South Dakota lawyer advertising rules, SEO and ads

South Dakota has a set sentence for testimonials: “This testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guaranty, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter”. It also asks that targeted solicitations be deposited with the State Bar 30 days before use. Ads themselves aren’t filed. One Census figure stands out: 53.5% of the state’s Spanish speakers report limited English, the highest share of any state.

Not legal advice. We built this page from secondary summaries and ABA defaults, not yet from South Dakota’s own rule text. Have counsel confirm each rule before you act on it.

South Dakota rules in plain English

Each rule shows its verification code: P for a primary source we read, S for a secondary summary, D for the ABA-model default (what the codes mean).

Filing: solicitations only

Ads aren’t filed. Targeted solicitations are deposited with the State Bar 30 days before use, and we found no other waiting period.

Verification: S · CAMG white paper: South Dakota

What each ad must say

Name and office address.

Verification: S · CAMG

Testimonials

Testimonials need substantiation and the set statement above; paid testimonials are disclosed.

Verification: S · CAMG

Defaults, recording, texting, privacy

Referral payments and non-English ads are D: payment for advertising only, never for a recommendation (ABA Model Rule 7.2), and required statements, the testimonial sentence included, in each ad’s language. Recording takes one party’s consent (S · guide); the trackers show no texting law with private suits (D · tracker); there’s no comprehensive privacy law (S · chart).

Rules last checked October 24, 2026.

What this means for your SEO and ads in South Dakota

The testimonial sentence is 130 characters

It won’t fit a 90-character search-ad description. Keep testimonials out of search ads, and where a page or video uses one, put the full sentence beside it and keep proof of the client’s words on file.

Inbound only

Search, Local Services Ads and replies to people who asked aren’t targeted solicitations, so nothing needs the 30-day deposit. We don’t send targeted letters or messages.

Sioux Falls and Sioux City

Sioux Falls reaches into Minnesota, which has a privacy law in force (Minnesota), and Sioux City is shared with Iowa and Nebraska (Iowa, Nebraska). Rapid City is the largest market wholly in the state.

Languages

Native North American languages are the most common after English and Spanish (1.1% of residents), followed by German (0.7%, the highest German share of any state). Spanish speakers, though only 2.8% of residents, are the group most likely to need intake in their own language.

Languages in South Dakota

Sources: Spanish and any-language shares from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table C16001; other languages from the 2020-2024 estimates, table B16001. People age 5 and older.

Top metro areas in South Dakota

Sources: population from the ACS 2024 1-year estimates, table B01003; Spanish at home from the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, table C16001, people age 5 and older. South Dakota has 3 metro areas in all. Populations cover each whole metro area, including parts in other states.

The South Dakota legal market

Source: Census Bureau, Statistics of US Businesses 2022, offices of lawyers (NAICS 541110). A firm with offices in several states is counted in each.

Questions for your counsel

• Does the testimonial sentence apply to review quotes on the firm’s website?
• Does anything the firm sends count as a targeted solicitation to deposit?

How Probative works in South Dakota

• No testimonials in ads at launch, and the full sentence wherever one appears.
• Spanish intake checked before any Spanish campaign.
• Your attorney approves every ad; nothing is filed.

Probative works with law firms in every state from day one, remotely and in person; travel terms are on the pricing page. Your attorney approves every ad before it runs, and where a state requires a filing, we prepare it and your attorney files it. Every Monday you see what each signed case cost, counted from your own records under The Probative Standard. The lawyer advertising rules by state table compares every state.