The numbers shown below appear as the first digits in South Dakota license plates. Using the codes you can determine the county that issued the license plate appearing on a passenger (non-commercial) vehicle.
| 1: Minnehaha (Sioux Falls) 2: Pennington (Rapid City) 3: Brown (Aberdeen) 4: Beadle (Huron) 5: Codington (Watertown) 6: Brookings (Brookings) 7: Yankton (Yankton) 8: Davison (Mitchell) 9: Lawrence (Deadwood) 10: Aurora (Plankinton) 11: Bennett (Martin) 12: Bon Homme (Tyndall) 13: Brule (Chamberlain) 14: Buffalo (Gann Valley) 15: Butte (Belle Fourche) 16: Campbell (Mound City) 17: Charles Mix (Lake Andres) 18: Clark (Clark) 19: Clay (Vermillion) 20: Corson (McIntosh) 21: Custer (Custer) 22: Day (Webster) 23: Deuel (Clear Lake) 24: Dewey (Timber Lake) 25: Douglas (Armour) 26: Edmunds (Ipswich) 27: Fall River (Hot Springs) 28: Faulk (Faulkton) 29: Grant (Milbank) 30: Gregory (Burke) 31: Haakon (Philip) 32: Hamlin (Hayti) 33: Hand (Miller) 34: Hanson (Alexandria) |
35: Harding (Buffalo) 36: Hughes (Pierre) 37: Hutchinson (Olivet) 38: Hyde (Highmore) 39: Jackson (Kadoka) 40: Jerauld (Wessington Springs) 41: Jones (Murdo) 42: Kingsbury (De Smet) 43: Lake (Madison) 44: Lincoln (Canton) 45: Lyman (Kennebec) 46: McCook (Salem) 47: McPherson (Leola) 48: Marshall (Britton) 49: Meade (Sturgis) 50: Mellette (White River) 51: Miner (Howard) 52: Moody (Flandreau) 53: Perkins (Bison) 54: Potter (Gettysburg) 55: Roberts (Sisseton) 56: Sanborn (Woonsocket) 57: Spink (Redfield) 58: Stanley (Fort Pierre) 59: Sully (Onida) 60: Tripp (Winner) 61: Turner (Parker) 62: Union (Elk Point) 63: Walworth (Selby) 64: Ziebach (Dupree) 65: Shannon (Wounded Knee) 66: Washabaugh (unincorporated, portion of Jackson county) 67: Todd (Antelope) 77: Dealer Plate – see note below. |
In South Dakota, license plate number “77” is specifically for licensed vehicle dealers. These “77” plates are transferable between vehicles owned by the same dealer and can be used on new or used vehicles for any purpose, excluding those for lease or hire, wreckers, or service vehicles. The dealer must apply for and pay for these plates at the county treasurer’s office.
More information on South Dakota vehicle plates
Here is a photo I took in May, 2023 of the map posted on the wall of the Codington County Treasurer’s office while I was waiting to pay for my ham radio license plates:
Interactive map showing the South Dakota Driver License Exam Stations and County locations: