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South Dakota County
Charles Mix County, South Dakota
Lake Francis Case and the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux - from Lake Francis Case (the Missouri River reservoir between Chamberlain and Pickstown - created by Fort Randall Dam - that forms the eastern boundary of Charles Mix County and provides exceptional walleye, salmon, and catfish fishing in one of the Missouri River system's most productive reservoirs) to the Yankton Sioux Reservation (the homeland of the Ihanktonwan Dakota in Charles Mix County - the Yankton Sioux signed one of the most significant treaties in the history of the Northern Plains, ceding vast territory in 1858, and their reservation along the Missouri preserves tribal heritage in one of South Dakota's most historically layered river counties).
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Office: Charles Mix County Emergency Management – 440 Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356 | (605) 384-3457
Services: Maintains the county’s disaster mitigation plan (blizzards, tornadoes, flooding, drought); coordinates with the Sheriff’s Office and local municipalities
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SD-50 and SD-46 serve Lake Andes, the county seat, in south-central South Dakota along the Missouri River, bordering Nebraska to the south; Wagner is the county’s largest community
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Charles Mix County Courthouse – 400 E Main Street, PO Box 70, Lake Andes, SD 57356 | (605) 487-6000
Services: Contact the County Auditor or Director of Equalization for building/zoning permit guidance
Related: Charles Mix County GIS/Land Information – (605) 487-6184.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Charles Mix County Veterans Service Officer – Charles Mix County Courthouse, Lake Andes, SD
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lake Andes Carnegie Library – Lake Andes, SD
Notes: A genuine, historic Carnegie library built in 1911, one of only three in South Dakota to receive the program’s minimum $5,000 grant (alongside Dallas and Wagner); notably built in the rare Prairie School architectural style rather than the more typical Beaux Arts design used by roughly 97% of Carnegie libraries nationwide, making it a genuinely distinctive small-town landmark.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Charles Mix County is genuinely home to LAKE ANDES NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, a 5,638-acre sanctuary that includes Lake Andes itself, a naturally occurring 4,700-acre lake formed during the last ice age and fed by underground springs; President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally established the refuge by executive order in 1936, specifically to protect its exceptional value to migrating waterfowl and other water birds – each spring and fall, the refuge genuinely comes alive with vast flocks of migrating ducks, geese, and shorebirds, and it hosts more than 100 recorded nesting bird species, including bald eagles, ring-necked pheasants, and northern pintails; the refuge sits within South Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region, an area so ecologically significant that it alone produces roughly half of the entire North American continent’s waterfowl population each year; genuinely unusual for a national wildlife refuge, most of the actual lake bottom at Lake Andes remains owned by the State of South Dakota rather than the federal government, with the state having granted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specific authority to manage water levels and habitat; the lake itself follows a striking natural cycle, drying up roughly once every 20 years before refilling from its underground springs, a pattern local wildlife managers now help moderate using two internal dikes that divide the lake into three separate sections to improve water retention through dry summers; the complex also includes the nearby Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, which serves as a critical winter roosting site where bald eagle numbers can approach 200 birds during harsh winters; downtown Lake Andes itself retains a genuine cluster of early-20th-century landmarks from the town’s early tourism heyday, including the 1910 Engel Hotel – built by German-Russian immigrant Frederick K. Engel, who sold stock in his own meat market and ice house business to help finance its construction – standing today alongside the 1918 Charles Mix County Courthouse
Notes: Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge’s genuine, extensively documented role in the Prairie Pothole Region – one of the continent’s most productive waterfowl habitats – is one of the most ecologically significant natural landmarks found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Charles Mix County GIS/Land Information Database – accessible via charlesmixcounty.gov | (605) 487-6184
Parcel Search: Charles Mix County Director of Equalization
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Charles Mix County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Notes: No dedicated county-run animal shelter or animal control department was confirmed in available sources for Charles Mix County. For strays or animal concerns, contact the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office, (605) 487-7625. The nearest confirmed regional shelters are in larger South Dakota cities – contact directly to confirm whether they accept intake from Charles Mix County residents.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) – danr.sd.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
IMPORTANT CONTEXT
Approximately 60% of Charles Mix County lies within the Yankton Indian Reservation. Residents navigating land, jurisdiction, or tribal-related matters should confirm current details directly with the relevant county and tribal offices.
NOTES
Charles Mix County is genuinely home to Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, established by FDR in 1936 to protect a lake formed during the last ice age, within one of the continent’s most productive waterfowl regions. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and courthouse pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Charles Mix County
Charles Mix County is south-central South Dakota’s Missouri River reservoir and Yankton Sioux homeland county – Lake Francis Case’s exceptional fishing and the Ihanktonwan Dakota’s treaty history define a Missouri River county of natural and historical significance.
Lake Andes (the county seat, population ~800) and Platte (population ~1,200) serve the county’s agricultural and fishing communities along the Missouri River.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Charles Mix County Director of Equalization at 400 Main Street, Lake Andes, SD 57356, phone 605-487-7521. SD residential owner-occupied exemptions apply.
Courts & Legal
Charles Mix County Circuit Court at 400 Main Street, Lake Andes, SD 57356, phone 605-487-7531, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS
140 East Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356
(605) 487-7521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Charles Mix County Clerk of Courts, Lake Andes (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1918 Charles Mix County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is South Dakota’s only Prairie School-style courthouse.
Local societies
No dedicated Charles Mix County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clerk of Courts, Charles Mix County 400 Main Street, PO Box 640, Lake Andes, SD 57356 (605) 487-7511
Charles Mix County was created in 1862 and organized in 1879, named for Charles Eli Mix, in south-central South Dakota, seated in Lake Andes (largest city Wagner). The 1918 Charles Mix County Courthouse, the only Prairie School-style courthouse in South Dakota, designed by architect William L. Steele, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Dakota HAS adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Articles I, II, III, IV, and VIII, effective July 1, 1995). Probate proceedings are handled by the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent lived, generally administered under the supervision of the Clerk of Courts.
Small Estate Affidavit – Collection of Personal Property (SDCL § 29A-3-1201) – available when the total gross value of the entire estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $50,000. At least 30 days must have passed since death, no petition for appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted anywhere, and the decedent had no outstanding debts to the Department of Social Services for medical assistance or institutional/nursing home care. A separate affidavit exists for South Dakota real estate under $50,000, which must also be filed with the Register of Deeds where the property sits.
Informal Probate – the most common track in South Dakota, used when heirs and beneficiaries are getting along and no disputes are expected.
Unsupervised Formal Probate and Supervised Formal Probate – for more complex or contested situations.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an application or petition with the Clerk of Courts in Charles Mix County, along with the original will if one exists.
For informal probate, the clerk reviews the application administratively and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration without a hearing in most cases.
Formal proceedings require notice to interested parties and, if contested, a hearing before the circuit judge.
The personal representative gathers and inventories assets, notifies creditors, and pays valid debts and expenses.
After debts and taxes are satisfied, remaining assets are distributed according to the will or South Dakota’s intestacy statutes (SDCL Chapter 29A-2).
The estate is formally closed by filing a sworn closing statement or a petition for formal order of discharge (SDCL § 29A-3-1003).
What it costs
Court costs are set by law and paid to the Clerk of Courts; confirm current fees with Charles Mix County directly.
South Dakota has NO state estate tax and NO state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
A surviving spouse cannot be disinherited in South Dakota unless the spouse agrees.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
140 East Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356
(605) 487-7221
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
AUDITOR (ELECTIONS)
140 East Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356
(605) 487-7521
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
140 East Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356
(605) 487-7521
Department of Social Services
140 East Main St, Lake Andes, SD 57356
(605) 487-7521
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Charles Mix County Community Health Nurse & WIC Program – Lake Andes, SD
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lake Andes
Population: 9,000
Established: 1862
Tier: 3
Public Records
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