee Schedule

  Click here to view the fee schedule for real estate, liens, mineral records, miscellaneous filings, UCC, vital records, copy fees, and search fees.

• Compliance Standards for Recording of Documents

  At a minimum, documents received for recording shall be reviewed for compliance with the above-listed statutes and all other requirements and laws applicable. Click here to review some of the SDCL compliance standards required for recording a document at the Register of Deeds Office.

• Lake County Procedures for E-Recording

  Electronic recording is provided through Simplifile. Click here to review procedures for e-recording.

• Vital Records

  The Register of Deeds' Vital Records Department maintains birth, death, marriage, and burial record information. The Office works directly with the South Dakota Department of Health and Vital Records. Birth, death, and marriage records are also on file with the SD Dept. of Health.

• Birth Records

  South Dakota Birth records officially date back to approximately 1905. Effective July 1, 2005, in order to obtain a copy of a birth record, a person must complete the necessary application form and provide proof of identity. If an authorized representative is designated for the registrant, the authorization section of the application must also be completed and submitted along with a $15.00 fee for each copy requested. The $15.00 fee is required, by law, regardless of whether the record is found. The $15.00 fee may be waived if an applicant qualifies under certain circumstances. Birth Certificate application forms and instructions are available at the Register of Deeds’ Office. Birth records that are over 100 years old may be found on the following website: Birth Record Search Site

• Marriage Records

  South Dakota Marriage records in Lake County date back to 1872, before statehood, when we were known as Dakota Territory. Some of the marriage records include marriages performed outside of Lake County. The cost of a certified copy of the marriage certificate is $15.00. If you wish to purchase a certified copy of the marriage license, please complete the necessary application form and provide proof of identity. If we find the record, you are issued a certified copy of the marriage certificate, however, if we do not find the record in our county, the Department of Health will issue, a "no record letter.”

• Death Records

  A certified death certificate can be issued from the Register of Deeds Office upon receipt of the required $15.00 fee.
  

  In order to obtain a certified copy of a death certificate, an application form must be completed and proof of identity provided. The decedent’ s name must be provided, along with their date of death and other relevant information requested on the application. If we find the record, you are issued a copy of the death certificate and, if we do not find the record, you will receive a no-record letter from the State Department of Health.

• Burial Permits

  Burial Permits are records concerning a person buried. This record is only issued by the local Register of Deeds and the permit is filed in the county in which the deceased is buried. The burial permit may give the date of death, the person's name, and location of burial. Some records will provide more information depending on the year. These records can be copied for you in an uncertified format with a cost of $1.00 per document. There are no restrictions for searching these records. If we do not find a record, we do not have to charge you a fee. (The burial permit records date back to the 1920s.)

• Marriage License Requirements

  Marriage Application Fact Sheet
  
  

  The Lake County Clerk of Courts Office located in the Courthouse no longer performs marriage ceremonies.
  
  

• Notice on Personally Identifiable Information

  The Register of Deeds shall post a notice on any website provided by the Register of Deeds including information on personally identifiable information in compliance with SDCL 43-28-27. Please click here to view the complete notice.

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