LOCAL RULES

South Dakota rental inspection report requirements

Your South Dakota rental inspection report has 3 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The 21-day return or written statement of specific reasons
  • An itemized accounting within 45 days, if the tenant asks
  • Written notice with dates, business-hours window, purpose and a way to reschedule
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South Dakota's deposit section, as amended in 2026, gives the landlord 21 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant's mailing address arrives to return the deposit or give a written statement of the specific reason for keeping any of it. What can be kept is measured against the unit's condition at the start of the tenancy. Here is each rule with a link to the South Dakota Codified Laws, and how walkthrough notes become the reports behind it.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Rental inspectionSOUTH DAKOTA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 87 words

Move-in inspection
Address: 22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Pierre, SD
Date: 2026-09-30
Landlord: Pinecrest Property Management
Tenant: Jordan Lee and Priya Raman
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
79%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 13 items into 6 sections and flagged 5 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonLiving and dining areas

    Carpet has a stain near the sofa wall.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Dishwasher not working.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Counter chipped near the sink.

3 South Dakota rules on your checklist, including the 21-day return or written statement of specific reasons.

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for entry and hallways
  • RecommendedNotes for laundry and utility

Filled in for you

Inspection typeMove-in
Rental unit address22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Pierre, SD
Inspection dateSep 30, 2026
Landlord or property managerPinecrest Property Management
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What South Dakota requires

  • Within 21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the landlord returns the deposit or gives a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding any of itS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-24 (as amended by SL 2026, ch 179)
  • The landlord may withhold only amounts reasonably necessary for unpaid rent or other money due under an agreement, and to restore the premises to their condition at the start of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear exceptedS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-24
  • If the tenant asks, the landlord provides an itemized accounting of any deposit withheld within 45 days after the tenancy endsS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-24
  • A landlord who does not comply forfeits all rights to withhold any part of the deposit; bad-faith retention, or a bad-faith failure to give the statement or accounting, brings punitive damages of up to two hundred dollarsS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-24
  • Except in an emergency or where impracticable, the landlord gives reasonable notice and enters at reasonable times; 24 hours' written notice is presumed reasonable, and the notice states the date or dates, a period during normal business hours, the purpose, and how the tenant can ask to rescheduleS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-32
  • The landlord keeps the premises and common areas in reasonable repair, fit to live in and in good and safe working order, except disrepair caused by the tenant's or their guests' negligent, willful or malicious conduct; this duty cannot be waivedS.D. Codified Laws s. 43-32-8

Back to the starting condition

The landlord may withhold only amounts reasonably necessary for unpaid rent or other money due under an agreement, and to restore the premises to their condition at the start of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear excepted. The landlord's own duty is to keep the premises in reasonable repair, except disrepair the tenant or their guests caused through negligent, willful or malicious conduct.

Restoring something to its starting condition needs a record of that condition. A dated move-in report is that record.

21 days, and an accounting on request

Within 21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the landlord returns the deposit or gives a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding any of it. The 21 days come from a 2026 amendment to the section.

If the tenant asks, the landlord provides an itemized accounting of the amount withheld within 45 days after the tenancy ends. Failing to comply forfeits the right to keep any of the deposit, and bad faith can add punitive damages of up to two hundred dollars.

Inspections during the tenancy

Except in an emergency or where impracticable, the landlord gives reasonable notice and enters at reasonable times. Twenty-four hours' written notice is presumed reasonable unless the lease sets another method. The notice states the date or dates, a period during normal business hours, the purpose of the entry, and how the tenant can ask to reschedule.

From walkthrough notes to a finished South Dakota report

At move-out, compare each room with the move-in report and note what changed and why, if you know. ReportDraft writes it up room by room, keeps ordinary wear apart from damage, gives each damaged item a plain reason for the written statement, and leaves lines for the landlord and the tenant to sign.

Common mistakes

  • Missing the 21 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant's mailing address arrives.
  • Giving a total without the specific reason for each amount withheld.
  • Ignoring a tenant's request for an itemized accounting within 45 days.
  • Charging for ordinary wear and tear.
  • Sending an entry notice without the business-hours window, the purpose or a way to reschedule.

Sources

Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Next review due January 10, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.