Initial Fees and Licenses in South Dakota

April 13, 2006

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If you're going to operate your business in South Dakota, when you start up you're likely to incur filing fees and licensing fees depending on the type of business you run and your business form (corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership or limited liability company (LLC)).

Corporations. If you're doing business as a domestic corporation (a corporation incorporated in South Dakota), you will be subject to various fees when you start up.

The following are some of the major filing requirements and payments by domestic corporations to the South Dakota Secretary of State:

Document	Fee
Articles of incorporation	$125
Restated articles of incorporation	$50
Articles of merger or consolidation	$50
Application to reserve corporate name	$20
Articles of amendment	$50
Articles of dissolution	$10

If you're doing business as a foreign corporation (a corporation incorporated outside of South Dakota), you will be subject to the same similar initial fees. The following is a partial list of filing requirements and payments by foreign corporations to the South Dakota Secretary of State:

Document	Fee
Certificate of authority	$550
Amended certificate of authority	$200
Filing articles of merger or consolidation	$50
Application for withdrawal	$10

Limited liability companies (LLCs). If your company is either a domestic or foreign limited liability company (LLC), you must file documents with the South Dakota Secretary of State. Effective July 1, 2004, the fee for filing the first annual report (concurrent with filing the articles of organization or the certificate of authority) for a domestic LLC is $125 and $550 for a foreign LLC.

The fee for later annual reports of a domestic or foreign LLC is $50.

Business licenses and fees. South Dakota requires that you obtain a license and pay a fee if you are operating certain types of businesses in the state. Below is a partial list of some of the types of businesses required to obtain a license. Be sure to check with the state to make sure you are complying with the license requirements for your particular profession.