South Dakota Notary Fees: What Notaries Can Charge (SD)

Notary fees in South Dakota

No general state-set maximum: notaries set their own fee, within any rule shown below.

Notarial act	Fee rule
Acknowledgment	No statutory maximum
Jurat	No statutory maximum
Oath / affirmation	No statutory maximum
Copy certification	No statutory maximum

Informational reference only, not legal advice. Notary fee laws change, and states differ in how fees apply (per act, per signature, or per certificate). Last reviewed July 2026. Always confirm current rules with your state's commissioning authority before setting your fees.

Key rules at a glance

Fees set by

statute (SDCL 18-1-9, as amended by 2025 HB 1192)

Remote online notarization

Permitted: RON authorized effective July 1, 2024 (SB 211, SDCL 18-1-11.2 et seq.); no separate statutory maximum fee set for the online act itself.

Travel fees

Not addressed by statute: by separate agreement with signer

Commission term

6 years

Worth knowing: Previously capped at $10 per instrument; HB 1192 (effective 7/1/2025) removed that cap, so SD now has no statutory max for any notarial act. No fee may be charged for notarizing an absentee ballot request.

Charging the right fee is step one, keeping the records is the job.

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How notary fees work in South Dakota

South Dakota does not set a general maximum dollar fee for notarial acts, so the amount is up to you, within any reasonableness or disclosure rule noted in the fee-setting box above. There is no minimum either: many notaries charge less, or waive fees for certain documents. What you may charge for ancillary services (travel, printing, scheduling) is dealt with separately: see the travel-fee rule above, and tell the signer about any extra charges in advance.

If you work as a loan signing agent, note that the signing-service fee you receive for a loan package is compensation for the appointment as a whole (travel, printing, handling). The notarial-act portion within it has no general state cap here. Keeping those two amounts separate in your records still matters, because in many situations they are treated differently for tax purposes. That split is exactly what a purpose-built record-keeping system handles for you.

Sources

https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/18-1 (official, accessed 2026-07-19)
https://sdsos.gov/general-services/notary-public/docs/SDNotaryPublicHandbook.pdf (official, accessed 2026-07-19)
https://www.nationalnotary.org/knowledge-center/news/law-updates/sd-administrative-rules-2024 (secondary, accessed 2026-07-19)

This page is general information about South Dakota notary fee rules, last reviewed July 2026. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Verify current requirements with the state's commissioning authority.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum notary fee in South Dakota?

South Dakota does not set a general statutory maximum fee for most notarial acts. Notaries in South Dakota may set their own fee for acknowledgments, jurats and oaths, subject to any disclosure or reasonableness requirement shown below.

Can notaries charge travel or mileage fees in South Dakota?

Not addressed by statute: by separate agreement with signer.

Where does this South Dakota notary fee information come from?

South Dakota's fee-setting basis: statute (SDCL 18-1-9, as amended by 2025 HB 1192). See the sources listed below for the full citations (last reviewed July 2026).