South Dakota Statutes of Limitations
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Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed November 14, 2017
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States, including South Dakota, all have what are referred to as statutes of limitation for both civil claims and criminal charges. These are essentially time limits for filing a lawsuit or a criminal complaint, which vary by the type of claim or criminal charge -- but murder and some other serious crimes have no time limits. The purpose for having these time limits is to help ensure the integrity of the evidence, ensure a more efficient legal system, and to prevent a would-be plaintiff from threatening another party with a lawsuit indefinitely. Learn about the details of South Dakota's civil and criminal statutes of limitations by clicking on one of the links below.