Offices in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. Handles formal and informal probate of estates and will contests. On the planning side the firm drafts wills, powers of attorney and South Dakota perpetuity trusts, including generation-skipping transfer tax planning, private trust company formation and trust change-of-situs work.
Probate in Minnehaha County
Probate Court Record
Minnehaha County Circuit Court
Minnehaha County · 2nd Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
425 North Dakota Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Minnehaha County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Minnehaha County? →Settling an estate in Minnehaha County →
Probate Litigation Firms Serving Minnehaha County
Six attorneys practicing from Yankton and Hartington, Nebraska. Handles probate of estates from a few thousand dollars to several million, trust administration for family-member trustees, and estate and trust litigation for trustees, executors, and beneficiaries, plus guardianships and conservatorships. Its attorneys are licensed in South Dakota and Nebraska.
Serves Sioux Falls and clients throughout South Dakota and Minnesota from an office on S. Grand Arbor Court. Handles probate and estate administration, guardianship and conservatorship petitions, and disputes over wills, trusts, and estate administration, including fiduciary misconduct claims. Offers a free consultation for estate administration and probate matters.
Serves clients throughout South Dakota from its main office on 57th Street in Sioux Falls, with a second location in Pierre. Handles probate and trust administration, and represents clients in will and trust contests, fiduciary-duty claims against trustees or executors, and beneficiary disputes. Formerly Murphy, Goldammer & Prendergast, LLP until December 2015.
Serves clients across South Dakota from its office in Huron. Attorney Aaron Pilcher handles formal and informal probate, trust administration, small estate affidavits, and guardianships, and litigates trust, probate, and fiduciary disputes. Also serves businesses as outside general counsel and registered agent.
Serves clients throughout South Dakota from its office in Sioux Falls. Litigates will contests, probate disputes, claims against estates, cases involving personal representatives, trust contests, beneficiary disputes, and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims against trustees. The firm does not draft wills.
All 10 South Dakota probate litigation firms serving Minnehaha 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.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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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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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.
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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Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in South Dakota, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateSDCL § 29A-2-102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesSDCL § 29A-2-106; § 29A-2-709Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In South Dakota, creditors have 4 monthsSDCL § 29A-3-801Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in South Dakota: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysSDCL 29A-3-706Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsSDCL §§ 29A-3-801, 29A-3-803, 29A-3-805Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
South Dakota sets executor compensation by statute — about $12,585 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.5%SDCL § 29A-3-719(c) (5% on first $1K, 4% on $1K-$5K, 2.5% on amounts over $5K for personal property; real property court-determined as just and reasonable)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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