7 items, in order: articles of organization (llc) and the annual report, fictitious business name (dba) registration, employer identification number (ein), sales tax license, municipal business license, where the city requires one and zoning approval, building permit and certificate of occupancy, and 1 more.
How to open a business in South Dakota
7 licenses, permits and registrations, in the order to get them, each with the agency, the fee and the official page.
What licenses do you need to open a business in South Dakota? 7, in the order to get them
These are the steps every business in South Dakota takes. A license specific to your kind of business comes from the agency that regulates it; if one of the twenty named businesses is close to yours, its page lists those too.
Every row checked against its agency’s page; the latest on Oct 21, 2026.
Step 1 of 4Set up the business. Now: Articles of organization (LLC) and the annual report
0 of 7 items done. Each step opens when the one before it is complete. Progress stays on this device. Log in to save it to your account and pick it up anywhere.
Set up the business0 of 3
File through the Secretary of State’s online business services. The articles name a registered agent with a South Dakota street address. The 2025 law added $5 to the annual report fee; a late report adds a $50 penalty before the LLC is administratively dissolved.
- Fee
- Premium only
- Renewal
- Premium only
- Official page
- sdsos.gov
Checked Oct 21, 2026
Register for taxOpens after step 1
Approve the spaceOpens after step 2
Before the first hireOpens after step 3
Then pick the place
- The free location checkWho lives and works around an address, the businesses already there and the traffic on its road, from public records.
- The full reportWhether the rules allow a business at that address, the rent it supports, what has opened and closed nearby, and the questions to settle before signing.
Have an address in mind?
Check the address freeNo account. The business check reads public records at the address itself.
Sources and dates
Secretary of State filing fee schedule and annual report instructions; 2025 House Bill 1024 (annual report fee increase, July 1, 2025); Secretary of State business name registration instructions (SDCL 37-11); IRS EIN page; Department of Revenue tax license application and sales and use tax guide (2026); bars and restaurants tax facts (July 2026); Governor’s Office of Economic Development licensing and registering guide; municipal ordinances; Municipal zoning and building ordinances; South Dakota Municipal League; Department of Labor and Regulation reemployment assistance for businesses pages and FAQ (2026 wage base and new employer rates); new hire reporting requirements; Division of Workers’ Compensation. Fees are as published by each agency on the date checked; cities add their own.