Serves Rapid City, Box Elder, and Pennington County from West Omaha Street. Handles probate and estate administration end to end — opening the estate, valuing property and business interests, transferring assets to heirs, paying debts, and filing final tax returns — plus will contests and trust litigation. The first consultation is free.
Probate in Lawrence County
Probate Court Record
Lawrence County Circuit Court
Lawrence County · 4th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
78 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Lawrence County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Lawrence County? →Settling an estate in Lawrence County →
Probate Firms Serving Lawrence County
Serves Rapid City and western South Dakota from Sheridan Lake Road. Handles estate administration and probate for executors, trust administration for trustees, conservatorships and guardianships, and estate and fiduciary litigation such as will interpretation, undue influence, trustee-beneficiary disputes, and fiduciary removal. Consultations are offered in person, by phone, or by video.
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.
Serves Rapid City and Pennington County from Beach Drive. Works with personal representatives and beneficiaries through probate of an estate and litigates estate disputes, alongside wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and business, farm, and ranch succession plans. Consultations are complimentary and offered in person or by phone.
Serves Rapid City and western South Dakota from its 5th Street office in Rapid City. Handles estate planning and probate, with partner Curtis S. Jensen practicing in wills and estate planning alongside the firm's business, banking, and real estate work. In the Rapid City legal community since 1955.
Serves Rapid City and western South Dakota, with a second office in Pierre. Assists personal representatives and trustees through probate and estate administration, advocates for heirs and beneficiaries, and handles contested estate and trust litigation, irrevocable trust decanting, reformation and modification, and Medicaid and long-term care planning.
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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