South Dakota Accident Reports: Highway Patrol, Police and Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in South Dakota.
Who Has Your South Dakota Crash Report
Highway Patrol crash reports come from the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Accident Records in Pierre, the same office that holds reports written by county and city officers. State law (SDCL 32-34-10) requires every officer who investigates a reportable crash to send the report to that office within three days of finishing the investigation. So a trooper’s report, a deputy’s report and a city officer’s report can all be bought in one place.
Online, use the crash report purchase on SafeSD, the state’s crash records site. The cost is $4 to find the report plus a $6 convenience fee, $10 in all. You need any two of these: the crash date, a driver’s last name and the county where it happened. Reports download right away once they are in the system, but one may not be available for 10 days after the crash.
By mail, send the DPS Accident Report Request form with $4 per report to DPS Accident Records, 118 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501-2000. Pay by cash, check or money order made out to “DPS – Accident Records.” The $4 covers the search and is kept whether or not a report is on file, and DPS recommends waiting 20 days after the crash before mailing. Questions go to (605) 773-3868.
Crash reports in South Dakota are not privileged and may not be held confidential (SDCL 32-34-13), and DPS provides them on request to individuals, insurance agents, law enforcement and others. If a crime victim invokes Marsy’s Law, DPS removes the report from its records. Crashes in parking lots or on private property are not reportable to the state, and DPS keeps reports in its database for 15 years.
Don’t want to deal with the forms, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From South Dakota Cities
Start with the department that responded to your crash. If it was a reportable crash, DPS also has a copy, whichever agency wrote it. Three city departments post their own process:
| Department | How to request | Fee |
| Sioux Falls Police Department | Online through the city’s Get a Report page, or in person at the Law Enforcement Center, 320 W. Fourth St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays | $6 per report, cash or credit |
| Rapid City Police Department | Online through CrashDocs, or Police Records at 605-394-4117 | $4 |
| Aberdeen Police Department | Call Records at 605-626-7059 | $6 per report |
We could not find a posted crash report process for the Minnehaha or Pennington county sheriffs or the Brookings police. Call the agency, or order the report from DPS.
What South Dakota Drivers Must Report
Under SDCL 32-34-7, the driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone, or causes $1,000 or more in damage to any one person’s property or $2,000 or more in total, must notify the nearest law enforcement officer with jurisdiction right away, by the quickest means available. Skipping that call is a Class 2 misdemeanor. If you hit an unattended car or other property, you must find the owner or leave a written note, and also notify police (SDCL 32-34-4).
South Dakota drivers do not file their own written crash report. The investigating officer writes it, and DPS can ask a driver for a supplemental written report if the original falls short (SDCL 32-34-11). The officer also attaches a notice to a damaged vehicle saying the crash was reported, and a garage or repair shop that starts work on a vehicle with reportable crash damage before that notice is on it commits a Class 2 misdemeanor (SDCL 32-34-23).
Leaving the scene of a crash that injured or killed someone is a Class 6 felony under SDCL 32-34-5.
South Dakota Insurance Rules After a Crash
Every South Dakota auto policy must carry at least $25,000 for injury or death to one person, $50,000 for two or more people and $25,000 for property damage (SDCL 32-35-70). Policies must also include uninsured motorist and hit-and-run coverage (SDCL 58-11-9) and underinsured motorist coverage (SDCL 58-11-9.4), each at the same limits as your bodily injury coverage. The required amount tops out at $100,000 per person and $300,000 per crash unless you ask for more. The Division of Insurance says these coverages do not stack.
Fault decides who pays. The driver who caused the crash is responsible for the other side’s losses, which their liability coverage pays up to its limits.
South Dakota’s comparative negligence law (SDCL 20-9-2) lets a person who was partly to blame still recover, but only if their own negligence was slight in comparison with the other driver’s. When it was, their damages shrink in proportion to their share. The law sets no percentage cutoff, and the jury decides whether a person’s negligence was slight without stating a percentage of fault.
South Dakota Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes (preliminary) | 123 in 110 fatal crashes | 2025 | DPS preliminary count, as reported by Dakota News Now |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 146 in 134 fatal crashes | 2024 | DPS Crash Facts book |
| Reportable crashes | 18,686 | 2024 | DPS Crash Facts book |
| People injured | 4,731 | 2024 | DPS Crash Facts book |
| People killed in alcohol-related crashes | 58 | 2024 | DPS Crash Facts book |
| Pedestrians killed | 9 | 2024 | DPS Crash Facts book |
The 2025 count is DPS’s preliminary figure, reported in February 2026, and the full 2025 Crash Facts book was not out when we checked. The two years come from different releases, so compare them with care.
South Dakota Crash Guides by City and County
Local guides and day-to-day crash coverage for South Dakota, sorted by city and county:
County accident news: Minnehaha County · Lincoln County · Pennington County · Brookings County · Codington County · Turner County · Meade County · Lawrence County
Compare nearby states: Midwest crash reports and car accident laws by state · No-fault states and insurance minimums in all 50 states
Intersections and road stretches across the state are covered on our South Dakota dangerous intersections page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. After a crash, we can connect you with local help, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- South Dakota Crime Victims’ Compensation. Run by DPS, it pays up to $15,000 toward losses from a crime. A crash can qualify when the driver meant to cause injury or death, caused it recklessly, or was driving under the influence; other crashes do not. File within one year, and report the crime to police within five days, or within five days of when a report could reasonably have been made. (605) 773-6317. Eligibility and how to apply
- MADD. Free support for people hurt by drunk or drugged drivers and their families. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 988. Call or text 988 any time for crisis support.
- Trauma centers. Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls is the state’s Tertiary trauma hospital, a designation that requires Level I verification. Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center and Sanford USD Medical Center Pediatrics in Sioux Falls, and Monument Health Rapid City Hospital, are Regional trauma hospitals, per the Department of Health’s designated trauma hospital lists.
South Dakota Crash Questions
How do I get a South Dakota Highway Patrol accident report?
Order it from the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Accident Records, which holds reports from troopers, deputies and city officers. Online through SafeSD it costs $10, a $4 search fee plus a $6 convenience fee, and you need two of the crash date, a driver’s last name and the county. A report may take 10 days to appear.
Can I request a South Dakota crash report by mail?
Yes. Send the DPS Accident Report Request form with $4 per report, by check, money order or cash, to DPS Accident Records, 118 West Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501-2000. The fee is kept even if no report is found, and DPS suggests waiting 20 days after the crash before you mail it.
Is South Dakota a no-fault state?
No. The driver who caused the crash is responsible for the other side’s losses, paid through liability insurance, and every policy must also carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. A person partly at fault can recover only if their negligence was slight compared with the other driver’s, and their damages are reduced by their share.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in South Dakota?
Three years for injury claims (SDCL 15-2-14) and three years from the death for wrongful death claims (SDCL 21-5-3). Property damage claims have six years (SDCL 15-2-13). A claim against a city, county or the state needs written notice of the time, place and cause of the injury within 180 days (SDCL 3-21-2).
Recent South Dakota Crash Coverage
Fatal Rollover Crash on 447th Ave Near 268th St in Marion, SD
Two Dead After Trailer Wheel Crosses Median on I-90 Near Kimball, SD
Two-Vehicle Crash at 171st St and 447th Ave Injures One in Watertown, SD
Injury Crash at W 41st St and S Marion Rd in Sioux Falls, SD
Injury Crash at E Rice St and Veterans Pkwy in Sioux Falls, SD
The full archive is at South Dakota accident news, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.