How to get a car accident report in South Dakota
Every rule below is quoted from South Dakota law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
The short answer
South Dakota crash reports are not confidential. The Department of Public Safety charges $4 to search for and locate a report, with no extra charge once it is found. County and city police can also charge $4 per copy. The statute does not name a specific online portal or wait time. A driver must immediately notify the nearest law enforcement officer if a crash injures or kills someone, or causes at least $1,000 in damage to one person's property or $2,000 total.
Which agency has your report
The report comes from the agency whose officer came to the crash. On interstates and state highways that is usually the state police or highway patrol. On city streets it is the city police, and outside city limits it is often the county sheriff. Ask the officer for the report number before you leave the scene.
Requesting a state police crash report
South Dakota crash reports are not confidential. The Department of Public Safety charges $4 to search for and locate a report, with no extra charge once it is found. County and city police can also charge $4 per copy. The statute does not name a specific online portal or wait time.
“The secretary of public safety shall collect four dollars for each request to locate a report on file. The secretary shall furnish to any person requesting a search, at no additional cost, any report located by the search.”
Your reporting duties
When you must report to police
A driver must immediately notify the nearest law enforcement officer if a crash injures or kills someone, or causes at least $1,000 in damage to one person's property or $2,000 total.
“The driver of any motor vehicle involved in an accident resulting in bodily injuries or death to any person or property damage to an apparent extent of one thousand dollars or more to any one person's property or two thousand dollars per accident shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication, give notice of the accident to the nearest available law enforcement officer who has jurisdiction.”
Whether you must file your own report
South Dakota does not require the driver to separately file a written crash report with the state. After a driver reports a qualifying crash to police, the investigating officer sends a report to the Department of Public Safety within 3 days of finishing the investigation.
“The law enforcement officer or other person assigned by a law enforcement agency to investigate traffic accidents shall forward to the Department of Public Safety, within three days after completion of the investigation of the accident, an investigator's report of the accident so reported.”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.