| Clerk of Courts | Meade County Clerk of Courts |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Meade County Courthouse, 1425 Sherman Street, Sturgis, SD 57785 (mail: PO Box 939, Sturgis, SD 57785-0939) |
| Phone | 605-347-4411 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (Mountain Time) |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Not fixed by statute or the UJS Schedule of Court Costs; ask the county Clerk of Courts for the per-page charge |
| Certified copy fee | $15.00 per authenticated, exemplified, or double-certificate copy (SDCL 16-2-29(7)) |
Meade County is South Dakota's largest county by land area and, with roughly 30,000 residents spread from the Black Hills foothills to the prairie north of Rapid City, its sixth most populous. It sits in the Fourth Judicial Circuit together with Lawrence, Butte, Corson, Dewey, Perkins, and Ziebach counties. The Meade County Clerk of Courts, in the county courthouse at 1425 Sherman Street in Sturgis, keeps every trial-court file for the county in a single office: circuit court felonies, civil suits, divorces and custody cases, probate and guardianship, and the magistrate court's misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic cases.
Because the Fourth Circuit's administrative offices are also housed in the Sturgis courthouse, the building serves as a regional hub rather than a small-county outpost. Anyone researching a case that arose in the Sturgis, Piedmont, Summerset, or Box Elder portions of the county — or from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, whose citations and misdemeanor arrests are filed here every August — deals with this one clerk's office. There is no separate municipal court system in South Dakota; city ordinance tickets written by Sturgis or Meade County officers go to magistrate court and are part of the clerk's file.
Like every other county in the state, Meade County does not run its own case-search website. Criminal case summaries and protection orders are searchable statewide through the paid PARS tool; the free eCourts registration-based search shows public case summaries; and the courthouse's public-access terminal lets you view non-confidential documents in person. Note that the courthouse keeps Mountain Time and closes for the noon hour, unlike clerks in the eastern half of the state.
Search Meade County court records online
Clerk of Courts
Meade County Clerk of Courts
- Cost
- Free viewing at the courthouse public-access terminal; $20 per name for a clerk record search (SDCL 16-2-29.5); $15 per authenticated copy (SDCL 16-2-29)
- Coverage
- All circuit court and magistrate court cases filed in Meade County — felonies, civil suits, family and probate matters, misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
One office serves both circuit and magistrate court dockets, as in every South Dakota county. The Fourth Circuit's administrative offices are in the same courthouse. Office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m.
What is available online
The Meade County Clerk of Courts does not operate a county-specific online case search. Three statewide tools cover the county: PARS ($20 per search) returns a summary of criminal cases from 1989 forward and protection orders; eCourts (free, registration required) shows a summary of public case information by party name or case number; and the UJS Judgment Query lists civil money judgments. The Find Your Court Date tool shows upcoming hearings by name and date of birth or by case number. None of these display filed documents — those are viewed at the courthouse public-access terminal or requested from the clerk. Cases filed before 1989 must be requested directly from the clerk.
Which clerk has your record
In South Dakota, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the South Dakota page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts (7 judicial circuits) | Felony criminal cases; Civil suits of any amount; Divorce, custody, and other family cases | Clerk of Courts of the county |
| Magistrate Courts | Misdemeanor criminal cases; Small claims; Preliminary hearings in felony cases | Clerk of Courts of the county |
Request records in person or by mail
Meade County clerk offices
Meade County Courthouse, 1425 Sherman Street, Sturgis, SD 57785 (mail: PO Box 939, Sturgis, SD 57785-0939)
Phone: 605-347-4411
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (Mountain Time)
In person. Visit the Clerk of Courts at the Meade County Courthouse, 1425 Sherman Street, Sturgis, between 8:00 a.m. and noon or 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate filing year. The public-access terminal lets you look up the index and read non-confidential documents at no charge; printed and authenticated copies are paid at the counter.
By mail. Write to Meade County Clerk of Courts, PO Box 939, Sturgis, SD 57785-0939, or fax 605-347-3526. State the case number or party names and year, the exact document you need, and whether you want a plain or authenticated (certified) copy. Under SDCL 16-2-29.5 the clerk charges $20 per name for a record search requested by someone who is not a party to the case ($5 if the search is for a pending state or federal case); an authenticated copy costs $15 under SDCL 16-2-29. Ask the clerk for a per-page quote on plain copies before sending payment.
Online. Use PARS for a paid, name-based criminal and protection-order summary; register for eCourts for a free case-summary search; or use the UJS Judgment Query for civil money judgments. Fines and court costs can be paid through UJS ePay.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in South Dakota |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Not fixed by statute or the UJS Schedule of Court Costs; ask the county Clerk of Courts for the per-page charge |
| Certified copy | $15.00 per authenticated, exemplified, or double-certificate copy (SDCL 16-2-29(7)) |
SDCL 16-2-29 sets the clerk of courts fee for reproducing an authenticated (certified) copy of a record at $15, and the UJS Schedule of Court Costs (rev. July 1, 2026) lists the same $15 for authenticated copies. A clerk record search requested by a non-party costs $20 per name under SDCL 16-2-29.5 ($5 when the search supports a pending state or federal case; no charge for named parties or attorneys of record). Neither source sets a per-page price for plain copies, so confirm that amount with the clerk. The $20 PARS online search fee is separate.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
South Dakota court records are open unless a specific statute or court order closes them. Access, and the process for closing a record from public view, is governed by SDCL Chapter 15-15A (public access to court records) and the expungement statutes in SDCL Chapter 23A-3.
The South Dakota guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Which office keeps Meade County court records?
The Meade County Clerk of Courts at the courthouse in Sturgis keeps all circuit and magistrate court files — felonies, civil suits, family and probate cases, misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic.
Are Sturgis Motorcycle Rally tickets and arrests in the Meade County court records?
Yes. Citations and criminal charges filed in Meade County during the rally go to magistrate or circuit court in Sturgis, so they are part of the Clerk of Courts' records like any other case. Charges filed in neighboring Pennington or Lawrence County are held by those counties' clerks.
Is there a free online search for Meade County court records?
Partly. eCourts is a free, registration-based statewide search that shows public case summaries, and the courthouse public-access terminal is free to use in person. PARS charges $20 per search and covers criminal cases and protection orders only.
What time zone does the Meade County courthouse use?
Mountain Time. The clerk's office is open 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and closes over the lunch hour.
Sources
- Meade County Court Finder (SD Unified Judicial System) — https://ujs.sd.gov/court-finder/fourth-judicial-circuit/meade-county/
- South Dakota Unified Judicial System — Cases and Records — https://ujs.sd.gov/cases-and-records/
- UJS Court Records Search (PARS and records request forms) — https://ujs.sd.gov/cases-and-records/court-records-search/
- SDCL 16-2-29 — Fees charged by clerk of courts — https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/16-2-29
- SDCL 16-2-29.5 — Records search fee — https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/16-2-29.5
- Meade County official website — https://www.meadecounty.org/
- UJS Public Access Record Search (PARS) — https://ujspars.sd.gov/default.aspx
- South Dakota Understanding the Courts — Court Structure — https://ujs.sd.gov/self-help/understanding-the-courts/court-structure/
- South Dakota Supreme Court Opinions — https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/opinions/
- UJS Fees and Costs (Schedule of Court Costs) — https://ujs.sd.gov/self-help/understanding-the-courts/fees-and-costs/
- South Dakota DCI Background Check (backgroundcheck.sd.gov) — https://backgroundcheck.sd.gov/
- South Dakota Attorney General — Background Check Requirements — https://atg.sd.gov/LawEnforcement/Identification/backgroundcheckrequirements.aspx
- SDCL Chapter 15-15A — Public Access to Court Records — https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/15-15A
- SDCL 23A-3-27 — Petition for Expungement — https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/23A-3-27
- SD UJS Self Help — Expungement — https://ujs.sd.gov/self-help/civil-law-help/expungement/
- United States District Court, District of South Dakota — https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all South Dakota counties.