South Dakota Special Event Liquor Permit: Cost, Rules & How to Apply

By Anchor Guide editors · Reviewed Oct 8, 2026 · Source: dor.sd.gov

Quick answer

In South Dakota, alcohol at a one-off public or fundraising event is covered by the Special event alcoholic beverage license (special malt beverage, wine or on-sale license, issued locally), open to civic, charitable, educational, fraternal or veterans organizations, and certain businesses that already hold a permanent alcoholic beverage license. It costs Fee is set by the city governing body or board of county commissioners and must accompany the application..

General information from the state's published rules, not legal advice. Confirm with the agency before your event.

Permit at a glance

Permit name: Special event alcoholic beverage license (special malt beverage, wine or on-sale license, issued locally)
Official source: dor.sd.gov State statute — SDCL §§ 35-4-124, 35-4-125
Fee: Fee is set by the city governing body or board of county commissioners and must accompany the application.
Nonprofits only: No
Law: SDCL § 35-4-124
Last verified: Oct 8, 2026

Who it covers

Who can apply in South Dakota.

Who can apply: Civic, charitable, educational, fraternal or veterans organizations, and certain businesses that already hold a permanent alcoholic beverage license

Issued for no more than 15 consecutive days. No public hearing is needed if the applicant already holds a local on-sale or retail malt beverage license. Each city or county sets its own rules, including a limit on licenses per person per calendar year.

How long can a South Dakota special event license last?: Up to 15 consecutive days
Who sets the special event license fee in South Dakota?: The city governing body or the board of county commissioners; the fee stays with the issuing government
Can alcohol be sold on public property during a special event?: Yes, a city or county may allow sales on public property or property owned by a nonprofit corporation during a special event
Is a public hearing required?: Not if the applicant already holds a local on-sale or retail malt beverage license, or an operating agreement for a municipal on-sale license
Is there a limit on licenses per year?: Each city or county must set rules, including a limit on licenses issued to any person per calendar year
License types available: Special malt beverage, special on-sale wine, special on-sale (liquor), and special off-sale package licenses
Special off-sale package wine license: Holders may only sell wine made by a South Dakota farm winery licensee
License location: The license is issued to the person and location named on the application
Who issues the license?: The city or county where the event is held, not the state

How to apply

2 steps, in order.

Contact the governing body of the city or county where the event will be held; it issues the license.
Submit the application with the locally set fee to the municipal governing body or board of county commissioners.

Neighbors

How South Dakota compares.

— means the agency does not publish that value. Each state links to its own sourced page.
State	Fee	Lead time	Nonprofit only
South Dakota	Fee is set by the city governing body or board of county commissioners and must accompany the application.	—	No
Minnesota	Set by the issuing city or county	30 days	Yes
Montana	$10 per day	—	Yes

Across the border

What changes next door.

South Dakota lets more than nonprofits apply; Minnesota does not.
South Dakota lets more than nonprofits apply; Montana does not.

Also needed in South Dakota

Training and liability.

Server training

Voluntary in South Dakota. APIS data as of 1/1/2025. Voluntary program with incentives: mitigation of penalties. APIS minimum ages (on-premises): serve beer/wine/spirits 18/18/18, bartend 18/18/18.

Liability

SDCL 35-4-78 By statute, licensees are not civilly liable for injuries caused by an intoxicated customer, even if they served someone obviously intoxicated. Classification: no (statute expressly excludes licensee liability).

Next steps

Sources

South Dakota — Special event alcoholic beverage license (special malt beverage, wine or on-sale license, issued locally) · State statute — SDCL §§ 35-4-124, 35-4-125, checked Oct 8, 2026
SDCL § 35-4-124 · State statute — SDCL §§ 35-4-124, 35-4-125, checked Oct 8, 2026
South Dakota — Who sets the special event license fee in South Dakota? · State statute (sdlegislature.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
South Dakota — server training · Federal summary (NIAAA APIS), checked Jul 29, 2026
South Dakota — SDCL 35-4-78 · State statute — SDCL 35-4-78, checked Oct 8, 2026

General information, not legal advice.