Eleven-attorney firm serving clients in South Dakota and North Dakota from its Aberdeen office in Brown County. Handles probate of estates, guardianships and conservatorships, and wills and trusts, alongside banking, business, family, personal injury, and criminal defense work.
Probate in Codington County
Probate Court Record
Codington County Circuit Court
Codington County · 3rd Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
14 1st Avenue Southeast, Watertown, SD 57201
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Codington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Codington County? →Settling an estate in Codington County →
Probate Firms Serving Codington County
Serves the Huron area from its office on Illinois Avenue SW in Huron. Handles testate and intestate probates, from appointing a personal representative through creditor claims and distribution to heirs, plus guardianships, conservatorships, and protecting vulnerable adults from financial exploitation. Also drafts trusts, wills, and powers of attorney, including farm estate planning.
Serves Aberdeen and northeastern South Dakota from one office. Handles probate, wills, living wills and health directives, durable powers of attorney, revocable, irrevocable and special-needs trusts, and guardianships and conservatorships. Plans for farm and ranch families whose land values have changed.
Serves Aberdeen from its office at 1 Court Street. Files the court documents to probate a family member's will and guides families through the South Dakota probate system, alongside will drafting and estate planning. Founded in 1926, it is one of the oldest law firms in South Dakota.
Serves Aberdeen from its office on 5th Avenue SW. Handles probate and estate settlement, trust formation and administration, and wills, alongside estate planning that takes taxation and business succession into account. Robert M. Ronayne is Board Certified as a Specialist in Estate Planning Law, an Accredited Estate Planner, and is also licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota.
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.
All 14 South Dakota probate firms serving Codington 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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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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Do I Need Probate?
In South Dakota, estates valued at $100,000SDCL § 29A-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Small Estate AffidavitSDCL § 29A-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysSDCL § 29A-3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
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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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Can I Self-File Probate?
South Dakota has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is availableSDCL § 29A-3-301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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