Title 32 — MOTOR VEHICLES

Every police and fire department and fire patrol vehicle and every ambulance used for emergency calls shall be equipped with a bell, siren, or exhaust whistle. Source: SDC 1939, § 44.0347; SL 1989, ch 255 , § 32.

It is a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person to sell or offer for sale any new motor vehicle, excepting motorcycles, farm tractors, and vehicles used primarily for the distribution and application of agricultural fertilizer or chemicals, when drawn by another vehicle, unless it is …

Any silage truck or seasonal farm truck, licensed under the provisions of § 32-5-97.1 and having a gross vehicle weight of six to twenty tons, shall be exempt from the provisions of §§ 32-15-1 , 32-15-2 , 32-15-5 , 32-15-7 , 32-15-10 , and 32-15-13 ; provided, however, such motor…

No person may drive or move any vehicle on any highway unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent its contents from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping therefrom. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Source: SDC 1939, § 44.0350; S…

32-15-20 Slow-moving vehicle emblem required--Place of mounting--Violation as petty offense. 32-15-21 Design of slow-moving vehicle emblem. 32-15-22 Misuse of slow-moving vehicle emblem prohibited--Violation as petty offense. 32-15-23

It is a petty offense for any person to replace any glass or glazing materials used in partitions, doors, windows, windshields, or wind deflectors in any motor vehicle with any material other than safety glass. Source: SL 1953, ch 243 , § 3; SDC Supp 1960, § 44.0102-1; SL 1978, c…

Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with an approved laminated safety glass windshield. The windshield shall be in such position that it affords continuous horizontal frontal protection to the driver and front seat occupants. The minimum vertical height of the unobstructed wind…

Any testing equipment used to enforce § 32-15-2.4 or 32-15-2.5 shall be used in compliance with the meter manufacturer's testing procedures. The law enforcement officer shall note on any citation for a violation of § 32-15-2.4 or § 32-15-2.5 the serial number of the meter used an…

No glass or glazing material, at any location where it is used, may be cracked or broken so as to cut or injure any person in or around the vehicle. Source: SL 1978, ch 228 , § 2.

No glass or glazing material may be cracked, broken, shattered, or distorted to the extent that it significantly impairs the vision of the motor vehicle operator. Source: SL 1978, ch 228 , § 3.

No motor vehicle required to be registered in this state and which is operated on the highways of this state may be equipped with one - way glass or any adhesive film or other glaze or application on or in the front windshield, side wing vents, or side windows on either side forw…

No motor vehicle required to be registered in this state and which is operated on the highways of this state may be equipped with one - way glass, adhesive film, or other glaze in the rear windows behind the operators seat that reduces light transmission below twenty percent, wit…

Terms used in this chapter mean: (1) "Light transmission," the ratio of the amount of total light to pass through a product or material to the amount of total light falling on the product or material and the glazing; (2) "Dealer," any person who engages in the manufacture of or i…

Each manufacturer of film, glaze, or other application for a motor vehicle windshield or window shall certify to the Department of Public Safety that the film, glaze, or application the manufacturer makes or installs complies with the light transmission specifications of §§ 32-15…

32-15-2.9 Sunscreening devices on windshield prohibited--Extension of film limited. 32-15-2.10 Compliance with meter manufacturer's testing procedure--Serial number and certification date noted on citation for violation. 32-15-3

No sunscreening devices may be placed on or affixed to a windshield so as to obstruct or reduce the driver's clear view through the windshield. No film may be extended downward beyond the AS-1 line or more than the lowest point of the sun visor of the motor vehicle. A violation o…

All farm machinery, including animal drawn vehicles, and highway construction and maintenance vehicles which are designed for operation at a rate of speed of twenty - five miles per hour or less or such vehicles when operated at speeds of twenty - five miles per hour or less, whe…

The slow - moving vehicle emblem as required by § 32-15-20 shall be of the specification approved by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. Source: SL 1970, ch 189 , § 3.

No vehicle, other than those specified in § 32-15-20 , shall display a slow - moving vehicle emblem, and its use on any type of stationary object is prohibited. A violation of this section is a petty offense. Source: SL 1970, ch 189 , §§ 2, 4; SDCL Supp, §

32-15-24 32-15-24 to 32-15-26. Repealed by SL 1977, ch 260 , § 2. 32-15-27 Wheel weight, movement, and damping device requirements for vehicle suspension systems--Violation as petty offense. 32-15-28 Steering system requirements--Violation as petty offense. 32-15-29 Excess lash o…

No person may operate a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state which has an unloaded weight of six thousand pounds or less, other than a motorcycle, on a public highway, unless: (1) The vehicle shall be constructed and loaded so that the weight on the wheels of any…

No person may operate a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state which has an unloaded weight of six thousand pounds or less, other than a motorcycle, on a public highway unless the steering system complies with the following requirements: (1) No steering components …

No person may operate a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state which has an unloaded weight of six thousand pounds or less, other than a motorcycle, on a public highway, unless the motor vehicle shall be capable of complying with the following test for excess lash …

32-15-4 Repealed by SL 2012, ch 168 , § 1. 32-15-5 Nontransparent material on windows prohibited--Petty offense--Official certificates excepted. 32-15-6 Objects dangling between driver and windshield as petty offense. 32-15-7 Windshield wipers required--Exceptions--Penalty. 32-15…

32-15-31 Floor pan required. 32-15-32 Door levers, handles, and devices of egress--Hood latches. 32-15-33 Disconnecting, resetting, or altering odometer as criminal offense--Repairs--Notice of mileage change--Criminal penalties. 32-15-34 Operating vehicle with disconnected odomet…

Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a floor pan under the entire passenger - carrying compartment. Source: SL 1978, ch 228 , § 4.

Door levers, handles, and other suitable devices, installed on motor vehicles by the original vehicle manufacturer as original equipment, and actuated from the inside of the vehicle as a means of egress, shall be maintained and kept in an operable condition. Both the primary and …

No person may disconnect, reset, or alter, or cause to be disconnected, reset, or altered, the odometer of any motor vehicle. This section does not apply to any person repairing or replacing an odometer. However, if the indicated mileage is changed, a notice shall be permanently …

No person shall operate a motor vehicle on the highways of this state with the odometer of the vehicle disconnected. A person violating this section is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Source: SL 1978, ch 222 , § 3.

Terms used in § 32-15-36 mean: (1) "Aftermarket crash part," a replacement for any of the nonmechanical sheet metal or plastic parts which generally constitute the exterior of a motor vehicle, including inner and outer panels; (2) "Installer," an individual who actually does the …

Any aftermarket crash part supplied by a nonoriginal equipment manufacturer for use in this state shall have affixed thereto or inscribed thereon the logo or name of its manufacturer. The manufacturer's logo or name shall be visible after installation if practicable. Any violatio…

Terms used in §§ 32-15-37 to 32-15-39 , inclusive, mean: (1) "Airbag," a motor vehicle inflatable occupant restraint system device that is part of a supplemental restraint system; (2) "Counterfeit supplemental restraint system component," a replacement supplemental restraint syst…

No person may knowingly: (1) Import, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, install, or reinstall in a motor vehicle a counterfeit supplemental restraint system component, a nonfunctional airbag, or an object that does not comply with 49 C.F.R. § 571.208 as of September 26, 2022, for…

Section 32-15-38 does not apply to: (1) A person installing, reinstalling, or replacing an airbag or other component of an airbag in a motor vehicle used solely for police work; or (2) An owner or employee of a motor vehicle dealership or the owner of a motor vehicle who, before …

Repealed by SL 2012, ch 168 , § 1.

It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, side, or rear windows of such motor vehicle other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed …

It is a petty offense for any person to drive any vehicle upon a highway with any object or gadget dangling between the view of the driver and the windshield of the vehicle. Enforcement of this section by state or local law enforcement agencies shall be accomplished as a secondar…

The windshield on every motor vehicle as defined by § 32-3-1 except farm tractors and motorcycles, shall be equipped with a device for cleaning rain, snow, or other moisture from the windshield, which device shall be operated by the driver of the vehicle. No person may operate a …

Every motor vehicle entitled to be licensed in South Dakota shall be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of such vehicle, whether operated singly or towing another vehicle. A v…

No person shall drive any motor vehicle equipped with any television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast which is located in the motor vehicle in such a position that it is visible to the driver while operating the motor vehicle. A violatio…

Every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle, road roller, road machinery, or farm tractor shall be equipped with at least two headlamps with at least one on each side of the front of the motor vehicle. A violation of this section is a petty offense. Source: SDC 1939, § 44.0352 (2…

Unless the context otherwise requires, a tow truck or wrecker means any motor vehicle which is specially equipped to tow, haul, or push disabled automobiles, trucks, or tractors for commercial considerations, or operated by any person, for the purpose of towing or servicing any a…

Either the rear lamps required by § 32-17-8 or a separate lamp shall be so constructed and placed as to illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly legible from a distance of fifty feet to the rear. If the rear registration plate is illuminated…

Every new motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer hereafter sold and every commercial vehicle hereafter operated on a highway shall also carry at the rear, either as a part of the rear lamp or separately, a red reflector located at the extreme rear of the vehicle at a height not t…

Whenever in this chapter red reflectors are required upon a vehicle, every such reflector shall be maintained at a height not greater than forty - two inches nor less than twenty - four inches above the ground upon which the vehicle stands, and every such reflector shall be so de…

Every truck, truck tractor, bus with a capacity of ten or more passengers, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer having a width at any part in excess of eighty inches shall be equipped with four clearance lamps. Two of such lamps shall be located at the extreme right and left si…

Every vehicle referred to in § 32-17-14 or combination of such vehicles having a length in excess of thirty feet or a width in excess of eighty inches shall be equipped with lamps on the front displaying three amber lights and lamps on the rear displaying three red lights, and th…

Any silage truck or seasonal farm truck, licensed under the provisions of § 32-5-97.1 and having a gross vehicle weight of six to twenty tons, shall be exempt from the provisions of §§ 32-17-1 , 32-17-8 , 32-17-11 , 32-17-14 , and 32-17-15 ; provided, however, such motor vehicles…

Any vehicle used primarily for the distribution and application of agricultural fertilizer or chemicals, when drawn by another vehicle shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter. However, those vehicles are not exempt from the provisions of §

Every motor propelled or motor drawn vehicle designed or used for the transportation of property or for the transportation of passengers for compensation, except buses operated entirely within municipalities when their interiors are illuminated, shall display lighted lamps at the…