by Most states in the United States have birth records as confidential documents as result of their sensitive nature and role they play in society. Birth records are essential for state governments when making policies and for genealogical purposes. This article will look at how to find birth records in South Dakota.
Located in the north central part of the United States, South Dakota has a population of about 900 000. The state has been recording births since the vital records system was officially implemented in 1905. After the system was introduced, individuals who had not yet registered their births were given the opportunity to do so.
Numerous records were filed but a lot of them are incomplete. Birth records that are more than a 100 years which has been filed with this system can be found from the South Dakota Birth Index. If the birth you are looking for is available from this index, you can then proceed to order a copy from the South Dakota Department of Health.
If you suspect that the birth records that you are looking for exist, you can get in touch with the clerk of Register of Deeds from the county where the birth took place.
For birth records that were recorded prior to 1905, you can try the following indexes:
South Dakota Birth Certificates (1856 – 1903)
A birth record in South Dakota is proof of identification and citizenship. It is also used for purposes such as legal protection, social assistance, school enrollment, applying for government benefits and economic purposes.
Basic details contained in a South Dakota birth record include the following:
- Date of birth
- Time of birth
- Place of birth
- Child’s full name
- Mother’s name
- Father’s name
- Child’s gender
- Type of birth
- Mother’s marital status
- Birth registration number
Table of Contents
South Dakota Birth Records Restrictions
The public is restricted from accessing copies of certified birth records that are less 100 years in South Dakota as they are private information. They are allowed to only a few qualifying candidates. Individuals who qualify to obtain these records include the following:
- The individual named on the record
- The spouse of the individual named on the record
- The child of the individual named on the record
- The parent and guardian of the individual named on the record
- The next of kin of the individual named on the record (grandparents and siblings)
- An official agent of the individual named on the record such as attorney, physician, funeral director (These individuals may have to produce documents as proof of relationship)
- Any individual who has a personal or property right interest in the record, and can provide papers to support the right
Eligible candidates will need to also provide the following on the record owner:
- Birthdate
- First name
- Last name
- Sex/ gender
- Mother’s maiden name
- Mother’s first name
- Father’s first name
- Father’s last name
- County
- State file number (numbers required, not letters)
Even though not all these details are necessary for a lookup, they will help in making the result more accurate which is determined by the amount of information provided.
Find Birth Records in South Dakota
Besides information on the record owner, eligible individuals must provide a copy of their legal photo identification document. This document must be government issued. The state of South Dakota accepts the following documents as proof of identification:
- A copy of driver’s license
- A copy of state ID card
- A copy of tribal ID
- A copy of passport or Visa
- A copy of military ID
If the applicant can’t provide any of the above forms of identification, two of the following are welcomed in South Carolina:
- A copy of Social Security card
- A copy of a utility bill with current address
- A copy of bank statement with current address
- A copy of pay stub (must include your name, Social Photocopy of security number plus name, and address of business)
- A copy of car registration or title with current address
South Dakota Birth Records Online
For birth records that are less than 100 years, the South Dakota Department of Health has acquired the services of an independent company to offer online birth records. Payments can be made with any major credit cards for birth records ordered online.
For birth records that are over a 100 years, they can be ordered from third party sites and organizations. Third party sites come highly recommended for such searches as they are faster and can search from a much bigger scale. To search, you must provide full name of the record owner and their current location (city, county, state).
The only challenge with third party sites is that they might have data that is different from the one on government sources. This is because they are not government sponsored entities.
South Dakota Birth Records in Person
Applicants who qualify to obtain copies of birth records in South Dakota and want to get them in person must complete the application form and provide legal photo identification plus the appropriate fees before a record can be issued. They can then visit the Register of Deeds in South Dakota Counties or the State Office at:
207 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 1-A
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-4961
Fax: (605) 773-2680
South Dakota Birth Records by Mail
Mail applications for birth records must have a complete application with a copy of a legal photo identification document, proof of payment all in a prepaid priority envelope. This is to be sent to any Register of Deeds or the State Office at:
Vital Records
207 E Missouri Avenue, Suite 1A
Pierre, SD 57501
These are some of the ways on how to find birth records in South Dakota that you can use. They are meant to shed a light on how you can easily go about finding birth records in the state.
