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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in South Dakota

In South Dakota, a landlord must store left-behind property worth more than $500 for 30 days before treating it as abandoned; property worth $500 or less may be disposed of after 10 days.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

South Dakota at a glance

Written notice required
No notice step in the statute
The statutes set waiting periods but no notice step.
Holding period
30 days (10 days if worth $500 or less)
Property worth more than $500 must be stored; the 10 day rule applies to property with a total reasonable value of $500 or less.
After the holding period
Treat it as abandoned and dispose of it
The landlord has a lien on stored property for handling and storage costs.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in South Dakota

Does a landlord in South Dakota have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

No notice step in the statute. Written notice required in South Dakota: no notice step in the statute. The statutes set waiting periods but no notice step.

How long must a landlord in South Dakota keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in South Dakota: 30 days (10 days if worth $500 or less). Property worth more than $500 must be stored; the 10 day rule applies to property with a total reasonable value of $500 or less.

What can a landlord in South Dakota do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in South Dakota: Treat it as abandoned and dispose of it. The landlord has a lien on stored property for handling and storage costs.

Where do the South Dakota tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from S.D. Codified Laws 43-32-25 and S.D. Codified Laws 43-32-26. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.