Odd Laws Still on the Books
Coyotes from an airplane, a reward for reporting litter and the rest area barrel: real South Dakota sections
Lists of strange state laws get passed around with no section number attached. Every one below has one, read from the South Dakota Codified Laws.
Who handles this in South Dakota: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the South Dakota directory.
| The law | What it says |
|---|---|
| The lawCoyotes from an airplane | What it saysA landowner or lessee protecting land, livestock or crops can get a permit to kill coyotes or foxes from an aircraft, up to four miles onto a neighbor's land with the neighbor's written consent. Never for sport. |
| The lawA reward for reporting litter | What it saysWhen littering over five pounds is fined, twenty percent of the fine goes to the person whose information led to the conviction. |
| The lawThe rest area barrel | What it saysHauling household, business or farm garbage to the trash barrels at a roadside rest area is a Class 2 misdemeanor. |
Many laws that sound strange are city or county ordinances rather than state law; this page covers only the Codified Laws. Whether a particular act broke one of these sections is a question for a licensed South Dakota attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- SDCL § 41-8-39.1 — Aerial hunting of coyotes and fox by occupier of land where loss of animals threatened
- SDCL § 34A-7-17 — Punishment for litter with aggregate weight of over five pounds
- SDCL § 34A-7-7 — Littering from motor vehicle prohibited
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Dakota attorney.