County · code 46047
Fall River CountySouth Dakota
Fall River County is a county in South Dakota, with its seat at Hot Springs. It was created in 1883.
- Founded1883
- County seatHot Springs
- Named forFall River, South Dakota
- Land area1,740 sq mi + 9.3 sq mi water
- Population6,973 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped11,108 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Fall River on the map of South Dakota
South Dakota has 66 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1883 from Custer County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Fall River County was created in 1883 by Dakota Territory from Custer County. When South Dakota became a state in 1889, Fall River became a county. Over the following decades, nearby counties including Bennett, Lugenbeel, and Shannon were attached to Fall River for various judicial purposes, with some later detached or eliminated.
- 1883Fall River County created Fall River created by Dakota Territory in present South Dakota from Custer. · Dak. Terr. Laws 1883, 15th sess., ch. 18/p. 30
- 1889Became part of South Dakota Fall River became a county in the state of South Dakota. · U.S. Stat., vol. 25, ch. 180[1889]/pp. 676-684; U.S. Stat., vol. 26, no. 5/pp. 1548-1549; Swindler, 9:107-109; Van Zandt, 134
- 1895Changed Lugenbeel (extinct) and Shannon attached to Fall River “for judicial purposes.”LugenbeelShannon· S. Dak. Laws 1895, 4th sess., ch. 48/pp. 53-54
- 1909Eliminated Bennett attached to Fall River “for judicial purposes;” Lugenbeel eliminated, ending its attachment to Fall River; attachment of Shannon to Fall River “for judicial purposes” was confirmed. · S. Dak. Laws 1909, 11th sess., ch. 280/pp. 427-429
- 1912Changed Bennett fully organized, detached from Fall River. · HRS S. Dak., Bennett, 7; "Dakota's Counties," 13
- 1919Changed Attachment of Shannon to Fall River “for judicial purposes” was confirmed.Shannon· S. Dak. Laws 1918, 15th sess., spec., ch. 354/p. 434
- 1923Changed Attachment of Shannon to Fall River “for judicial purposes” was confirmed. Shannon remained unorganized and attached to Fall River as of 31 December 2000.Shannon· S. Dak. Laws 1923, 18th sess., ch. 304/p. 319
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Fall River
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 11,108 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 26 June 2025 · checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Fall River County yet.
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Buildings Reference
Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026
- Official
- from the office that keeps the record
- Good enough
- a reliable statewide or national copy
- Fallback
- a guide only; check the official record
- Missing
- nothing public found yet
People and land
Fall River by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Who to ask before you build, dig or sell
Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.
Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Fall River County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Fall River County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.
Questions
Common questions about Fall River County
- When was Fall River County founded?
- Fall River County was founded in 1883, formed from Custer County, and named after Fall River, South Dakota.
- What is the county seat of Fall River County?
- The county seat of Fall River County is Hot Springs.
- Is there an online parcel map for Fall River County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 11,108 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Fall River County's boundary or name changed?
- Fall River County was created in 1883 from Custer County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Shannon County, Bennett County and Lugenbeel County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Fall River County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby