South Dakota unclaimed savings bonds are claimed in 2 places: the State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division returns paper bonds it holds, and Treasury handles every other bond through FS Form 1048. The division's holdings include bonds from abandoned safe deposit boxes, which South Dakota lists under the owner's name.
South Dakota also passed an escheat law for savings bonds (SDCL 43-41B-44, 2014), and its federal suit over that law, Sattgast v. United States, was dismissed with prejudice on November 30, 2020. Both routes are free. We checked the rules and agency pages on November 11, 2026.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the South Dakota State Treasurer, Treasury or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search either office's records for you. Other states handle bonds differently, and the hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices shows how they compare.
Does the South Dakota State Treasurer Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
The South Dakota State Treasurer holds a savings bond only when the paper bond itself reached its Unclaimed Property Division. The division returns it to the owner or heirs on a free claim.
South Dakota law names the state treasurer as administrator (SDCL 43-41B-1(1)) and counts "United States savings bonds" as property (43-41B-1(14)). The table summarizes the program (as of November 11, 2026).
South Dakota savings bonds at a glance
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program | South Dakota State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division, sdtreasurer.gov/unclaimed-property (the administrator is the state treasurer, SDCL 43-41B-1(1)) | sdtreasurer.gov |
| Phone and office | 605-773-3379; 124 E Dakota Ave, Pierre (walk-ins by appointment only) | sdtreasurer.gov |
| General law | SDCL ch. 43-41B, Uniform Unclaimed Property Act; savings bonds are property (43-41B-1(14)) | sdlegislature.gov |
| Safe deposit bonds | Listed by owner name on the bond, code SC15; box contents presumed abandoned when unclaimed more than 3 years after the lease ends (SDCL 43-41B-17) | sdlegislature.gov |
| Claim | Form prescribed by the administrator, verified, considered within 180 days (SDCL 43-41B-25) | sdlegislature.gov |
| Savings bond statute | SDCL 43-41B-44 (SL 2014, ch. 210) | sdlegislature.gov |
| Escheat rule | 3 years after becoming unclaimed property; suit in the Sixth Judicial Circuit; publication in Hughes County | sdlegislature.gov |
| Federal case | Sattgast v. United States, No. 15-1364C, dismissed with prejudice November 30, 2020 | Court of Federal Claims |
| Other federal cases | Estes v. Treasury (South Dakota's treasurer a plaintiff, lost November 28, 2016); LaTurner (South Dakota amicus) | federal court records |
| Information-sharing agreement with Treasury | None publicly known | 89 FR 102735 |
| Cost | Free | owner rule |
Source: South Dakota State Treasurer and sdlegislature.gov, checked November 11, 2026; 80 FR 80259; federal court records.
No state can list bonds that exist only on Treasury's records, so a name search shows only paper bonds the state received. South Dakota has no separate savings bond search page, and Missouri's is the only verified state search by bond name. Our guide to unclaimed savings bonds explains why no national name search exists.
Savings Bonds From Abandoned Safe Deposit Boxes: SDCL 43-41B-17 and Code SC15
South Dakota records every US savings bond found in an abandoned safe deposit box in its unclaimed property database on its own, under the owner information on the bond and property type code SC15. The person named on the bond, or that person's heirs, can claim it (SDCL 43-41B-17).
Box contents are presumed abandoned when unclaimed for more than 3 years after the lease or rental period expires. The bond rule comes from SL 2019, ch. 194.
The bond sits under the registered owner's name, not the name of the person who rented the box. Search every name on the bond, including a co-owner and a beneficiary. This listing covers box bonds only, and the law does not say how the public search displays them.
Paper Bonds South Dakota Holds Versus Bonds Only on Treasury's Records
A possession bond is a paper bond the state physically holds; an absent bond is one a state claimed title to without holding the certificate. Federal law lets South Dakota be paid only for the first kind.
Treasury may, at its discretion, pay a state for a paper bond at final maturity that the state holds, with title by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, effective December 24, 2015).
Electronic bonds, and paper bonds that never left the owner's papers, never reach the Treasurer. Treasury may share only names and addresses with a state, under a signed agreement, and none is publicly known.
How to Search South Dakota Unclaimed Property for a Savings Bond
Search South Dakota unclaimed property for a savings bond by opening the State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property page at sdtreasurer.gov, running its free name search for every person named on the bond, and filing the division's claim for any match. The 4 steps are below.
- Open sdtreasurer.gov/unclaimed-property yourself, never from a link in a letter, text or ad.
- Search the owner's name exactly as printed on the bond (how to read a paper savings bond), plus former and married names.
- Repeat the search for each co-owner or POD beneficiary and for a deceased owner, because heirs may claim (SDCL 43-41B-17).
- Ask the division whether a match is a savings bond, then file the claim.
How to Claim a Savings Bond From the South Dakota State Treasurer
Claim a savings bond from the South Dakota State Treasurer on the claim form the administrator prescribes, verified by you. The law gives the administrator 180 days to consider it (SDCL 43-41B-25), and the claim costs nothing.
Heirs of the person named on a box bond qualify (43-41B-17). The division sets the proof it needs, and we found no published document list or deadline. Walk-ins in Pierre are by appointment only (as of November 11, 2026).
South Dakota State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division
Search and claims: sdtreasurer.gov/unclaimed-property
Phone: 605-773-3379
Office: 124 E Dakota Ave, Pierre, SD 57501 (walk-ins by appointment only)
Source: sdtreasurer.gov, checked November 11, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the South Dakota State Treasurer.
Cashing a Savings Bond South Dakota Returns to You
A paper savings bond the Treasurer returns is cashed like any other paper bond: at a bank that offers the service, or by mail to Treasury with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026). Our guide on how to cash savings bonds compares both routes.
Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to (FS Publication 0022, Rev. October 2022), and Series HH bonds go to Treasury only. A signature certification is needed only above $1,000 of total current redemption value.
South Dakota does not set the value. It depends on the series and issue date, and our calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, prices paper Series EE and E bonds.
If South Dakota Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a savings bond from Treasury with FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026) when South Dakota's search shows no match. Treasury searches its own records for lost, stolen or destroyed paper bonds, and the form is free.
Mail the form to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. TreasuryDirect says a lost bond search takes 11 months or longer (as of November 11, 2026).
A bond 6 years or more past final maturity needs its serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)). The form is FS Form 1048 claim for lost savings bonds.
TreasuryDirect states that as of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt tool is no longer available. No online replacement exists, so a claim on FS Form 1048 is the route.
SDCL 43-41B-44: South Dakota's 2014 Savings Bond Escheat Law
SDCL 43-41B-44 makes unclaimed US savings bonds escheat to South Dakota three years after they become unclaimed property. Escheat means the state becomes the owner. If no claim is filed, the administrator brings a civil action in the Sixth Judicial Circuit within 180 days after that period.
The law is SL 2014, ch. 210, sec. 1. It was one of 7 such statutes of 2014 (Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Dakota), after Kansas in 2000 (80 FR 80259).
Publication is in Hughes County (SDCL 15-9-7), and the administrator may wait until enough bonds accumulate before suing. Proceeds are deposited under 43-41B-24. The table lists the steps, and the statute text is on sdlegislature.gov.
SDCL 43-41B-44 step by step
| Step | What the law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | US savings bonds are "property" under South Dakota's Uniform Unclaimed Property Act | SDCL 43-41B-1(14) |
| 2 | Three years after becoming unclaimed property, the bonds escheat to the state | SDCL 43-41B-44 |
| 3 | If no claim is filed, the administrator sues within 180 days in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, or postpones until enough bonds accumulate; publication in Hughes County | SDCL 43-41B-44; 15-9-7 |
| 4 | After judgment the administrator redeems and deposits the proceeds under 43-41B-24 | SDCL 43-41B-44 |
| 5 | An owner may still claim the bonds or proceeds; the administrator "may pay" on sufficient proof | SDCL 43-41B-44(f) |
| 6 | Federal limit: preempted for bonds South Dakota does not hold; Treasury pays a state only for a paper bond at final maturity in its possession, title by judgment, at its discretion | LaTurner (2019); Court of Federal Claims order (2020); 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88 |
South Dakota's savings bond escheat law, SDCL 43-41B-44 (SL 2014, ch. 210), with the federal limit, as of November 11, 2026.
This is title escheat: the state becomes the owner, not just the custodian. Owners may still claim their bonds or the proceeds. Federal law overrides, or preempts, the statute for bonds South Dakota does not hold, and those bonds are claimed from Treasury.
Sattgast v. United States: Why South Dakota's Savings Bond Claim Was Dismissed in 2020
Sattgast v. United States, No. 15-1364C in the US Court of Federal Claims, is South Dakota's suit for payment on savings bonds it took title to by state escheat judgment without holding the certificates. The court dismissed it with prejudice on November 30, 2020, in accordance with the Federal Circuit's holding in LaTurner.
South Dakota sought redemption, contract damages and Fifth Amendment takings damages for these "Absent Bonds." Judge Elaine D. Kaplan decided all 10 state suits in one Opinion and Order captioned in each case: South Dakota, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Sattgast is the first-numbered caption, and the 10 cases were not formally consolidated. Read the Opinion and Order on govinfo.gov.
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019), held that "federal law preempts the States' escheat laws." States without the physical bonds or the serial numbers (31 CFR 315.29(c)) cannot redeem them.
South Dakota was an amicus (friend of the court) for the states, and the Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 5, 2020 (Nos. 19-1279, 19-1285). The 2020 order distinguishes bonds a state holds (31 CFR 315.88).
What Federal Rules Still Allow South Dakota to Do With Savings Bonds
Federal rules leave South Dakota one route: Treasury may, at its discretion, pay South Dakota for a paper bond at final maturity that the state physically holds and owns by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88).
An August 2004 Treasury letter refused its custody claim, one of 7 letters that year (Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Dakota; 80 FR 80259 n.3). South Dakota joined the states' joint comments on the 2015 rule.
State treasurer Richard Sattgast was a plaintiff in Estes v. U.S. Department of the Treasury (D.D.C. No. 1:16-cv-00450, 219 F. Supp. 3d 17, November 28, 2016) with Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The court found the amendments clarified rather than changed Treasury practice and rejected the APA and constitutional challenges. The appeal (D.C. Cir. No. 17-5015) was dismissed on November 21, 2017.
No state is publicly known to hold a 323.11(b) data-sharing agreement. The Unclaimed Savings Bond Act (H.R. 4085, S. 2854, 117th Congress) was not enacted.
South Dakota Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not South Dakota law, decide who owns a bond after the owner dies: a surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary becomes the sole owner, and the bond is not part of the estate (31 CFR 353.70(b)(1), (c)(1)).
A will or state court order cannot defeat that (353.20(a); Free v. Bland, 369 U.S. 663 (1962)). Our page on POD savings bonds explains what the beneficiary gets.
Heirs search the deceased owner's name, and box bonds are claimable by heirs (SDCL 43-41B-17).
Once the Treasurer returns a bond, the federal estate rules apply to it.
Estates over $100,000 in redemption value at the date of death need administration (31 CFR 353.71). FS Form 5336 (Rev. April 2026) is the federal route when no estate is administered and the bonds total $100,000 or less, and FS Form 5394 (Rev.
May 2026) is used after a state small-estate procedure or for a closed estate. Our page on savings bonds in probate explains both. We found no South Dakota small-estate statute for bonds, so ask the estate's attorney.
Other States in South Dakota's Savings Bond Cases
6 states share South Dakota's savings bond history, through Estes, the 2020 Court of Federal Claims order or the same statute model. Kansas, Kentucky, South Carolina and West Virginia have pages today.
- Kansas unclaimed savings bonds (K.S.A. 58-3979, 2000; Estes; LaTurner)
- Kentucky unclaimed savings bonds (KRS 393.022, 2014; Estes; CFC 16-221C)
- Louisiana unclaimed savings bonds (La. R.S. 9:182, 2014; Estes; CFC 15-1365C)
- Mississippi unclaimed savings bonds (Miss. Code 89-12-59, 2014; Estes; CFC 16-231C)
- South Carolina unclaimed savings bonds (S.C. Code 27-18-75, 2015; CFC 16-451C)
- West Virginia unclaimed savings bonds (W. Va. Code 36-8-2a; no federal suit found)
More Guides for South Dakota Bond Owners and Heirs
4 related guides cover situations a South Dakota search does not.
- savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative
- found old savings bonds
- savings bond recovery services
- help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
Our method is described in how we check every statute and docket.
South Dakota Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
Does South Dakota owe me money for a savings bond?
South Dakota owes you a savings bond only if its Unclaimed Property Division holds the paper bond, which you find by searching every name on the bond from sdtreasurer.gov. No site, free or paid, searches Treasury's savings bond records by name, and Treasury Hunt is closed.
How do I find out if a savings bond was already cashed?
Ask the bank first; if it cannot tell you and you are the owner or co-owner, for a paper EE or I bond, send Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, a signed letter listing the serial numbers, without the bonds (TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026). Our savings bond lookup guide covers the other ways to trace a bond.
Is South Dakota's savings bond law the same as North Dakota's?
No: South Dakota has a savings bond escheat statute (SDCL 43-41B-44) and a per-bond safe deposit listing (43-41B-17), while North Dakota's program, run by the Department of Trust Lands, has no savings bond law, program or lawsuit that we found as of November 11, 2026. North Dakota joined only the 2015 joint comments.
Did South Dakota win its savings bond lawsuit?
No: the Court of Federal Claims dismissed Sattgast v. United States with prejudice on November 30, 2020, following LaTurner v. United States (Fed. Cir. 2019). Bonds South Dakota does not hold still belong to their owners.
Can South Dakota get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, South Dakota included, is publicly known to have signed the information-sharing agreement that 31 CFR 323.11(b) requires before Treasury shares owner names and addresses (as of November 11, 2026). Treasury shares no Social Security numbers or serial numbers, and a state may use the data only to locate owners (89 FR 102735). See what states can receive from Treasury.
Do savings bonds expire while South Dakota holds them?
No: savings bonds never expire and no deadline applies to cashing them (Executive Order 13968, 85 FR 83745). A bond stops earning interest at final maturity, wherever it is kept; see when savings bonds mature.
Where can I cash a savings bond in South Dakota?
Cash a paper savings bond at a South Dakota bank that offers the service, or by mail with FS Form 1522; the South Dakota State Treasurer does not cash bonds. Banks may, not must, cash paper bonds, and Series HH bonds go to Treasury only. See the banks that cash savings bonds.