| Clerk of Courts | Yankton County Clerk of Courts |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | 410 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Yankton, SD 57078-4390 |
| Phone | 605-668-3080 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday |
| 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)) |
Yankton County sits on the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota, across from Nebraska, and is the state's ninth most populous county. Its seat, the city of Yankton, was the first capital of Dakota Territory, and the county belongs to the First Judicial Circuit, a fourteen-county circuit that also includes Davison, Clay, Union, Hutchinson, Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Douglas, Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Hanson, McCook, and Turner counties. The Yankton County Clerk of Courts, in Suite 205 of the county building at 410 Walnut Street, keeps every trial-court file for the county in a single office: circuit court felonies, civil suits, divorce and custody cases, probate and guardianship, and magistrate court misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic cases.
The Walnut Street building also houses Court Services (probation) in Suite 203, so people reporting for supervision and people looking up records use the same entrance. Yankton is one of the busier First Circuit courthouses, and circuit judges travel there from elsewhere in the circuit for felony and civil trials. Because South Dakota has no municipal courts, ordinance and traffic tickets written by Yankton police are filed in magistrate court and appear in the clerk's records alongside state charges.
Yankton County has no county-run online case search. Criminal case summaries and protection orders are available statewide through the paid PARS tool, public case summaries through the free registration-based eCourts search, and full documents at the courthouse public-access terminal or by request to the clerk. The clerk publishes a general office email on the state court-finder page for written requests, which is convenient for out-of-state requesters in the Nebraska and Iowa border area.
Search Yankton County court records online
Clerk of Courts
Yankton 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 Yankton 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 office is in Suite 205; Court Services is in Suite 203 of the same building.
What is available online
The Yankton County Clerk of Courts does not operate a county-specific online case search. Statewide tools cover the county instead: 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; the UJS Judgment Query lists civil money judgments; and Find Your Court Date shows upcoming hearings. Filed documents are not online — view them at the courthouse public-access terminal or request copies 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
Yankton County clerk offices
410 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Yankton, SD 57078-4390
Phone: 605-668-3080
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
In person. Visit the Clerk of Courts in Suite 205 at 410 Walnut Street, Yankton, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 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 or email. Write to Yankton County Clerk of Courts, 410 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Yankton, SD 57078-4390; fax 605-668-5411; or email yanktoncoclerk@ujs.state.sd.us. 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 a non-party ($5 if the search supports 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 Yankton County court records?
The Yankton County Clerk of Courts, Suite 205 at 410 Walnut Street in Yankton, keeps all circuit and magistrate court files — felonies, civil suits, family and probate cases, misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic.
Are Yankton city traffic tickets part of the county court records?
Yes. South Dakota has no separate municipal courts, so ordinance and traffic citations written by Yankton police are filed in magistrate court and kept by the Yankton County Clerk of Courts.
Can I request Yankton County court records by email?
Yes. The clerk's general address is yanktoncoclerk@ujs.state.sd.us. Include the case number or party names and year, the document you need, and whether you want a plain or authenticated copy; the clerk will tell you the fee before sending copies.
Is there a free online search for Yankton 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.
Sources
- Yankton County Court Finder (SD Unified Judicial System) — https://ujs.sd.gov/court-finder/first-judicial-circuit/yankton-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
- Yankton County official website — http://www.co.yankton.sd.us/
- 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.