Title 32 — MOTOR VEHICLES

At any proceedings in which the court has jurisdiction, for any traffic or status offense, over any juvenile, the court may, at its discretion and without motion, revoke or suspend or place any restriction or condition upon the driving privileges of the juvenile, including requir…

Every court having jurisdiction over offenses committed under this chapter, or any other act of this state or municipal charter, ordinance, or bylaw adopted by a local authority regulating the operation of motor vehicles on highways, shall forward to the Department of Public Safe…

If any person is convicted of any offense for which this chapter makes mandatory the revocation of the driver license of the person by the Department of Public Safety, the court entering the conviction shall require the surrender to the court of all driver licenses then held by t…

The Department of Public Safety may suspend or revoke the driving privilege or driver license of any resident of this state or the privilege of a nonresident to drive a motor vehicle in this state upon receiving notice of the conviction of such person in another state of an offen…

The secretary of the Department of Public Safety may execute all documents and perform all other acts necessary to enter into and carry out the provisions of the nonresident violators and driver license compact. Source: SL 1979, ch 218 , § 1; SL 1987, ch 229 ; SL 2003, ch 272 , §…

The Department of Public Safety shall suspend, revoke, or disqualify the driver license or driving privilege of a resident of this state upon receiving notice of the conviction or final administrative decision from another state for an infraction which would provide grounds for s…

The Department of Public Safety upon suspending or revoking a driver license shall require that the license be surrendered to and retained by the department. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 24; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.03B24; SL 1982, ch 237 , § 4; SL 2001, ch 171 , § 56; SL 2003, ch 272 …

Any resident or nonresident whose driver license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state has been suspended or revoked as provided in this chapter may not operate a motor vehicle in this state under a license, permit, or registration certificate issued by any other …

32-12-59.1

32-12-60 Records kept by department. 32-12-61 Individual records of accidents, convictions, disqualifications, and other licensing actions--Certain convictions and accidents recorded separately. 32-12-61.1 Problem driver point system abstract--Fee--Disposition--Exemption. 32-12-6…

The application of any person under the age of eighteen years for a driver license or nondriver identification card shall be signed by the father, mother, or guardian, or, if there is no parent or guardian, then by another responsible adult and verified before a designee of the D…

The Department of Public Safety shall maintain each application for a driver license and nondriver identification card received and shall record the following: (1) Each application denied and the reason for the denial; (2) Each application granted; and (3) The name of each licens…

The Department of Public Safety shall furnish to any authorized individual, upon request, a problem driver point system abstract. The request must indicate all adverse driver license actions maintained by a jurisdiction and must be released according to 23 C.F.R. § 1327 (January …

Whenever application under this chapter is received from a person previously licensed in another jurisdiction, the Department of Public Safety shall request a copy of the applicant's record from such other jurisdiction. When received, this record shall become a part of the applic…

The Department of Public Safety is further authorized, upon receiving a record of the conviction in this state of a nonresident driver of a motor vehicle of any offense under the motor vehicle laws of this state, to forward a certified copy of such record to the motor vehicle adm…

If the Department of Public Safety receives a request for a driver's record from another licensing jurisdiction, the record shall be forwarded without charge. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 5; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.03B05 (4); redesignated § 44.03B05 (5) by SL 1966, ch 136 , § 2; SL 20…

Any person who drives a motor vehicle on any public highway of this state at a time when his privilege is: (1) Revoked is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; (2) Suspended is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor; (3) Canceled is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , …

If the Department of Public Safety receives a record of the conviction of any person under § 32-12-65 for driving a vehicle while that person's driver license or driving privilege was suspended, it shall extend the period of suspension for an additional like period. If the convic…

It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to display or cause or permit to be displayed or have in that person's possession any canceled, revoked, suspended, fictitious, or fraudulently altered driver license. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 27; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.9948 (1); SL 2001…

It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to permit any unlawful use of a driver license issued to that person. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 27; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.9948 (5); SL 2001, ch 171 , § 63.

Any person who has signed the application of a minor for a driver license or nondriver identification card may file with the Department of Public Safety a verified written request that the driver license or nondriver identification card of the minor be canceled. Thereupon the dep…

It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to display or represent as one's own any driver license not issued to that person. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 27; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.9948 (3); SL 2001, ch 171 , § 64.

It is a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to lend that person's driver license to any other person or knowingly permit the use thereof by another. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 27; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.9948 (2); SL 2001, ch 171 , § 65.

No person may knowingly authorize or permit a motor vehicle owned by that person or under that person's control to be driven upon any highway by any person who is not authorized under this chapter or in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter. A violation of this secti…

No person may cause or knowingly permit that person's child or ward under the age of eighteen years to drive a motor vehicle upon any highway when the minor is not authorized under this chapter or in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter. A violation of this section …

It is a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person to operate a motor vehicle in any manner in violation of the restrictions imposed on the driver license issued to that person. Source: SL 1959, ch 261 , § 12; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.99 48-1 ; SL 1977, ch 189 , § 98; SL 2001, ch 171 , § 68. …

32-12-75.1 False representation or nondisclosure to obtain license or nondriver identification card as misdemeanor--Suspension or disqualification of license. 32-12-75.2 Counterfeiting, forging, or altering any driver license or nondriver identification card--Misdemeanor. 32-12-7…

Any person who makes a false statement or representation, or knowingly fails to disclose a material fact, in order to obtain a driver license or a nondriver identification card is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and is subject to a minimum sixty - day suspension of that person's …

No person may counterfeit, forge, or alter, or may cause to be counterfeited, forged, or altered, any driver license or nondriver identification card issued by the department pursuant to this chapter. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Each counterfeited, forge…

No person may sell, offer for sale, or distribute, for compensation or gratis, any counterfeited, forged, or altered driver license or nondriver identification card issued by the department pursuant to this chapter. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Source: SL…

32-12-77 32-12-77 to 32-12-90. Transferred to §§ 32-12A-1 to

The Department of Public Safety upon receipt of satisfactory evidence of the death of the person who signed the application of a minor for a driver license or nondriver identification card shall cancel the license or nondriver identification card and may not issue a new license o…

32-12-10

Terms used in this chapter mean: (1) "Alcohol," any substance containing any form of alcohol; (2) "Commercial driver license," or "CDL," a license issued in accordance with the requirements of this chapter to an individual that authorizes the individual to drive a class of commer…

Adoption of rules regarding farm exemption of

No person may be issued a commercial learner's permit unless that person is a resident of this state and has passed the required knowledge test. No person may be issued a commercial driver license unless that person is a resident of this state, has received driver training from a…

Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person may not be issued a commercial driver license unless that person: (1) Is a resident of this state for the purpose of being licensed to drive a motor vehicle, as described in § 32-12-26.1 ; (2) Meets the general requirements o…

The department may authorize a third party to administer the skills test described in § 32-12A-11.1 , provided that the department and the third party comply with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 383.75 (January 1, 2026). Source: SL 2026, ch 134 , § 3. Effective July 1, 2026

The department may not issue a commercial learner's permit or commercial driver license to a person while the person is subject to a disqualification from driving a commercial motor vehicle, or while the person's operator license or driving privilege is suspended, revoked, or can…

The department shall promulgate rules, in accordance with chapter 1-26 , to determine whether an applicant meets the English language proficiency requirement set forth in § 32-12A-11.1 by, at a minimum, administering all knowledge and skills tests in English. Source: SL 2026, ch …

If the holder of a commercial driver license or commercial learner's permit is issued a citation for a traffic offense, or is involved in a traffic accident, a law enforcement officer, except an officer acting under the authority of § 32-2-7 , must determine whether the driver ha…

A commercial learner's permit may be issued to a person eighteen years of age who holds a valid operator's license. No commercial learner's permit may be issued for a period to exceed one year. No commercial learner's permit may be renewed without the holder having to retake each…

A commercial learner's permit holder is not eligible to take the skills test in the first fourteen days after initial issuance of the permit. A commercial learner's permit may only be issued with passenger, school bus, or tanker endorsements. No other commercial endorsement is al…

The department may issue a nondomiciled commercial learner's permit or commercial driver license to an applicant who meets the requirements set forth in 49 C.F.R. §§ 383 and 384 (January 1, 2026). In addition, the department must observe the following conditions applicable to the…

The application for a commercial learner's permit or commercial driver license, shall include the following: (1) The full legal name and current mailing and residential address of the applicant; (2) A physical description of the applicant including sex, height, weight, and eye co…

Any applicant under the provisions of this chapter shall, on making application for a commercial learner's permit or commercial driver license, present to the examiner at least two documents containing the applicant's name and address of principal residence as defined in § 32-12-…

Any application under this chapter shall be accompanied by the proper fee. Payment of the fee entitles the applicant to not more than three attempts to pass the commercial driver license examination within a period of six months from the date of application. Any application for a…

The application fee for a commercial driver license is forty-three dollars. For each commercial driver license endorsement knowledge test administered, the fee is twenty dollars. The fee for a duplicate license, a name change, or an address change is twenty dollars. Any fee that …

If the holder of a commercial driver license changes that person's name, mailing address, or residential address, application for a duplicate license shall be made. Source: SL 1989, ch 267 , § 11; SDCL § 32-12-91 ; SL 2001, ch 171 , §§ 84, 115.

No person who has been a resident of this state for thirty days may drive a commercial motor vehicle under the authority of a commercial learner's permit or commercial driver license issued by another jurisdiction. Source: SL 1989, ch 267 , § 12; SDCL § 32-12-92; SL 2001, ch 171 …