revise certain provisions pertaining to municipal government.
SB 167 updates the legal process for dissolving small municipalities in South Dakota that have fewer than 250 residents. The bill clarifies that property owners representing a majority of both land area and assessed value can petition a circuit court to end a municipality's existence. It streamlines the filing requirements, defines who can object to the dissolution, and outlines the court's steps for verifying population and property data before issuing a final decision. These changes directly affect small towns and the residents who live in or own property within them.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Mar 2025
Introduced Feb 19, 2025
Signed Mar 13, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Senate Local Government Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
5 edits
·
Mar 3, 2025
MODERATE
This bill revises South Dakota's municipal dissolution laws by clarifying eligibility requirements, adding a new dissolution process for smaller municipalities (under 1,000 population) through a special election, and updating procedural steps for petitions, objections, and referee appointments.
Scope change
The bill expands dissolution eligibility to municipalities with populations under 1,000 through a new petition-by-voter process, while maintaining existing dissolution procedures for smaller municipalities (under 250 population).
ELIGIBILITY
New Section 10 establishes a special election process for municipalities with populations under 1,000 when 15% of registered voters sign a dissolution petition.
REQUIREMENT
Updated Section 9-6-5 to clarify that courts must appoint a referee to examine population and property records before deciding on dissolution.
Section 9-6-4 clarifies that objections to dissolution petitions must be verified by affidavit and filed within 30 days of service.
TIMELINE
Section 9-6-9 now specifies a six-month winding-up period for dissolved municipalities, with possible court extensions.
MODIFIED
Minor formatting and numbering adjustments throughout the enrolled version compared to the engrossed version.
Floor votes · House Feb 26, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
17
Key actions
9
Committee
5
Amendments
2
Mar 13, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor on 2025-03-13 S.J. 528
executive
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 455
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed by the President S.J. 425
lower
Feb 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
House of Representatives Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 68, NAYS 2 H.J. 412
lower
Feb 26, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (67-2)
house
Feb 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Local Government Do Pass , Passed, YEAS 12, NAYS 0
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Introduced
First read in House and referred to H.J. 324
lower
Feb 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 35, NAYS 0 S.J. 280
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Certified uncontested, placed on consent , Passed,
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Local Government Do Pass Amended , Passed, YEAS 7, NAYS 0
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Introduced
Local Government Motion to amend , Passed, Amendment 167B
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Introduced
Local Government Motion to amend , Passed, Amendment 167A
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to S.J. 152
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 167
Scope: SD
Hi! I can help you understand SB 167. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline