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South Dakota County
Faulk County, South Dakota
Faulkton and north-central South Dakota prairie agriculture - from Faulkton's role as the governmental hub of one of north-central South Dakota's smaller counties to Faulk County's productive mixed crop agricultural landscape (the county's gently rolling glacial terrain in the James River watershed supports wheat, corn, sunflower, and livestock production across a classic north-central South Dakota farming county where agricultural traditions run deep and the rural community fabric remains tightly knit despite a century of gradual population decline common across the Great Plains).
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Office: Faulk County Emergency Management – coordinated through the Faulk County Sheriff’s Office and Auditor’s Office, 110 9th Ave South, Faulkton, SD 57438
Related: Faulk County Clerk of Courts – PO Box 357, 110 9th Ave South, Faulkton, SD 57438-0357, (605) 598-6223, Hours: Mon–Fri 12–5 PM.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-212 serves Faulkton, the county seat, situated between the James and Missouri Rivers in north-central South Dakota
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Services: Assesses properties for taxation, issues building permits for the county and small towns, serves as planning and zoning office, floodplain questions
Notes: City of Faulkton issues its own separate building permits – (605) 598-6515; construction costs under $5,000 have a $5.00 permit fee.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Faulk County Veterans Service Officer – Faulk County Courthouse, Faulkton, SD
Key Assets: Faulk County’s seat, Faulkton, genuinely and proudly carries the nickname “The Carousel City,” a tribute born from one man’s simple act of generosity; in July 1981, local resident Bob Ketterling attended an auction in Edgemont, South Dakota, where a vintage carousel – manufactured around 1925-26 by the renowned C.W. Parker Company of Leavenworth, Kansas, and stamped “No. 8” – came up as the very last item for bid; having grown up in a home where money was tight, Ketterling had cherished his own childhood carousel rides, and that memory inspired him to place his bid; he brought the carousel home, painstakingly reassembled it himself, and began operating it from his own property, timing free five-minute rides for local children with genuine, hands-on care; he went on to install the carousel – featuring 19 of its original 20 hand-carved aluminum horses along with two chariot seats, one red and one blue – in what became known as Happy Times Park on North 9th Avenue, continuing to offer free rides to the community until his death in 1988; in honor of his legacy, the City of Faulkton purchased the carousel from his widow, Lorretta, in 1990, and the town formally adopted the nickname “The Carousel City” in his memory; the carousel, now officially known as C.W. Parker Carousel No. 825, was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, and continues to operate seasonally each summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, offering the same free rides Ketterling once gave by hand; the town was recently recognized at the 2025 South Dakota Governor’s Conference on Tourism for its interactive “take the Carousel City for a spin” tourism campaign
Notes: Faulkton’s genuine, extensively documented “Carousel City” story – a single generous resident’s childhood memory turned into a beloved, still-operating community landmark – is one of the most heartwarming local histories found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Faulk County GIS – contact the Faulk County Courthouse for current parcel/GIS access
Parcel Search: Faulk County Equalization Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Faulk County Planning and Zoning
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Notes: No dedicated county-run animal shelter or animal control department was confirmed in available sources for Faulk County. For strays or animal concerns, contact the Faulk County Sheriff’s Office. The nearest confirmed regional shelters are in larger South Dakota cities such as Aberdeen or Huron – contact directly to confirm whether they accept intake from Faulk 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.
NOTES
Faulk County’s seat, Faulkton, is genuinely known as “The Carousel City,” home to a historic C.W. Parker carousel still operated each summer in memory of the resident who first restored it. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and courthouse pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Faulk County
Faulk County is north-central South Dakota’s James River watershed agricultural county – wheat, corn, and livestock farming on the rolling glacial prairie define a small county where Faulkton provides the governmental services for surrounding farm families between Aberdeen and Pierre.
Faulkton (the county seat, population ~700) is Faulk County’s governmental and commercial hub, a traditional South Dakota county seat serving the agricultural communities of north-central South Dakota.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Faulk County Assessor at 110 9th Avenue S, Faulkton, SD 57438, phone 605-598-6224. SD assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Faulk County Circuit Court at 110 9th Avenue S, Faulkton, SD 57438, phone 605-598-6224, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS
401 3rd St, Faulkton, SD 57438
(605) 598-6242
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Faulk County Clerk of Courts, Faulkton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Faulk 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, Faulk County PO Box 357, 110 9th Avenue South, Faulkton, SD 57438 (605) 598-6223 Faulk County is in north-central South Dakota, seated in Faulkton.
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 Faulk 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 Faulk 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
401 3rd St, Faulkton, SD 57438
(605) 598-6262
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
AUDITOR (ELECTIONS)
401 3rd St, Faulkton, SD 57438
(605) 598-6224
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
401 3rd St, Faulkton, SD 57438
(605) 598-6224
Social Services
401 3rd St, Faulkton, SD 57438
(605) 598-6224
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Faulk County Public Health Nursing Service – Faulkton, SD
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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