South Dakota Property Tax Calculator

How this calculator works

South Dakota property tax is governed by SDCL Title 10 (Taxation), with the core assessment standard set by SDCL § 10-4-9: "All property shall be assessed at its true and full value in money." The constitutional foundation sits at S.D. Const. Art. XI § 2, which requires property taxes to be uniform within the same class. Two structural features distinguish South Dakota from neighboring states and drive everything this calculator computes:

• A 100% market-value assessment ratio (§ 10-4-9) — no statutory ratio reduction between full-and-true value and the tax rate.
• A class-based school general fund levy (§ 10-12-42 / -43 / -44) — owner-occupied primary residences (Class C) see a substantially lower school levy than agricultural or "other" (commercial / rental / second home) property.

The math is clean:

• full-and-true value × 1.00 = assessed value (§ 10-4-9; or frozen value when § 10-6A applies)
• assessed value × combined mill levy = tax owed
• tax owed − § 10-6B refund (capped at $250) = net tax due

Everything else is determining the right combined levy and the right class, and checking whether § 10-6A or § 10-6B reduce the bill.

South Dakota's 100% assessment ratio

Most states apply a statutory assessment ratio that reduces market value to a smaller "assessed value" before the tax rate is applied:

• Iowa: residential "rollback" — about half of market value
• Nebraska: residential 100% / agricultural 75%
• Colorado: ~6.4% residential
• Cook County, Illinois: 10% Class 2 residential, then a multiplier

South Dakota assesses at "full and true value in money" under § 10-4-9 — 100% of fair market value, no ratio reduction. The county director of equalization's appraisal IS the assessed value. The arithmetic is simple — the assessment notice number multiplied by the published mill levy is the bill — but the effective tax rate equals the nominal rate. No ratio cushion absorbs market appreciation between assessments.

This puts South Dakota in the same structural camp as North Carolina (also 100% market value) and forces relief to flow through classification (§ 10-12-44 Owner-Occupied Class C) and post-tax refund (§ 10-6B) rather than through pre-tax exclusions of value.

The class-based school general fund levy — § 10-12-42 / -43 / -44

The most consequential South Dakota property-tax statute for residential owners is § 10-12-44: the school general fund levy for owner-occupied (Class C) single-family residential property is set substantially lower than the levy for "other" property under § 10-12-43 or agricultural property under § 10-12-42.

| Class | Statute | 2026 school levy (representative) | | --- | --- | --- | | Owner-Occupied (Class C) | § 10-12-44 | ~3.30 mills | | Agricultural | § 10-12-42 | ~1.43 mills | | Other (commercial / rental / second home) | § 10-12-43 | ~7.16 mills |

The legislature sets these figures annually. The 2026 figures used here are representative; refresh when the South Dakota Department of Revenue publishes the binding numbers for the tax year.

The Owner-Occupied vs Other delta is the single largest residential property-tax benefit in South Dakota. On a $300,000 home:

• Owner-Occupied school general fund tax: $300,000 × 0.00330 = $990
• Other-class school general fund tax: $300,000 × 0.00716 = $2,148
• Annual difference: $1,158 — just from the school general fund piece

Owner-Occupied classification is automatic once the county director determines that the parcel is the owner's primary residence on November 1 of the preceding year. There is no annual re-application. Classification persists until the use changes — the owner moves out, converts to rental, etc. If the assessment notice does not show "OO" or "Class C" on a primary residence, contact the county director immediately for administrative correction.

Common combined mill levies by county

Combined rates (county + school general fund + average municipal) for 2024–2025 on owner-occupied primary residences:

| County | Combined rate | $320K home tax | | --- | --- | --- | | Brown (Aberdeen) | 1.35% | $4,320 | | Pennington (Rapid City) | 1.40% | $4,480 | | Minnehaha (Sioux Falls) | 1.45% | $4,640 | | Lincoln | 1.50% | $4,800 | | Other / rural (typical) | 1.30% | $4,160 |

Pull the binding combined rate for the specific parcel from the county director of equalization's annual certification. The figures above bake in the owner-occupied school levy; for an agricultural or "other" parcel in the same county, swap the school levy delta (~+3.86 mills for "other"; ~−1.87 mills for agricultural).

The § 10-6A assessment freeze for elderly and disabled owners

The Property Tax Reduction for Elderly and Disabled under § 10-6A freezes the assessed value of a qualifying owner's primary residence at the level in effect when the owner first qualifies. Subsequent market-value appreciation does NOT increase the assessed value — a substantial benefit in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, where residential values rose 30%–50% between 2020 and 2025.

To qualify on November 1 of the preceding year the owner must meet ALL of:

• Age 65 or older OR permanently and totally disabled (certified by SSA, VA, or a physician)
• Property is the owner's primary residence (owner-occupied Class C classification)
• Household income at or below the statutory limit — 2026: $36,037 single / $45,036 multi-member household
• Property's full-and-true value at or below $350,000 (the freeze is targeted at modest-value primary residences)

Apply on Form PT-38A with the county treasurer by April 1 of the tax year. Annual re-application is required to confirm continuing income eligibility and primary-residence status. The freeze does NOT transfer with the property at sale — the new owner must re-qualify in their own name.

The § 10-6B Property Tax Refund

The Property Tax Refund under § 10-6B refunds up to $250 of property tax paid by an income-qualified elderly (65+) or disabled owner on a primary residence. The 2026 income limits are $13,250 single / $17,940 household — substantially lower than the § 10-6A freeze limits.

§ 10-6A and § 10-6B are independent programs. An owner can qualify for one, both, or neither, depending on income and property value. The most common qualifying profile is a single-income retiree with very modest Social Security benefits in a modest-value home — both programs apply and the bill is reduced both through the frozen-value mechanism (§ 10-6A) and the $250 cash refund (§ 10-6B).

Apply on Form PT-38 with the county treasurer by July 1 of the tax year. The refund is paid as a check by the South Dakota Department of Revenue after the property tax is paid in full.

A worked example — $320,000 Sioux Falls home, age 45

A $320,000 home in Sioux Falls (Minnehaha County). Owner is 45, household income $90,000, owner-occupied primary residence. Minnehaha's combined owner-occupied rate is 1.45%.

• Assessed value: $320,000 (100% ratio under § 10-4-9)
• Owner-Occupied Class C school levy applies (§ 10-12-44)
• § 10-6A freeze: not applicable (under 65, not disabled; income above limit anyway)
• § 10-6B refund: not applicable
• Tax owed: $320,000 × 0.0145 = $4,640
• Effective rate: 1.45% of market value

The effective rate equals the nominal rate exactly — that's the 100% ratio at work. The Owner-Occupied Class C classification is already baked into the 1.45% figure; without it (commercial / rental / second home), the same parcel would owe roughly $5,875 — a $1,235 annual delta driven by the school general fund levy swap.

A worked example — same home, age 70, income $30K (freeze applies)

Same $250,000 Sioux Falls home, owner is now 70 years old, multi-member household with $30,000 of income (above the $17,940 refund limit but well within the $45,036 freeze limit).

• Assessed value: $250,000 (current year — first-year freeze qualifier)
• § 10-6A freeze: applies (age 65+, owner-occupied, income within limit, value within $350K cap)
• § 10-6B refund: not applicable (income above the $17,940 household limit)
• Tax owed: $250,000 × 0.0145 = $3,625
• Effective rate: 1.45% of current market value

The freeze produces no immediate savings in the first year (assessed equals market). Its value shows up in subsequent years as the market appreciates while the assessed value stays locked at $250,000. After three years of 8% annual appreciation the market value would be $315,000, but the frozen assessed value remains $250,000 — an effective rate of 1.15% of market, saving roughly $940 that year compared to the unfrozen counterfactual.

A worked example — appreciated home with locked freeze

Same owner from above, three years later. Market value has appreciated to $325,000; the § 10-6A freeze is still in effect because the owner remained income-qualified and the property remained the primary residence.

• Market value: $325,000
• Frozen assessed value: $250,000 (locked at first-qualifying-year level)
• § 10-6A freeze: applies — assessed value = min($325,000, $250,000) = $250,000
• Tax owed: $250,000 × 0.0145 = $3,625
• Tax owed at market value (no freeze): $325,000 × 0.0145 = $4,712.50
• Annual freeze savings: $4,712.50 − $3,625 = $1,087.50

The freeze pays off in appreciating markets. In Sioux Falls and Rapid City — where residential values rose 30%–50% in the post-2020 boom — qualifying retirees saw effective rate reductions of 30%+ from the freeze alone. Note: the freeze becomes UNAVAILABLE if the market value exceeds the $350,000 cap. An owner whose home appreciates past $350,000 loses the freeze; this is the most important hidden cliff in the program. Future legislative action may raise the cap, but as written the cap is a hard limit.

A worked example — $200K Rapid City retiree, freeze + refund

A $200,000 home in Rapid City (Pennington County). Owner is 70, single-member household with $15,000 of income. Pennington's combined owner-occupied rate is 1.40%.

• Assessed value: $200,000 (well below the $350K freeze cap)
• § 10-6A freeze: applies (age 65+, single income $15K ≤ $36,037 limit, value ≤ $350K)
• § 10-6B refund: applies (age 65+, single income $15K ≤ $13,250 limit... wait — $15,000 > $13,250 single refund limit)

Re-check: at $15,000 income, this single-member household is above the § 10-6B refund single limit of $13,250 and so the refund does NOT apply. The freeze still applies (single freeze limit is $36,037). So:

• Tax owed: $200,000 × 0.0140 = $2,800
• § 10-6B refund: $0 (income above single refund limit)
• Net tax due: $2,800

For the freeze AND refund to both apply on a single-member household, income must be at or below the $13,250 refund limit — the binding constraint. For a multi-member household the threshold is $17,940. This is why the typical "both programs apply" profile is a married couple living on Social Security and a small pension, total household income $14K–$17K. That couple gets both the assessed-value freeze AND the $250 refund.

A worked example — same $200K Rapid City home, multi-member household at $15K

Now make the household multi-member (e.g., married couple). Household income $15,000, both spouses retired.

• § 10-6A freeze: applies ($15K ≤ $45,036 household limit)
• § 10-6B refund: applies ($15K ≤ $17,940 household limit)
• Tax owed: $200,000 × 0.0140 = $2,800
• § 10-6B refund: $250 (capped)
• Net tax due: $2,550
• Effective rate: $2,550 / $200,000 = 1.275%

Both programs working together: the freeze prevents the assessed value from chasing the market upward, and the $250 refund peels the maximum cash back. For a low-income retiree couple this is the most favorable South Dakota property-tax profile — and it scales linearly with how long they stay in the home, since the freeze compounds against rising market values year after year.

A worked example — commercial / rental "other" class

Same $320,000 Sioux Falls property, but the owner uses it as a long-term rental rather than a primary residence. The "other" class school general fund levy under § 10-12-43 applies — substantially higher than Owner-Occupied Class C.

• Combined rate: 0.0145 − 0.0033 (OO school) + 0.00716 (other school) = 1.836%
• Assessed value: $320,000
• Tax owed: $320,000 × 0.01836 = $5,875
• Annual delta vs Owner-Occupied (same home, same county): $5,875 − $4,640 = $1,235

This is the rental-property tax premium in South Dakota. For a small landlord with three rental homes the annual difference (vs hypothetical owner-occupied classification on each) is roughly $3,700 — a meaningful drag on cash-flow yields. The premium also flows to second homes, vacation homes, and any residential property where the owner is not in primary-residence occupancy on November 1.

Comparing South Dakota to surrounding states

Effective property-tax rates on owner-occupied residential primary residences:

| State | Effective rate (typical) | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Wyoming | ~0.55% | Low rates; no income tax + mineral revenues | | North Dakota | ~1.00% | Homestead credit softens | | South Dakota | ~1.30%–1.50% | No income tax; class-based school levy; § 10-6A freeze available | | Minnesota | ~1.10% | State income tax offset | | Iowa | ~1.50% | After residential rollback | | Nebraska | ~1.60% | High local rates |

South Dakota sits in the middle of the Plains-state pack. The no-income-tax status shifts more local revenue burden onto property tax than in Minnesota or North Dakota — but the Owner-Occupied Class C levy and the § 10-6A freeze blunt the impact on income-qualified residential owners. Working-age homeowners with above-limit incomes pay the full 1.3%–1.5% effective rate with no softening, comparable to Iowa and below Nebraska. Income-qualified retirees with frozen-value homes can see effective rates well under 1.0% of current market value.

Sioux Falls and Rapid City — what's actually happening on the bill

Both cities saw rapid residential appreciation between 2020 and 2025. Median home values in Sioux Falls (Minnehaha) rose from roughly $215,000 to $315,000; Rapid City (Pennington) from $210,000 to $310,000. With the 100% assessment ratio, every dollar of that appreciation flowed directly into the assessed value and onto the tax bill — there is no Save Our Homes cap (Florida) or assessment-ratio cushion (most other states) to slow the pass-through.

The § 10-6A freeze is the single most powerful response for income-qualified retirees. Owners who first qualified in 2020 or 2021 — before the appreciation wave — are paying 2020-era assessed values on 2026-era market values, with savings that compound year after year. New retirees moving to Sioux Falls or Rapid City after the appreciation wave have less freeze upside (the freeze starts at current market) but still benefit from the year-on-year appreciation lock for so long as they remain income-qualified and the property remains the primary residence at or below the $350K value cap.

Common errors to avoid

• Treating "assessed value" as a reduced figure. In Iowa and most other states the assessed value is a fraction of market value. In South Dakota, assessed value EQUALS market value (§ 10-4-9). The appraisal IS the taxable number.
• Missing Owner-Occupied Class C classification. If the assessment notice does not show "OO" or "Class C" on a primary residence, the owner is paying the "other" school general fund levy (~7.16 mills) instead of the reduced owner-occupied levy (~3.30 mills) — roughly $1,158 of extra tax annually on a $300K home. Contact the county director of equalization for administrative correction.
• Confusing § 10-6A with § 10-6B. The assessment freeze (§ 10-6A) locks the value forward; the property tax refund (§ 10-6B) refunds up to $250 of tax paid. Income limits, application forms, and deadlines are different. Most income-qualified retirees should apply for BOTH if eligible — they are independent programs.
• Missing the $350,000 freeze cap. § 10-6A is unavailable on parcels with full-and-true value above $350,000. An owner whose home appreciates past $350,000 loses the freeze. The cap is per-property (not per-owner); a couple downsizing into a smaller home below the cap can re-qualify.
• Forgetting that the freeze does not transfer at sale. When a frozen-value home is sold, the new owner inherits the current full-and-true value as the assessed value (not the frozen figure). This is structurally similar to a Florida Save Our Homes reset — selling out of a freeze is a step-up event for the property-tax base.
• Applying late. The April 1 deadline for Form PT-38A (§ 10-6A freeze) and July 1 deadline for Form PT-38 (§ 10-6B refund) are firm. Annual re-application is required for both programs — eligibility is not perpetual.

Tools, not advice. Confirm the binding county and municipal mill levies with the county director of equalization and confirm Owner-Occupied Class C classification on the assessment notice before relying on any result for planning purposes.