South Dakota: business records and regulators
Where to look a business up in South Dakota, where to search the UCC filings against it, and the offices that regulate banks, lenders and securities there.
Each link opens the state's own site in a new tab, so what you type there goes to that site, not to us. Some state searches charge a fee or ask you to make an account. Privacy
South Dakota records and regulators
Business search
Look a business up in the state's register of businesses.
UCC search
Find the UCC filings against a business: the financing statements lenders file to record a lien on its assets, such as a blanket lien.
South Dakota Secretary of State: UCC Services (opens in a new tab)
Searching online needs an account with the Secretary of State. Without one, a certified search is asked for on the UCC2 form.
Banking and lending regulator
Oversees the banks the state charters. Check its site for the lender and broker licenses the state requires.
Securities regulator
The state office for securities offerings, brokers and investment advisers.
Find a lender in South Dakota
Official lists of the lenders that work in South Dakota. Each opens on its own site, filtered to South Dakota where the list allows it.
SBA 504 lenders (Certified Development Companies) (opens in a new tab)
The nonprofit lenders that make SBA 504 loans for property and big equipment, from the SBA's own list, filtered to the state.
SBA microloan lenders (opens in a new tab)
Nonprofit lenders that make SBA microloans of up to $50,000, from the SBA's own list, filtered to the state.
SBA Lender Match (opens in a new tab)
The SBA's own matching tool: you answer a few questions about your business on its site, and two business days later it gives you a list of the lenders interested; some may contact you. It is not a loan application. What you type goes to the SBA and those lenders, not to us.
Certified CDFIs (community lenders) (opens in a new tab)
The CDFI Fund's list of every certified community development financial institution (CDFI): loan funds, banks and credit unions. Download the list and sort it by the State column.
The FDIC's BankFind: search for the banks with offices in the state.
Credit unions (opens in a new tab)
The NCUA's credit union locator. Credit unions lend to their members, so check who can join.
Before you sign with any lender, check it is licensed: see the banking and lending regulator above, and Check a lender or platform. A few national lenders and platforms are named, with how they were chosen, in the provider directory.
State rules for South Dakota on our route pages
- Business line of credit: A lender that is not a bank or other federally insured financial institution needs a money lending license from the Division of Banking, and an unlicensed lender cannot collect more than the amount it lent. Licensed lenders may charge at most 36% a year, all fees included, but that cap does not apply to a business loan of $5,000 or more to a borrower with an EIN, unless it is secured by a vehicle the business already owns. A seller financing what it sells, and a lender making five or fewer loans a year with no more than $4 million owed to it, need no license. (South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-52: license required to engage in the business of lending money; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-36: definitions (business of lending money; loan); South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37: banks and other federally insured financial institutions exempt; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37.1: five or fewer loans in twelve months, up to $4 million outstanding; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44: 36% maximum finance charge for licensees; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44.4: business-to-business lending exempt from the maximum; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-64: sellers financing their own goods or services; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-76: loans by unlicensed lenders uncollectible except for principal)
- Equipment loans and finance agreements: A lender that is not a bank or other federally insured financial institution needs a money lending license from the Division of Banking, and an unlicensed lender cannot collect more than the amount it lent. Licensed lenders may charge at most 36% a year, all fees included, but that cap does not apply to a business loan of $5,000 or more to a borrower with an EIN, unless it is secured by a vehicle the business already owns. A seller financing what it sells, and a lender making five or fewer loans a year with no more than $4 million owed to it, need no license. (South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-52: license required to engage in the business of lending money; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-36: definitions (business of lending money; loan); South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37: banks and other federally insured financial institutions exempt; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37.1: five or fewer loans in twelve months, up to $4 million outstanding; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44: 36% maximum finance charge for licensees; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44.4: business-to-business lending exempt from the maximum; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-64: sellers financing their own goods or services; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-76: loans by unlicensed lenders uncollectible except for principal)
- Online business loans: A lender that is not a bank or other federally insured financial institution needs a money lending license from the Division of Banking, and an unlicensed lender cannot collect more than the amount it lent. Licensed lenders may charge at most 36% a year, all fees included, but that cap does not apply to a business loan of $5,000 or more to a borrower with an EIN, unless it is secured by a vehicle the business already owns. A seller financing what it sells, and a lender making five or fewer loans a year with no more than $4 million owed to it, need no license. (South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-52: license required to engage in the business of lending money; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-36: definitions (business of lending money; loan); South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37: banks and other federally insured financial institutions exempt; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-37.1: five or fewer loans in twelve months, up to $4 million outstanding; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44: 36% maximum finance charge for licensees; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-44.4: business-to-business lending exempt from the maximum; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-64: sellers financing their own goods or services; South Dakota Codified Laws 54-4-76: loans by unlicensed lenders uncollectible except for principal)
Sources
- South Dakota Secretary of State: Business Services (Search for a Business) · checked October 20, 2026
- South Dakota Secretary of State: UCC Services (UCC2 Certified Search Request; account holders search online) · checked October 20, 2026
- South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation: Division of Banking · checked October 20, 2026
- South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation: Securities Regulation · checked October 20, 2026