South Dakota is a land of stark contrasts, eternal beauty, and wide-open blue skies. South Dakota is the 17th largest state by area, but with a population of around 800,000, it is 47th. It is still much the same wild state that it was in bygone days, with a healthy disdain for outside interference and government in general.
So it should be no surprise that South Dakota is friendly toward the concept of out-of-state residents registering vehicles in their state. Or, if they aren’t openly friendly toward it (as Vermont is), they don’t seem to mind the extra revenue. Today we’ll dive into how the South Dakota registration process works and why registering your vehicle in South Dakota makes sense.
Why South Dakota?
Because it’s an awesome state! Ok, well that statement is true, but it’s not the driving force to select it for your out-of-state registration needs.
To answer this, let’s take a gander at some of the reasons why you might not want to register in your home state anymore:
Emissions Testing
Emissions testing, or “smog checks,” are basically the #1 reason why you don’t want to register in your home state. Well, those and taxes. We respect both of these reasons.
Out of 50 states, over half (32) require smog checks in at least some areas. All of the largest population bases require smog checks in at least the state's most congested areas. That includes freedom-loving Texas; you guys still get shanked with smog checks.
But mostly, we’re looking at you, California, with the most rigid smog laws in the nation. Also, and this might be totally by coincidence, it possesses one of the highest volumes of residents leaving the state. Also, it could be coincidental, but New York has the highest percentage and the highest volume of residents leaving. We aren’t political analysts, but the states with the worst smog laws have the most people leaving.
A South Dakota out-of-state registration is a great idea if you aren’t one of the many leaving and are hunkered down waiting for better days. Why?
NO emissions in The Swinged Cat State (yes, this is a real nickname; read the story). The air remains crystal clear despite nobody extorting you for smog check fees.
Low tax rates. The state sales tax rate for South Dakota is only 4.5%, putting it on the lower end of sales tax in the nation (31st, according to Sales Tax Handbook).
So there you have it: lower taxes, no smog checks. Win/win.
What Types of Vehicles Can Be Registered and Renewed in South Dakota?
South Dakota lives a wide-open lifestyle. Do you want to tag your car or truck? Too easy. We were hoping for a little bit of effort here.
Motorcycles? Again, we aren’t even breaking a sweat here.
Dirt bikes? Of course. There is a practically unlimited land area to work with out there.
How about quads? Yes, you can do these as well. It has to be 200cc or larger and have safety equipment added on, but an ATV or UTV may be registered and tagged as a quadricycle in South Dakota for street legal use. Get some.
We cannot forget about getting your RV tagged to save some cash.
Do I Have to Live in South Dakota?
You do not have to live in South Dakota to register a vehicle there.
Individuals can register their vehicles easily through our Vehicle Registration Service, and renewals are a snap with our Registration Renewal Service. You can renew a year at a time or set it up to auto-renew.
But you do not have to live in South Dakota to register your car there.
Do I Have to Drive to South Dakota to Renew My Registration?
Nope, there is no need to make the pilgrimage to South Dakota from your home state. It is the 21st Century, after all.
The entire registration process is handled online, from initial registration through renewals. Of course, nothing stops you from driving to South Dakota to visit the DMV. I mean, I wouldn’t, but there aren’t any rules saying that you can’t.
Our automatic registration renewal is the preferred method of keeping South Dakota plates on your vehicles. Whether you have a single-family car, truck, RV, or quads, you can set them up to auto-register like clockwork.
But, succinctly, you are not required to travel to South Dakota just to renew your registration.
What About Inspections in SD? Emissions?
South Dakota has no inspection requirements for vehicle registrations. This is about some states requiring a safety inspection for registration renewals, separate from emissions checks.
Safety inspections refer to ensuring the vehicle is in a roadworthy physical condition. The lights have to work, the windshield is not cracked, brakes are fully operational, and more.
South Dakota has no requirement for recurring safety inspections, which is a benefit for you guys coming from states requiring them.
Emissions are the car killer that everyone wants to slay. One of these days, your car will not pass its state inspection, requiring extensive, expensive repairs to bring it back to spec. The more miles you put on a vehicle, the more emissions system components will eventually fail. It is a matter of when not if.
You will likely get stuck footing the bill right when you need it, at the very least. Not that anyone wants to drop a grand or more on emissions parts, but if you are registered in California and have to get to work to pay for your insanely expensive house, you had better pay up.
And the state is not sympathetic to your plight; if you flunk, your car is grounded. Period.
You can’t even sell the car in-state if you don’t have a passing smog check. No joke. If you have a car that you think might fail the inspection (not even a failing check; you have to have a passing smog check to sell it), you can’t just throw it on the FB Marketplace to ditch it. Nope. So basically, if you suspect it might fail and want it gone, you must attempt to sell it out of state. Crazy, right?
Well, there is another alternative. If you think your car or truck is about to fail an inspection and you’d rather not spend your life’s savings to eek another year or two out of it, you should consider our Out-of-State Registration Program. A South Dakota tag and registration is just the ticket for you to throw smog checks to the curb permanently. Once registered, you can throw it on auto-renewal and forget about it. Just check your mail, throw your registration in the glovebox, and you are ready to go!
What if I Have a Strange Circumstance?
How About Motorcycles and Dirt Bikes?
Of course! It is a great alternative if you’d like to keep running your two-cycle dirt bike in The Golden State because the red sticker program is going the way of the buffalo, and a South Dakota motorcycle registration is spot on.
The vehicle requirements for this program are:
Gas-powered (Not electric)
Regular dirt bike (Not a trials bike, pit bike, or mini bike)
Over 119cc
Title, Transferable Registration (From your state), MCO (If bought from dealer), or a bill of sale only (if financing)
How About Custom Plates? How Do I Renew Those?
Custom plates won’t be any different to renew than your dirt bike, quadricycle, motorhome, or Camry. You can opt for online renewal or take a load off and enroll in our auto-renewal program to do all of the heavy lifting for you. What is there to even think about? Smash that auto-renewal button and put it on cruise control.
Wrapping It Up
There are a bunch of reasons why you might want to register your vehicle out of state in South Dakota:
Your taxes suck
Emissions checks suck
You hate your state’s license plate (maybe a stretch)
Whatever your reason is, we don’t care. We are here to give you the solutions you are looking for when you are looking for them.
Also, don’t forget about our host of other products. Looking for a tax-free alternative to register your vehicle? That would be our Montana LLC Service. Got a surplus military vehicle that you’d love to drive on public roads? Got it. Got a car or truck that is missing a title? We can help. If you don’t see a service that you’re looking for, give us a call, and we’ll see if we can help you with your problem.
John McCoy is a lifelong car and truck enthusiast and has a strong mechanical background off the road. He spent over 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief, assigned to the B-1B Lancer, affectionately known as the Bone to those in the community, and the KC-135R Stratotanker. He resides on a small farm in Eastern Kansas where he (sometimes) enjoys fixing ancient farm equipment.