◆ SOUTH DAKOTA · CARRY LAW
South Dakota.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
Yes
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
Yes
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
Nothing in South Dakota that most visitors get caught by, but read the answers below before you rely on that.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What South Dakota requires
The state's permit is the Permit to Carry a Concealed Pistol, issued by the sheriff of your county.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
Yes
Yes, from 18. South Dakota did it twice over: it repealed the offense, then wrote into the permit statute that issuing permits “does not impose a general prohibition on the carrying of a pistol without a permit.”
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 22-14-9 (repealed), 23-7-7Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Yes, from 18. Nothing in South Dakota law makes carrying a visible pistol an offense.
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 22-14-9, 22-14-10, 22-14-11 (all repealed)Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
Yes
Yes, on the same terms as on foot, but a loaded firearm in your personal possession while intoxicated is a separate misdemeanor.
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 22-14-9 (repealed), 22-14-7(3)Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
Shall-issue, from your county sheriff, within five days, and worth having despite permitless carry, because the permit is what travels. Three tiers: regular, enhanced, and gold card, valid five years.
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 23-7-7, 23-7-7.1, 23-7-8.2Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
None. You must have lived in your South Dakota county for thirty days. You do not need one: the state asks no permit of anybody 18 or older.
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 23-7-7.1(6), 23-7-7.5Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
18
18, and below that, a minor may carry concealed only in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Not required
No duty to volunteer that you are armed.
No notification duty in S.D. Codified Laws ch. 22-14 or 23-7Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the full text of both chapters. 22-14 (unlawful use of weapons) and 23-7 (firearms control), about 65,000 characters together. On 2026-09-06 and searched for “inform”, “notify a law”, “disclose to a law” and “shall inform”. No hit of any kind. The only notification duty in chapter 23-7 runs the other way: § 23-7-69 obliges a permit holder to tell the secretary of state about a change of name or address.Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Not required
No permit to buy, and no state waiting period.
No purchase-permit provision in S.D. Codified Laws ch. 23-7Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read chapter 23-7 in full on 2026-09-06. It licenses CARRYING and regulates dealers. § 23-7-9 requires a pistol to be delivered wrapped and unloaded, § 23-7-18 restricts retail sales, but creates no permit to acquire.Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
No limit.
No magazine-capacity provision in S.D. Codified Laws ch. 22-14 or 23-7Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched the full text of both firearms chapters for “magazine” and “capacity of” on 2026-09-06, no hits at all.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
Yes, and with teeth: a county or municipal firearms ordinance is null and void, the attorney general must send a cease-and-desist, and anyone charged under one recovers costs and attorney's fees.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
No, none in this state
None.
No extreme-risk order in South Dakota lawRead at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Searched both firearms chapters for “risk protection”, “red flag” and “extreme risk” on 2026-09-06, no hits, and checked secondary trackers, which place South Dakota among the states with no such order.◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits South Dakota honors
If you are visiting South Dakota, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where South Dakota permits are honored
If you live in South Dakota, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored30
Honored, with a condition3
Not honored21
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Legal, and said so expressly, South Dakota's definition of a controlled weapon “does not include a firearm silencer”.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Legal. South Dakota defines a “short rifle” but never makes possessing one an offense.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Legal with the federal paperwork, and a felony without it. A short shotgun IS a controlled weapon in South Dakota.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Legal with the federal registration, a Class 6 felony without it.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Legal under state law; federal rules apply.
S.D. Codified Laws §§ 22-1-2, 22-14-6Read at the South Dakota Legislature ↗Checked 10 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read the definition of “controlled weapon” in § 22-1-2 and the offense in § 22-14-6 on 2026-09-06. The controlled-weapon list is closed at machine gun and short shotgun, and nothing in either section answers to the federal “any other weapon” category.◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- the sheriff of your county ↗
- ATF’s index
- South Dakota firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)