Lawrence County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Two routes lead to a bond amount here. On many charges, the amount comes straight off the statewide fine and bond schedule, applied by a clerk magistrate (SDCL 16-12C-10). A judge, never a clerk, handles bond after any domestic abuse arrest, and for murder, kidnapping or first-degree manslaughter.

First appearances take place in magistrate court, which sits inside the jail building at 50 Tatanka Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732. The law calls for a quick trip, "without unnecessary delay," to the nearest available magistrate, face to face or by video (SDCL 23A-4-1). At that hearing the magistrate goes over the charge, the chance to ask for an appointed lawyer, the right not to make a statement, and the release terms (SDCL 23A-4-3).

State law gives no set number of hours for this step. To learn when the hearing is planned, call the Clerk of Courts at 605-578-2040 on a weekday.

South Dakota law points the judge to the least restrictive option first, climbing the list only when a lighter one won't bring the person back (SDCL 23A-43-2, 23A-43-3). The judge thinks about the type of charge, the weight of the evidence, any mental health evaluation, and the odds of flight or of harm to someone (SDCL 23A-43-4). The ladder runs like this:

• Personal recognizance. A signature and a promise are enough to go home.
• Unsecured appearance bond. A dollar figure goes on paper, payable only after a missed court date.
• Supervision and limits. A trusted person or group keeps watch, or the judge limits travel, contacts or where they live. Counseling or treatment terms are possible too.
• Ten percent deposit. Put down cash worth 10 percent or less of the full bond. The court gives it back when every rule is followed.
• Full cash or a surety. The whole amount is paid in cash, or a licensed bondsperson or sworn personal surety stands behind it.
• 24/7 Sobriety Program. In alcohol and drug cases, the judge can require twice-a-day breath tests, a monitoring bracelet, urine tests or a drug patch (SDCL 1-11-20). The Sheriff's Office runs the program in this county.

State law caps what testing costs: $3 or less per breath test, $10 or less per urine test, $70 or less per drug patch. A bracelet runs no more than $10 daily, plus installation and removal fees capped at $50 apiece. Blow a positive result or skip a check-in, and a return trip to the cells may follow, with no bond until a judge rules on it. The Sheriff's Office at 605-578-2230 can tell you the testing location and times.

Amounts here track the FY27 Fine and Bond Schedule. The Fourth Circuit, which covers the Northern Hills, uses this statewide list, which started July 1, 2026. Clerks rely on it to set many bonds soon after booking. Sample entries:

• DUI, first or second offense: $225 to $1,000
• DUI, third or later, which is a felony: $1,000 to $5,000
• Grand theft: $1,000 to $10,000
• Robbery: $1,000 to $25,000
• Misdemeanor marijuana, 2 ounces or under: personal recognizance, no cash
• Kidnapping, murder or first-degree manslaughter: no schedule figure; the judge decides
• Domestic abuse: a judge sets both the bond and the rules attached to it

After hearing the facts, a judge may raise or lower the figure. For the exact amount in a real case, call the Clerk of Courts at 605-578-2040.

Inmates are housed in the Sheriff's Office building at 50 Tatanka Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732. Its main number, 605-578-2230, also reaches the county dispatch center. Office staff on Tatanka Drive answer 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Run through this list before heading to Deadwood:

1. Ask for jail staff. Give the jailed person's legal name and birthday, spelling it if it's unusual.
2. Write down the bond total and which charge it covers.
3. Ask if any other case, warrant or hold is on file.
4. Ask which payment types are accepted right now, the payee name for checks or money orders, and the hours bond is taken.
5. Find out whether the person must appear before a judge before release. That is always true after a domestic abuse arrest.
6. Carry a photo ID and exact change, and hold on to the receipt till the case wraps up.

Bond is tied to one case. Any second case needs a separate bond.

The Clerk of Courts is based at the Lawrence County Courthouse, 78 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732, phone 605-578-2040. The office is open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and closes for lunch. Clerk magistrates can set bond or accept a personal promise to appear under the adopted schedule.

Whether you hand the money to the clerk or to the jail depends on the case and the time of day. Call the clerk before you go and ask:

• Can bond be paid at your counter, or only at the jail?
• Which payments do you take, and who should a check be made out to?
• How long after the clerk logs the payment does the Tatanka Drive jail release them?

Hearings in magistrate court happen inside the jail building at 50 Tatanka Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732. Paperwork for those cases still runs through the clerk's office.

Plan to pay bond in person. The state's UJS ePayments site handles fines, court costs and restitution by card. Bond is not among them. It will, however, flag an active warrant on a case.

Call the jail at 605-578-2230 before setting out and ask what it accepts that day. Ask about cash, money orders, cashier's checks or a debit or credit card, and any card fee. Paying at the courthouse? Put the same questions to the Clerk of Courts at 605-578-2040.

Never mail cash. Be wary of a stranger who calls offering to "get them out" fast. Only a state-licensed bondsperson may write a bail bond.

In exchange for a fee, a bondsperson guarantees the court the whole bond amount. Each one needs a license from the South Dakota Division of Insurance, 124 South Euclid Avenue, 2nd Floor, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3563. That office checks licenses and takes complaints.

• Writing bonds with no state license is a Class 6 felony (SDCL 58-22-4).
• Nobody who runs the jail or makes arrests may earn anything from a bail bond (SDCL 58-22-3), so staff won't recommend a company.
• Bondspersons can't hunt for business where prisoners are held (SDCL 58-22-32).
• Agree on the fee before signing. Ask for a written receipt for the fee and for anything pledged, like a vehicle title.
• A family member or friend may act as a personal surety by listing, under oath, the things they own and the debts they carry. Practicing lawyers are barred from this role (SDCL 23A-43-20).

Check names against the UJS bail bond agents page.

Paying bond on one case doesn't clear everything. Ask the jail at 605-578-2230 about each of these:

• Another case or warrant. A hold from a different county or state is settled separately.
• Probation. A new arrest can affect probation. Court Services, the county's probation office, is at 78 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732, 605-578-2043.
• Parole. Parole is a state matter. The Board of Pardons and Paroles can be reached at 605-367-5040.
• Domestic abuse. Nobody arrested for it walks out until a judge has reviewed the case (SDCL 25-10-40). The judge may then order the person to stay away from the alleged victim, move out, skip alcohol or go to counseling (SDCL 25-10-41).
• 24/7 testing. If testing is a bond term, ask the Sheriff's Office how and when to start.
• Immigration detainer. ICE can request that the jail hold the person past the state release.

Families should know this: once someone is jailed on a domestic abuse charge, every form of contact with the alleged victim, or with anyone in that household, is off limits until the first court appearance. Calls, texts and messages relayed by friends all count. A willful violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor (SDCL 25-10-43), so don't pass along notes for them. Release terms that judges tie to domestic violence cases, in Deadwood and beyond, are summed up among South Dakota's no-contact rules.

Under the state constitution, bail is available for nearly every charge. The lone exception is a capital case backed by strong proof (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 8). Still, a judge can set firm terms or a high bond for someone likely to flee or to put others in danger (SDCL 23A-43-4).

The State's Attorney, who argues the state's side, has an office at 90 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732, 605-578-1707. Marsy's Law also lets the alleged victim speak whenever release is argued (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 29).

When bond is too high to pay, the law offers these steps:

1. Ask for a review. Bond conditions still unmet, 24 hours on from that hearing, with the person sitting on Tatanka Drive? A review can be requested (SDCL 23A-43-8).
2. Go to circuit court. Terms imposed by a magistrate can be revised by a circuit judge (SDCL 23A-43-14).
3. Appeal. The South Dakota Supreme Court can review release terms (SDCL 23A-43-15).

A judge may also amend the terms at any time (SDCL 23A-43-7). The defense lawyer files these requests. Help them by gathering facts: a steady job, a home in the Black Hills, family nearby, and a ride to every hearing. If the county's public defender has the case, call that office at 605-578-3000.

Yes. The county has its own Public Defender's Office at 80 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732, phone 605-578-3000. It takes cases for adults and juveniles with limited money who have a right to a lawyer. Requests are made in court, often at the first appearance, and the judge decides (SDCL 23A-40-6).

Some rules to know:

• No right to one exists for a person who is out of custody on a minor charge that can't bring jail time, such as a petty offense (SDCL 23A-40-6.1).
• Taxpayers cover the lawyer up front; later a judge can send the person a bill to repay it, even if the charge is dropped (SDCL 23A-40-8, 23A-40-10).
• To get that money back, the county is allowed to claim a lien against their assets. The family home is safe from foreclosure (SDCL 23A-40-11, 23A-40-15).

Trials stay with county lawyers. The state's newer Office of Indigent Legal Services, formed in 2024, focuses on appeals.

Every state charge from the county is handled in Deadwood within the Fourth Judicial Circuit, at these places:

• Lawrence County Courthouse (circuit court and Clerk of Courts): 78 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732, 605-578-2040. Open weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.
• Magistrate court (first appearances and most misdemeanors): 50 Tatanka Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732, inside the jail building. Hearing questions go to the Clerk of Courts.
• Fourth Circuit DUI Court, a treatment court for repeat drunk drivers: it meets in Deadwood, at the county courthouse, 605-222-0077.

Federal charges go to the Western Division of the U.S. District Court, 515 Ninth Street, Rapid City, SD 57701. For someone held on a federal case, call the U.S. Marshals in Rapid City at 605-342-6331.

At the close of the case, with every condition honored, the court lets the bail go (SDCL 23A-43-26). A 10 percent deposit is also handed back once the terms are met (SDCL 23A-43-3).

Before you post cash for someone else, call the Clerk of Courts at 605-578-2040. Ask how the refund is sent and whether the clerk subtracts fines, costs or appointed-lawyer charges before it goes out.

A missed court date triggers forfeiture of the bail and an arrest warrant from the clerk (SDCL 23A-43-21). Skipping court is a separate crime too. Missing court on a felony or DUI case adds a Class 6 felony. On a misdemeanor case, the added charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor (SDCL 23A-43-31). A judge can cancel the forfeiture when enforcing it isn't needed for justice, such as when the person returns and explains (SDCL 23A-43-22).

Staff keep what was taken at booking, along with the balance on the person's jail account. Call 605-578-2230 and ask for the jail. Good questions to ask:

• How will the account balance be paid out at release?
• Can someone else pick up belongings such as a phone or car keys, and what ID is required?
• If the person goes to state prison, what goes with them and what must family collect?

Under SDCL 24-11-45 the county may charge for time spent in its jail, so a bill may follow later. For deposits while they're still inside, use our account deposit guide or the commissary page.

Federal charges go to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. This county's cases belong to its Western Division (28 U.S.C. 122), heard at the federal courthouse at 515 Ninth Street, Rapid City, SD 57701.

• A federal judge, not the county, decides release under 18 U.S.C. 3142. The detention hearing is held immediately at the first appearance. The accused may stall it as long as five days; the U.S. Attorney, three. Custody continues while they wait.
• Before any federal trial, Marshals Service deputies keep custody; their Rapid City base is at 515 9th Street, Suite 323, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-342-6331.
• The U.S. Attorney's Rapid City branch prosecutes these cases, 605-342-7822.
• A state bond does nothing on a federal charge. After sentencing, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows where the person is.

Yes. Bond settles the state case only. With Form I-247A, called a detainer, federal immigration officers can request a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, so officers can take custody (8 CFR 287.7(d)).

1. Before you pay, ask the jail at 605-578-2230 whether a detainer is on file.
2. If ICE takes custody, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
3. South Dakota falls under the ICE field office for St. Paul, located at 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.

ICE lists the Pennington County Jail, 307 Saint Joseph St, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-6116, among the places it holds detainees. In 2025, South Dakota passed SB 7 (SL 2025, ch 100). Under it, no local government in the state may adopt a rule curbing contact or cooperation with a federal agency or official on someone's immigration status. The law does not mention detainers by name.

A Class 2 misdemeanor brings at most 30 days in county jail, and a Class 1 at most one year (SDCL 22-6-2). Felony prison terms go to the South Dakota Department of Corrections (SDCL 22-6-1). For Class 5 and 6 felonies, the law presumes probation, though the judge may choose up to 12 months in county jail instead (SDCL 22-6-11, 22-6-1.1).

Search the DOC Offender Locator using a last name or DOC number. To compare facilities, see our South Dakota state prisons list. The DOC central office in Pierre (3200 East Highway 34) takes mail at 500 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3478.

Detention for youth from this county happens at the regional Western South Dakota Juvenile Services Center, 3505 Cambell Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-2639. Visit times depend on the youth's security classification; phone the center to schedule.

Most minors detained by Northern Hills officers end up back with a parent. Locking a youngster up takes a specific legal reason, checked by an intake officer, plus a missing or unfit parent. Any placement must be the mildest that fits (SDCL 26-8C-3). Juvenile cases for children 10 and older go to circuit court (SDCL 26-8C-2). Adult court is possible only after a circuit judge holds a transfer hearing (SDCL 26-11-4). The county Public Defender's Office, 605-578-3000, also represents young people.