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South Dakota County
Union County, South Dakota
The Missouri-Big Sioux confluence and South Dakota's Sioux City suburb - from the historic three-river confluence (the extreme southeast corner of South Dakota at Union County's tip is where the Big Sioux River joins the Missouri River - the confluence that Lewis and Clark documented in August 1804 and where they held the first council with the Yankton Sioux Nation is one of the most historically significant river junctions in the American West) to Union County's rapid growth as a Sioux City northwestern suburb (the I-29 corridor has driven significant residential development from Sioux City area workers seeking South Dakota's income-tax-free environment).
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Office: Union County Office of Emergency Management – Elk Point, SD 57025
Services: Protects citizens and property from natural, manmade, and technological disasters; follows the state’s four-phase emergency management model (preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation) per SDCL 34-48A
Related: Union County Sheriff’s Office – 209 E Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025; 24-hour Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and 911 Center with 7 full-time dispatchers.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-29 serves Elk Point, the county seat, in the far southeastern corner of South Dakota, part of the Sioux City metropolitan area
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County Planning & Zoning Department – 209 E Main St #100, Elk Point, SD 57025
Services: Zoning code enforcement and building permits for unincorporated Union County.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Union County Veterans Service Officer – Union County Courthouse, Elk Point, SD
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Elk Point-Jefferson Community/School Library – Elk Point, SD
Services: WiFi, audiobooks, newspapers, large print books, and a summer reading program.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Union County genuinely holds a distinguished place in American exploration history – its county seat, Elk Point, is directly connected to a landmark moment for the Lewis and Clark Expedition; the town takes its very name from the explorers’ own journals, which noted abundant “elk sign” throughout the area during their 1804 passage; more significantly, on August 22, 1804, following the death of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the Corps of Discovery needed to select a replacement – and the vote they held near present-day Elk Point to elect Private Patrick Gass is widely regarded as the very first democratic election ever held by U.S. citizens west of the Mississippi River, a historic marker in downtown Elk Point commemorates the event today; Union County itself carries a genuinely patriotic naming story of its own – originally established as Cole County on April 10, 1862, it was renamed Union County on January 7, 1864, specifically in a show of Civil War-era sentiment for the Union cause; the county holds the distinction of being one of South Dakota’s oldest, and was rated the second-best place to live in the entire United States in a 2006 national survey by The Progressive Farmer magazine, which specifically praised the area’s good schools, neat towns, and friendly people
Notes: Elk Point’s genuine, well-documented status as the site of the first election held by U.S. citizens west of the Mississippi River is one of the most historically significant “firsts” found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Union County GIS – accessible via unioncountysd.org
Parcel Search: Union County Register of Deeds – Elk Point, SD
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Union County Office of Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Notes: No dedicated county-run animal shelter or animal control department was confirmed in available sources for Union County. For strays or animal concerns, contact the Union County Sheriff’s Office. The nearest confirmed regional shelters are in larger South Dakota cities such as Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls Area Humane Society) – contact directly to confirm whether they accept intake from Union 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. Cane Creek Park offers camping and recreation within the county.
NOTES
Union County’s seat, Elk Point, genuinely hosted the first election by U.S. citizens west of the Mississippi River, when Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery voted for Patrick Gass in 1804. 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 Union County
Union County is South Dakota’s Sioux City suburb and Missouri-Big Sioux confluence county – the historic river junction where Lewis and Clark held their first Sioux council and the no-income-tax appeal drawing Sioux City commuters define southeast South Dakota’s fastest-growing community.
Elk Point (the county seat, population ~2,100) and the growing communities along I-29 serve Union County’s expanding residential population.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Union County Director of Equalization at 209 E. Main Street, Elk Point, SD 57025, phone 605-356-2101. SD residential owner-occupied exemptions apply.
Courts & Legal
Union County Circuit Court at 209 E. Main Street, Elk Point, SD 57025, phone 605-356-2132, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS
209 East Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025
(605) 356-2132
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County Clerk of Courts, Elk Point (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Union 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, Union County 209 East Main Street, Suite 230, Elk Point, SD 57025 (605) 356-2132 Union County is in the extreme southeastern corner of South Dakota, seated in Elk Point.
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 Union 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 Union 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
209 East Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025
(605) 356-2626
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
AUDITOR (ELECTIONS)
209 East Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025
(605) 356-2132
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
209 East Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025
(605) 356-2132
Social Services
209 East Main St, Elk Point, SD 57025
(605) 356-2132
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Union County Public Health Nursing Service – Elk Point, SD
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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