South Dakota forms that need a notary

Most states let you order a certified birth, death or marriage record by mail, but the application has to prove who you are. Depending on the state, that means a notarized signature, a sworn statement signed in front of a notary, or a copy of your ID instead. A notarized application is also the usual route when you order a record for a parent, child or spouse, or ask the office to correct one.

A copy of a photo ID, or, if none is provided, the application signed in front of a notary.

Have ready before your session:

• The completed application, left unsigned until the notary session
• A current government photo ID
• Proof of your relationship if the record is someone else's
• The agency's fee, paid the way the application asks

Documents that transfer or record an interest in property, such as deeds, easements and lease memoranda, must be acknowledged before a notary before the county recorder will accept them. The notary confirms that the person signing is the owner named on the document. Some states also require witnesses on a deed, and recorders reject pages with the wrong margins or a missing legal description.

2 form types across South Dakota; the most common is Harvest Pointe Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (1 place).

Have ready before your session:

• The legal description and parcel number of the property
• Every owner who must sign, each with a photo ID
• Witnesses where your state requires them on deeds
• The recorder's formatting rules and recording fee

Cities and counties ask for notarized signatures on construction paperwork so they know the property owner really approved the work. Typical examples are owner-builder affidavits, owner authorizations that let a contractor pull a permit, Notices of Commencement, zoning and variance applications, and lien waivers. A permit counter will usually reject an owner signature that is not notarized.

4 form types across South Dakota; the most common is Fireworks Permit Application (1 place).

Have ready before your session:

• The permit or application number, if you already have one
• The property address and parcel number
• The owner's signature, or an agent's with a notarized authorization
• A current government photo ID

Local business licenses often include a sworn statement: that the owner may legally work in the United States, that the business meets zoning rules, or that the details on an alcohol, vendor or occupational tax application are true. Those statements are signed in front of a notary. Employer E-Verify affidavits and immigration status affidavits for public benefits are common examples.

9 form types across South Dakota; the most common is Affidavit for Transfer of Alcoholic Beverage License (3 places).

Have ready before your session:

• The business's legal name, address and tax ID
• The owner or officer authorized to sign
• Any license or certificate the application asks you to attach
• A current government photo ID

Court and estate paperwork often needs a notarized signature before a clerk will file it: small estate affidavits, probate petitions, guardianship and name change forms, and travel consents for a minor. The notary does not review the legal content. They confirm who signed and, for sworn forms, give the oath.

4 form types across South Dakota, including Application for Adoption Information Adult Adoptee.

Have ready before your session:

• The case number, if a case is already open
• The names of the decedent, minor or other parties
• Every signer the form lists, each with a photo ID
• Any supporting record, such as a copy of a death certificate

Before a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, meaning a mailbox store or virtual mailbox service, can accept mail for you, the Postal Service requires PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent. You sign it in front of the agency or before a notary public commissioned in any U.S. state, and you show two IDs: one with your photo and one that proves your address.

PS Form 1583 is a federal Postal Service form, so South Dakota residents use the same version as everyone else. A South Dakota driver's license or ID card works as the photo ID, and a lease, deed, voter card or vehicle registration as the address ID.

Have ready before your session:

• PS Form 1583, completed but not yet signed
• A current photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport
• A second ID that proves your address, such as a lease, deed or vehicle registration
• The names of any minors whose mail you will collect (block 11)