How to Find South Dakota Marriage Records

Finding South Dakota Marriage Records

Marriages are kept by the county clerk for each county and begin at the creation of the county
1905 - county clerks began sending copies to the state
County marriage records have not been microfilmed

Next Step: When did the marriage occur?		Marriage Records Choose a time period: Before 1905 1905 to Present South Dakota American Indian Marriage Records Marriage year unknown

Except for a few records in the following Findmypast collection, there are currently no online indexes to South Dakota marriages before 1905.

Marriages are kept by the county clerk for each county and begin at the creation of the county

PART A: You don't know the exact date or place of marriage

If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk.
If you don't know the date or county of marriage, you can also try searching for marriage information in other records.

PART B: You know the exact date and place of marriage from your records

Marriage Indexes and Digital Images
Database Name-Index and Image	Link or links to access database		# of records
Ancestry, Marriages, 1905-2013	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	545,737
Findmypast, United States Marriages, 1889-1952	On Findmypast ($); index
South Dakota, Department of Health, 1950-2016	On FamilySearch; free; INCOMPLETE for all counties and years. Index only.		1,566,937

PART A: You don't know the exact date or place of marriage

If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk or the South Dakota Department of Health.
If you don't know the date or county of marriage, you can also try searching for marriage information in other records.

PART B: You know the exact date and place of marriage from your records

OR

A copy of a marriage record may be ordered for a fee from the South Dakota Department of Health.

To Order Marriage Certificates
From County where Marriage occurred		South Dakota Department of Health
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	County websites can be more difficult to use	Expedited service on VitalChek	May be more expensive than ordering from the county

1880-1942 Standing Rock Agency, Birth, marriages and deaths records. BIA FS Library Film 1204876 (first of 2 films)
1847-1878 Spotted Tail Agency, Marriages. BIA FS Library Film 1012661 Item 5
1888-1922 Crow Creek Agency, Marriages. BIA FS Library Film 1012643 Item 3
1888-1936 Pine Ridge Agency, Marriages. BIA FS Library Film 1014637 Item 13 (first of 2 films)
1906-1917 Rosebud Agency, Marriages. BIA FS Library Film 1012661 Item 4