Serves Sioux Falls and southeast South Dakota from its downtown Sioux Falls office. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, contested estate matters, and special-needs and charitable planning. Founded in Sioux Falls by Frank L. Boyce in 1878.
Probate in Hughes County
Probate Court Record
Hughes County Circuit Court
Hughes County · 6th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
104 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Hughes County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Hughes County? →Settling an estate in Hughes County →
Estate Planning Firms Serving Hughes County
Serves clients throughout South Dakota from offices in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Belle Fourche. Handles probate administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and wills and trusts, working with clients' financial advisors on wealth transfer, asset protection, and business succession.
Serves Meade County, the Northern Black Hills and the rest of South Dakota from Sturgis. Handles probate, wills and trusts alongside trial litigation, personal injury, business transactions and real estate. A fixture in Sturgis since 1906.
Serves families, farmers and ranchers throughout South Dakota from Sioux Falls, with a second office in Grand Forks, North Dakota since a July 2026 merger. Takes executors and trustees through probate and trust administration, from notices to heirs and creditors to tax returns and retitling deeds. Also drafts living trusts, wills and Medicaid plans, licensed in five states.
Serves Lawrence, Meade, Butte and Pennington counties and the rest of South Dakota from Spearfish, and takes probate matters in North Dakota and Wyoming. Handles testate and intestate probate, estate and trust administration, contested wills and trust disputes, and guardianship and conservatorship petitions, including for out-of-state families. Attorney Dylan Wilde is also a licensed CPA.
All 10 South Dakota estate planning firms serving Hughes County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Dakota
Free South Dakota forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for South Dakota.
$12/month
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Free
Last Will and Testament
In South Dakota, a will is signed before 2SDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonySDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Free
Healthcare Power of Attorney
South Dakota allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2SDCL § 34-12D-3 (living will form; no statutory healthcare proxy form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
South Dakota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacitySDCL § 59-12-3, § 59-12-4, § 59-12-5, § 59-12-6, § 59-12-8, § 59-12-23, § 59-12-41Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notarySDCL § 59-12-3, § 59-12-4, § 59-12-5, § 59-12-6, § 59-12-8, § 59-12-23, § 59-12-41Verified Sep 20, 2026View source.
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Free
Pour-Over Will
In South Dakota, a pour-over will is signed before 2SDCL 29A-2-502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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Free
Transfer on Death Deed
In South Dakota, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notarySDCL 29A-6-401 to 29A-6-435Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathSDCL 29A-6-401 to 29A-6-435Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. South Dakota does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in South Dakota
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in South Dakota: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
In South Dakota, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in South Dakota takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in South Dakota runs $3,580Estimate: 10 hours at $358, Clio's South Dakota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,370Estimate: 15 hours at $358, Clio's South Dakota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $933Estimate: 3 hours at $311, Clio's South Dakota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,866Estimate: 6 hours at $311, Clio's South Dakota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
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How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in South Dakota costs an estimated $23,735SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
South Dakota automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceSDCL § 29A-2-804; § 29A-1-201Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in South Dakota costs an estimated $23,735SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under SDCL § 29A-3-719(a) (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $100,000SDCL § 29A-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
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