Latest posts
What SDCL 18-1-7 and 18-1-12.2 allow and forbid: interested notaries, employers, relatives, the "personal knowledge" trap, and the one bright line that is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
By Marc Aschoff ·
Individual, corporate, attorney-in-fact, fiduciary, partner or remote online signer: the statutory acknowledgment form for each under SDCL 18-4 and 18-5, and what goes under your signature.
By Marc Aschoff ·
The four crimes in SDCL Chapter 18-1, their Class 1 and Class 2 penalty ranges, mandatory removal after conviction, and what a defective notarization does and does not do to the document.
By Marc Aschoff ·
The $5,000 bond ended July 1, 2025. What the repealed statute required, who the bond protected, what to do with one you already bought, and the liability that remains.
By Marc Aschoff ·
What the Secretary of State's Handbook says to check before finishing a notarization: identifying the signer, blank and already-signed documents, and the five parts of a certificate, with worked examples.
By Marc Aschoff ·
What South Dakota law requires of a remote online notary first, then an optional home setup: camera, headset, lighting and recording habits.
By Marc Aschoff ·
What the Secretary of State's Handbook requires for a South Dakota notary seal, commission and renewal, and the optional supplies worth considering afterward.
By Marc Aschoff ·
Renewal opens 60 days before expiration, cannot be backdated, and goes by mail. Work backward from your expiration date, with the holiday mail slowdown built in.
By Marc Aschoff ·
The most avoidable reasons a South Dakota notary application comes back: blank questions, the wrong kind of address, a seal that does not match, and photocopies.
By Marc Aschoff ·
A register of deeds must accept a printed copy of an e-notarized record if the notary attaches the statutory certificate. What the rule covers and what it does not.
By Marc Aschoff ·
South Dakota removed its $10 notary fee cap in 2025. What SDCL 18-1-9 still says, the one notarization that must be free as the November election nears, and what the law leaves unanswered.
By Marc Aschoff ·
Remote online notarization keeps growing through 2026. What South Dakota notaries and customers should check before relying on RON for year-end transactions, closings and deadlines.
By Marc Aschoff ·
This is the first post in an occasional series tracking changes to South Dakota notary law and practice — new legislation, Secretary of State guidance updates, and practical questions that come up around remote online notarization. For the core reference pages, start with how to become a South Dakota notary, the RON guide, or renewals & changes.