# Vehicle registration plates of South Dakota

The U.S. state of South Dakota first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own license plates for display until 1913, when the state began to issue plates.
As of 2024, plates are issued by the South Dakota Department of Revenue through its Motor Vehicle Division. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

## Passenger baseplates
### Prestate

| Image | Dates issued | Description | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| | 1905 to 1912 (prestate) | Riveted metal numbers on black leather plate, "SD" riveted on right | 12345 | 1 to approximately 13500 |

### 1913 to 1975

In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes. The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first South Dakota license plate that complied with these standards.
| Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1913 | Embossed black on white; vertical "SD" at right | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 14100 | |
| 1914 | Embossed white on red; vertical "SD" at right | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 20800 | |
| 1915 | Embossed yellow on black; vertical "SD" at right | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 28700 | |
| 1916 | Embossed light green on black; "SD 1916" at right | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 43000 | First dated plate. |
| 1917 | Embossed beige on brown; vertical "SD" and "1917" at left and right respectively | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 67000 | |
| 1918 | Embossed brown on beige; vertical "SD" and "1918" at left and right respectively | none | 12345 | 1 to approximately 84000 | |
| 1919 | Embossed silver on olive green with border line; vertical "SD" and "1919" at left and right respectively | none | 123456 | 1 to approximately 105000 | |
| 1920 | Embossed maroon on cream with border line; vertical "SD" and "20" at left and right respectively | none | 123456 | 30000 to approximately 139000 | Serials below 30000 reserved for motorcycles and trucks. This practice continued through 1923. |
| 1921 | Embossed white on green; lines at top and bottom borders; vertical "SD" and "21" at left and right respectively | none | 123456 | 30000 to approximately 154000 | |
| 1922 | Embossed white on dark blue; lines at top and bottom borders; vertical "SD" and "22" at left and right respectively | none | 123456 | 30000 to approximately 150000 | |
| 1923 | Embossed black on gray with border line; vertical "SD" and "23" at left and right respectively | none | 123-456 | 30-000 to approximately 153-000 | |
| 1924 | Embossed silver on black with border line; vertical "SD" and "24" at left and right respectively | none | 123-456 | 20-000 to approximately 151-000 | Serials below 20-000 reserved for motorcycles and trucks. |
| 1925 | Embossed black on tan with border line; vertical "25" and "SD" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | First use of county codes. |
| 1926 | Embossed black on silver with border line; vertical "SD" and "26" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1927 | Embossed black on turquoise with border line; vertical "27" and "SD" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1928 | Embossed white on red with border line; vertical "SD" and "28" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1929 | Embossed white on green with border line; vertical "29" and "SD" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1930 | Embossed black on yellow with border line; vertical "SD" and "30" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1931 | Embossed black on white with border line; vertical "31" and "SD" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1932 | Embossed yellow on black with border line; vertical "SD" and "32" at left and right respectively | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1933 | Embossed black on yellow with border line; "S. DAK. 1933" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1934 | Embossed yellow on black with border line; "S. DAK. 1934" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1935 | Embossed black on yellow with border line; "S. DAK. 1935" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1936 | Embossed white on brick red with border line; "S. DAK. 1936" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1937 | Embossed red on white with border line; "S. DAK. 1937" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1938 | Embossed white on blue with border line; "S. DAK. 1938" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1939 | Embossed blue on white; "SD" at bottom left and "39" at bottom right | "RUSHMORE MEMORIAL" at bottom center | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1940 | Embossed black on golden yellow; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1940" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | First use of the full state name. |
| 1941 | Embossed golden yellow on black; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1941" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1942–44 | Embossed black on golden yellow; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1942" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Revalidated for 1943 with black tabs, and for 1944 with windshield stickers, due to metal conservation for World War II. |
| 1945 | Embossed green on white with border line; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1945" at bottom | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1946 | Embossed white on black with border line; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1946" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1947 | Embossed black on unpainted aluminum with border line; "1947 SOUTH DAKOTA" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1948 | Embossed red on unpainted aluminum with border line; "SOUTH DAKOTA 1948" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1949 | Embossed blue on waffle-textured unpainted aluminum with border line; "1949 SOUTH DAKOTA" at top | none | 1-1234 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1950 | Embossed black on orange with border line; "SOUTH DAKOTA '50" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-123 10-A12 10-1A2 10-12A | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1951 | Embossed orange on black with border line; "'51 SOUTH DAKOTA" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-123 10-A12 10-1A2 10-12A | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1952 | Embossed maroon on beige with border line; "S.DAK", Mount Rushmore decal and "1952" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-123 10-A12 10-1A2 10-12A | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | First base to feature a graphic of Mount Rushmore in any form. |
| 1953 | Embossed beige on maroon with border line; "1953", Mount Rushmore decal and "S.DAK" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-1234 10-A123 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1954 | Embossed black on white with border line; "S.DAK.", Mount Rushmore decal and "1954" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-1234 10-A123 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1955 | Embossed white on green with border line; "1955", Mount Rushmore decal and "S.DAK" at top | none | 1-1234 1-A123 10-1234 10-A123 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1956 | Embossed green on beige with border line; "S.DAK.", Mount Rushmore decal and "1956" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | First 6" x 12" plate. |
| 1957–59 | Embossed black on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "57" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Revalidated for 1958 with maroon tabs, and for 1959 with red tabs. |
| 1960 | Embossed black on reflective tan with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "60" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1961 | Embossed green on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "61" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1962 | Embossed black on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "62" at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1963 | Embossed red on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "63" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1964 | Embossed dark blue on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "64" at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1965 | Embossed green on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "65" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1966 | Embossed dark blue on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "66" at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1967 | Embossed maroon on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "67" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1968 | Embossed light blue on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "68" at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1969 | Embossed orange on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "69" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1970 | Embossed dark blue on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "70" at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1971 | Embossed green on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "71" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1972 | Embossed black on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "72" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1973 | Embossed red on reflective white with border line; "S.DAK.", stamped Mount Rushmore graphic and "73" at top | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1974 | Embossed blue on reflective white with screened red and black Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | First screened graphic license plate in the United States. Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1974 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first time South Dakota was so honored. |
| 1974 | Embossed blue on reflective white with stamped Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Issued in counties that had exhausted their supplies of screened graphic plates. |
| 1975 | Embossed red on reflective white with screened light blue and black Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom | none | 1-12345 10-1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |

### 1976 to present

| Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1976–80 | Embossed blue on reflective white with screened blue and white Mount Rushmore graphic and three red stripes at top | none | AB:1234 | Coded by county of issuance (AB) | |
| 1981–86 | Embossed red on reflective white with screened dark blue Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom right; county name on sticker at top | none | ABC:123 | AAA:001 to BRP:599; CAB:001 to approximately KAS:888 (see right) | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 1981 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the second time South Dakota was so honored. Letter Q not used in serials; all three-letter combinations from 1983 onwards were consonant-vowel-consonant. |
| 1987–90 | Embossed red on reflective white with screened blue Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom right | Celebrate the Century (optional) | 1AB 123 10A 123 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Commemorated South Dakota's 100 years of statehood. Numeric county codes reintroduced. Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; this practice continues today. |
| 1990–95 | Embossed green on reflective gradient gold and white with Mount Rushmore graphic at top right | Great Faces. Great Places. | 1A 1234 10 A123 10 AB12 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| 1996 – December 1999 | Embossed green on reflective white with large gold Mount Rushmore graphic in background | Great Faces. Great Places. | 1A12345 10A1234 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| January 2000 – late 2003 | Embossed blue on reflective red, white and blue with blue Mount Rushmore graphic at bottom | none | 1AB 123 10A 123 10A B12 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| late 2003 – December 2005 | As above, but with serial screened | none | 1AB 123 10A 123 10A B12 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| January 2006 – December 2015 | Screened dark blue on reflective full-color Mount Rushmore graphic | Great Faces. Great Places. | 1AB 123 1AB C12 10A 123 10A B12 10A BC1 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new license plate of 2006 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the third time South Dakota was so honored. Serials in each county continued from where the 2000 base left off. |
| January 2016 – December 2022 | Screened dark blue on reflective beige Mount Rushmore graphic | Great Faces. Great Places. | 1A1 234 1AB 123 10A 123 10A B12 44A BC1 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | |
| January 2023 – present | Screened black serial on reflective full-color Mount Rushmore graphic and blue sky | Great Faces. Great Places. | 1A1 234 1AB 123 10A 123 10A B12 44A BC1 | Coded by county of issuance (1 or 10) | Serials in each county continued from where the 2016 base left off. |

## Non-passenger plates
### 2006 to present

| Type | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Notes |
| City Government | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | CTY1234 | |
| Commercial | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | 12345 A | |
| County Government | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | CO 1234 CO12345 | |
| Fire Department | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | FD 1234 | |
| School | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | S 1234 | |
| Oglala Sioux Tribe government | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | OST 123 OST1234 | |
| State Government | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | none | AB123 | State seal at left, state flag bottom right corner. |

## Optional plates

| Type | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Notes |
| Veteran | Modified blue Mount Rushmore base. | VETERAN | 1234A | Logo for branch of service at left. |
| Dignity (statue) | Dignity of Earth & Sky sculpture | Great Faces, Great Places | Y1234 | |
| Firefighter | Maltese Cross, flames | Firefighter | FF 1234 | |
| Organizational | Modified Mount Rushmore base. | Great Faces, Great Places | A1234 AB123 ABC12 ABCD1 | Organizational decal purchased separately. |
| Tribal | Red on white with tribal logo on left side. | | A123 | Nine tribes available. |
| Rear Plate Only | White upper, gray lower. | Rear Plate Only | SI 1234 | Limited to 7500 miles per year. |

## County coding

| County | 1925–55 | 1956–75, 1987–present | 1976–80 |
| Minnehaha | 1 | 1 | MA, ME, MH, MN, MO, MX, MZ |
| Pennington | 51 | 2 | PA, PB, PE, PG, PN, PX, PY, PZ |
| Brown | 7 | 3 | BN, BR, BW |
| Beadle | 3 | 4 | BD, BE |
| Codington | 15 | 5 | CD, CT |
| Brookings | 6 | 6 | BG, BK |
| Yankton | 63 | 7 | YA, YN |
| Davison | 18 | 8 | DN, DV |
| Lawrence | 41 | 9 | LA, LW |
| Aurora | 2 | 10 | AU |
| Bennett | 4 | 11 | BT |
| Bon Homme | 5 | 12 | BH |
| Brule | 8 | 13 | BL |
| Buffalo | 9 | 14 | BF |
| Butte | 10 | 15 | BU |
| Campbell | 11 | 16 | CA |
| Charles Mix | 12 | 17 | CM |
| Clark | 13 | 18 | CK |
| Clay | 14 | 19 | CL |
| Corson | 16 | 20 | CN |
| Custer | 17 | 21 | CU |
| Day | 19 | 22 | DA |
| Deuel | 20 | 23 | DU |
| Dewey | 21 | 24 | DW |
| Douglas | 22 | 25 | DG |
| Edmunds | 23 | 26 | ED |
| Fall River | 24 | 27 | FR |
| Faulk | 25 | 28 | FA |
| Grant | 26 | 29 | GT |
| Gregory | 27 | 30 | GY |
| Haakon | 28 | 31 | HK |
| Hamlin | 29 | 32 | HN |
| Hand | 30 | 33 | HD |
| Hanson | 31 | 34 | HS |
| Harding | 32 | 35 | HR |
| Hughes | 33 | 36 | HU |
| Hutchinson | 34 | 37 | HT |
| Hyde | 35 | 38 | HY |
| Jackson | 36 | 39 | JA |
| Jerauld | 37 | 40 | JE |
| Jones | 38 | 41 | JN |
| Kingsbury | 39 | 42 | KG |
| Lake | 40 | 43 | LK |
| Lincoln | 42 | 44 | LN |
| Lyman | 43 | 45 | LY |
| McCook | 44 | 46 | MC |
| McPherson | 45 | 47 | MP |
| Marshall | 46 | 48 | ML |
| Meade | 47 | 49 | MD |
| Mellette | 48 | 50 | MT |
| Miner | 49 | 51 | MR |
| Moody | 50 | 52 | MY |
| Perkins | 52 | 53 | PK |
| Potter | 53 | 54 | PT |
| Roberts | 54 | 55 | RB |
| Sanborn | 55 | 56 | SA |
| Spink | 56 | 57 | SP |
| Stanley | 57 | 58 | ST |
| Sully | 58 | 59 | SU |
| Tripp | 59 | 60 | TR |
| Turner | 60 | 61 | TU |
| Union | 61 | 62 | UN |
| Walworth | 62 | 63 | WL |
| Ziebach | 64 | 64 | ZB |
| Shannon / Oglala Lakota | – | 65 | SN |
| Washabaugh (until 1983) | – | 66 | WB |
| Todd | – | 67 | TD |