Serves Spearfish and the surrounding area, as it has since 1972. Handles probate and the administration of wills and trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, and succession planning that integrates business and estate planning. Its attorneys are licensed in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
Probate in Pennington County
Probate Court Record
Pennington County Circuit Court
Pennington County · 7th Judicial Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:55 PM
Office
315 St. Joseph Street, Room 5, Rapid City, SD 57709
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
How to file probate in Pennington County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Pennington County? →Settling an estate in Pennington County →
Probate Firms Serving Pennington County
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.
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 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 14 South Dakota probate firms serving Pennington 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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