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Rental Application Fee Laws in South Dakota

South Dakota has no statewide statute that caps rental application or screening fees, requires a refund, or addresses reusable screening reports.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

South Dakota at a glance

Fee limit
No statewide limit
S.D. Codified Laws chapter 43-32 (lease of real property) has no section on application or screening fees.
Refund required
No refund rule
Portable screening report rule
Not addressed

Sources

Last checked

The rules in South Dakota

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in South Dakota?

Fee limit in South Dakota: No statewide limit. S.D. Codified Laws chapter 43-32 (lease of real property) has no section on application or screening fees.

Does a landlord in South Dakota have to refund an unused application fee?

No refund rule. Refund required in South Dakota: no refund rule.

Does South Dakota law address reusable (portable) tenant screening reports?

Not addressed. Portable screening report rule in South Dakota: not addressed.

Where do the South Dakota rental application fee laws come from?

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

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

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