ENTITLED An Act to revise requirements to relocate a county seat.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That   7-6-4 be AMENDED:

7-6-4. To relocate a county seat, a petition signed by twenty percent of the registered voters of the county, based upon the total number of registered voters at the last preceding general election, must be filed with the county auditor on or before July first. The county auditor shall, within thirty days of receiving the petition, verify that the signatures on the petition are registered voters of the county. A signature on a petition is invalid if signed more than six months before the date the petition is filed.

If the county auditor verifies that the petition meets the requirements of this section, the board of county commissioners shall submit the question of relocating the county seat to the people of the county at the next general election.

The county auditor shall publish notice of the submission of the question with the general election notices required by   12-12-1.

Section 2. That   7-6-7 be AMENDED:

7-6-7. If the question to relocate the county seat is approved by the voters as specified in   7-6-5, the county officers whose offices are required by law to be kept at the county seat shall remove their respective offices, files, records, office fixtures, furniture, and all other property pertaining to their offices to the county seat designated by the voters within one year after the date of an election held under this chapter or the end of any recount, certiorari proceeding, or election contest, whichever is latest.

An Act to revise requirements to relocate a county seat.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/11/2023: 7-6-4, 7-6-5, 7-6-6, 7-6-7
Senate Local Government Engrossed, 01/20/2023: 7-6-4
Senate Engrossed, 01/24/2023: 7-6-4
House Local Government Engrossed, 02/09/2023: 7-6-4, 7-6-7
Enrolled, 02/21/2023: 7-6-4, 7-6-7