How to Register an Out-of-State Car in South Dakota

South Dakota gives new residents 90 days from the day they arrive to title and register a car that is already titled and licensed in another state. All of it happens at the county treasurer's office where you live, and the visit comes down to the original title, the state's application form, identification for each owner, proof of any sales tax you already paid and the fees.

This guide takes the steps in order for a car you already own, with the New York details for anyone making that move. The rules come from the South Dakota Department of Revenue (DOR), the Department of Public Safety (DPS), county treasurer guidance and South Dakota law.

How Long Do You Have to Register an Out-of-State Car in South Dakota?

Ninety days from your date of arrival. The DOR's motor vehicle FAQ says a new resident whose vehicle is already titled and licensed in another state has 90 days from arriving to title and license it in South Dakota.

A car you buy runs on a shorter clock. The DOR's title, fees and registration page says titles must be updated within 45 days of the purchase date, and past that grace period a late title fee of $1 a week applies, up to $50. The DOR also says there is no extension. So a car you buy after you move gets 45 days, not 90.

Where Do You Title and Register a Car in South Dakota?

At the county treasurer's office, not a DMV. The DOR says motor vehicle titling and registration go through your local county treasurer, and county treasurers ask residents to register in the county where they live. The DOR keeps a contact list for every county treasurer, so check your county's hours and payment options before you go.

Driver licenses are separate: DPS handles them at its driver exam stations. The DMV Now kiosks around the state are renewal stations, so a first title still goes through the treasurer, and some counties, including Minnehaha and Pennington, charge a $25 administrative fee when a title is handled entirely by mail.

What Do You Need to Bring to the County Treasurer?

For a car titled in another state, the DOR and county treasurer guidance point to the same short list:

• The original out-of-state title. County treasurers require the original paper title, so a photocopy will not do.
• The title and registration application. The DOR's Motor Vehicle and Boat Title and Registration Application (Form 1001) must be signed by every record owner, or by an agent who attaches a Power of Attorney (Form 1023).
• Identification for each owner. County guidance asks for a South Dakota driver license or ID card for each owner, or a copy of proof of your Social Security number together with a valid out-of-state license.
• Proof of sales tax you already paid. A receipt from the state or local office where you paid it, or the dealer's out-of-state tax form, lets the treasurer credit it, as the tax section below explains.
• Payment for the fees and any tax due. Accepted payment types vary by county, so ask your treasurer.

What If a Lender Holds Your Title?

Then the lender has to send it. Because the county needs the original paper title, a New York title held by your lender has to reach the treasurer's office before the transfer can be finished. County treasurers handle this by asking the lender to mail the original title straight to them. Fall River and Oglala Lakota counties, for example, use a lienholder title request form for it and send the title back to the lender if the owner does not finish the transfer within 60 days of its arrival.

Once the car is titled, South Dakota records the loan electronically, and state law (SDCL 32-3-70) keeps a paper title from being printed while a lien is noted. The lien notation fee is $10, and the paper title is printed once the lender releases its interest. Ask your treasurer for its lender request form early in the 90 days, since the lender sets its own pace.

Will You Owe South Dakota's 4 Percent Excise Tax?

Usually not on a car you already paid sales tax on. Instead of sales tax, South Dakota charges a 4 percent motor vehicle excise tax on the purchase price when a car is titled (SDCL 32-5B-1). State law (SDCL 32-5B-11) waives it when sales or use tax was already paid to another state on the same car, and the DOR FAQ adds that a new resident pays the difference when the earlier state's rate was lower or there was no tax at all.

The credit depends on proof. The law asks for a dealer affidavit, bill of sale, receipt or other evidence of the tax paid, and without enough proof the county collects the tax on the car's retail value in a national valuation guide as of the day it entered the state. New York's state sales tax rate alone is 4 percent before any local rate, according to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, so a car bought and taxed in New York usually leaves nothing more to pay once you show the receipt. Our South Dakota vehicle sales tax guide covers private sales, exemptions and late charges.

Buying from a New York dealer after you already live in South Dakota works differently, because Form DTF-820 decides whether New York charges its tax at all. Our guide to buying from a New York dealer while living in South Dakota covers that choice.

Who Pays the $100 Non-Resident Fee?

Only an owner who has neither a South Dakota driver license or ID card nor a physical South Dakota address. Under SDCL 32-3-18.2, as amended in 2025, that owner pays $100 on top of the $10 title fee, and the DOR notes that P.O. boxes and mail-forwarding addresses do not count as a physical address. The fee does not apply to title corrections, duplicate titles, or an insurer, manufacturer or lienholder taking title.

For most people moving into a house or apartment, the fee never comes up, because a physical South Dakota address is enough on its own. It matters mainly when the only address on your paperwork is a P.O. box. Getting your South Dakota driver license first settles it, since DPS already requires two documents proving a physical South Dakota address, and it also gives each owner the South Dakota ID that county treasurers ask for. That makes the driver exam station a sensible first stop and the treasurer the second.

How Much Do Plates and Registration Cost?

There is no single number, because the bill is built from several pieces. The DOR's fee tables list a $10 title fee, a $10 lien notation fee when there is a loan, a $2 technology fee in place since July 1, 2025, a $1 solid waste fee and a $1 highway patrol fee, along with a $12 plate mailing fee and a $2.50 registration mailing fee. The 4 percent excise tax comes on top when it applies, and an electric vehicle charged from an outside source carries a $100 annual fee.

The registration fee itself depends on the car's weight and age, as set out in the DOR's non-commercial license fee schedule. Most counties also charge a wheel tax. State law (SDCL 32-5A-1) caps it at $5 per wheel and $60 per vehicle, and the DOR's county wheel tax table, revised in January 2026, shows how it varies: Minnehaha County, which includes most of Sioux Falls, charges $4 a wheel for vehicles up to 6,000 pounds, and Pennington County, home to Rapid City, charges $5, both capped at $60. A few counties charge none.

Registration renews once a year in a month set by the first letter of your last name. A last name starting with J, for example, renews in March. South Dakota plates stay with the owner rather than the car, so if you later replace the car, you move the plates to the new one at the county treasurer.

What Insurance and Driver License Do You Need?

South Dakota's minimum liability coverage, under SDCL 32-35-70, is $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more people in one accident and $25,000 for damage to property. Uninsured motorist coverage is required too. Under SDCL 58-11-9, a liability policy on a car registered or principally garaged in South Dakota has to include it, in limits equal to the policy's bodily injury coverage, up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident unless you ask for more.

The driver license comes from DPS, in person at a driver exam station. According to the DPS required documents list, a transfer from another state brings proof of lawful status, such as a certified U.S. birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport, and two documents less than a year old showing your name and physical South Dakota address. If your current license is not REAL ID compliant, add an original document showing your full Social Security number. DPS takes originals only.

You turn in your out-of-state license when you apply, under the state's administrative rules (ARSD 61:18:08:02). Expect a vision test, plus the knowledge test if your license expired more than 30 days ago. The fee for an original license is $38 under SDCL 32-12-16.

What Happens to Your New York Plates?

South Dakota issues its own plates at the treasurer visit, and nothing on the DOR or county pages asks for your New York plates or registration, so what happens to them is a New York question. Once the car carries South Dakota plates, New York expects its plates back, and the order matters: surrender them before you cancel the New York insurance. Our guide to returning your New York plates after the move covers the steps.

How Does Shipping the Car Fit the 90 Days?

The 90 days count from your own arrival, not the car's, so a car that follows you west a week or two later is already using part of the window. Book transport early enough that the car arrives with time to spare, and keep the signed bill of lading from pickup and delivery with your title paperwork.

Rivalane coordinates door to door transport from New York to South Dakota with licensed, insured carriers. A carrier is typically confirmed within three working days of booking, and once the car is loaded, delivery usually follows in 4 to 6 days. Pickup and delivery dates are estimates, not guarantees, so leave room inside the 90 days. Our page on New York to South Dakota car shipping covers the I-90 lane, our page on car shipping in South Dakota covers deliveries across the state, and the car shipping calculator prices the move.

Frequently Asked Questions