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County · code 46103

Pennington CountySouth Dakota

Pennington County is a county in South Dakota, with its seat in Rapid City. The county was founded in 1875 and named after John L. Pennington.

  • Founded1875
  • County seatRapid City
  • Named forJohn L. Pennington
  • Land area2,777 sq mi + 7.7 sq mi water
  • Population109,222 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped53,747 checked 16 October 2026
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Updated

MeadeCusterOglala LakotaLawrenceJacksonHaakonZiebachWeston, WY Rapid City Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Pennington 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.

Aurora CountyBeadle CountyBennett CountyBon Homme CountyBrookings CountyBrown CountyBrule CountyBuffalo CountyButte CountyCampbell CountyCharles Mix CountyClark CountyClay CountyCodington CountyCorson CountyCuster CountyDavison CountyDay CountyDeuel CountyDewey CountyDouglas CountyEdmunds CountyFall River CountyFaulk CountyGrant CountyGregory CountyHaakon CountyHamlin CountyHand CountyHanson CountyHarding CountyHughes CountyHutchinson CountyHyde CountyJackson CountyJerauld CountyJones CountyKingsbury CountyLake CountyLawrence CountyLincoln CountyLyman CountyMcCook CountyMcPherson CountyMarshall CountyMeade CountyMellette CountyMiner CountyMinnehaha CountyMoody CountyOglala Lakota CountyPerkins CountyPotter CountyRoberts CountySanborn CountySpink CountyStanley CountySully CountyTodd CountyTripp CountyTurner CountyUnion CountyWalworth CountyYankton CountyZiebach CountyPennington County Pennington
Counties of South Dakota · Pennington highlighted

History

Founded in 1875

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Pennington County was created in 1875 as part of Dakota Territory. On February 10, 1877, Pennington County exchanged territory with Custer and Lawrence counties and gave land to the new Ziebach County. Pennington County became a county in the state of South Dakota on November 2, 1889. Over the following decades, Pennington County's boundaries were adjusted through various attachments and detachments of neighboring counties for judicial and tax purposes, with the most recent change in 1945 when Washington County was eliminated from its attachment to Pennington.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1877
    Exchanged territory Pennington exchanged with Custer and Lawrence, lost to creation of Ziebach (original, extinct). Jackson and Ziebach (original, extinct) were attached to Pennington "for judicial and revenue purposes" on 8 March 1883.
    with Custerwith Lawrencewith Ziebachwith Jackson
    · Dak. Terr. Laws 1877, 12th sess., ch. 42/pp. 215-216 in Rev. Codes Dak. 1877; Dak. Terr. Laws 1883, 15th sess., ch. 16, secs. 7-8/p. 29
  2. 1889
    Became part of South Dakota Pennington 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
  3. 1893
    Changed Jackson detached from Pennington, attached to Stanley “for judicial purposes.”
    JacksonStanley
    · S. Dak. Laws 1893, 3d sess., ch. 50/p. 79
  4. 1919
    Changed Washington (extinct) detached from Custer, attached to Pennington “for judicial purposes.”
    WashingtonCuster
    · S. Dak. Laws 1918, 15th sess., spec., ch. 354/p. 434
  5. 1945
    Eliminated Washington eliminated, ending its attachment to Pennington.
    into Washington
    · S. Dak. Laws 1943, 28th sess., ch. 23/p. 40; S. Dak. Code 1939, 1:339
Show all 11 changes (6 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1877
    Exchanged territory Pennington exchanged with Custer and Lawrence, lost to creation of Ziebach (original, extinct). Jackson and Ziebach (original, extinct) were attached to Pennington "for judicial and revenue purposes" on 8 March 1883.
    with Custerwith Lawrencewith Ziebachwith Jackson
    · Dak. Terr. Laws 1877, 12th sess., ch. 42/pp. 215-216 in Rev. Codes Dak. 1877; Dak. Terr. Laws 1883, 15th sess., ch. 16, secs. 7-8/p. 29
  2. 1889
    Became part of South Dakota Pennington 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
  3. 1890
    Changed Attachment of Jackson and Ziebach (original, extinct) to Pennington “for the levy and collection of taxes therein” was confirmed.
    JacksonZiebach
    · S. Dak. Laws 1890, 1st sess., ch. 65/p. 159
  4. 1893
    Changed Jackson detached from Pennington, attached to Stanley “for judicial purposes.”
    JacksonStanley
    · S. Dak. Laws 1893, 3d sess., ch. 50/p. 79
  5. 1895
    Changed Attachment of Ziebach (original, extinct) to Pennington “for judicial purposes” was confirmed.
    Ziebach
    · S. Dak. Laws 1895, 4th sess., ch. 48/pp. 53-54
  6. 1898
    Gained territory Pennington gained from Washington (extinct) and Ziebach (original); Ziebach (original) eliminated, ending its attachment to Pennington. Pennington lost a very small area to Washington (extinct) along a river meander.
    from Washingtonfrom Ziebach
    · S. Dak. Laws 1897, 5th sess., ch. 44/p. 94
  7. 1901
    Changed Legislature authorized an adjustment in the boundary of Pennington with Lawrence and Meade, dependent on local referendum; change did not take effect (no change).
    LawrenceMeade
    · S. Dak. Laws 1901, 7th sess., ch. 90/p. 115
  8. 1903
    Changed Legislature authorized an adjustment in the boundary between Pennington and Meade, dependent on local referendum; change did not take effect (no change).
    Meade
    · S. Dak. Laws 1903, 8th sess., ch. 101/p. 109
  9. 1919
    Changed Washington (extinct) detached from Custer, attached to Pennington “for judicial purposes.”
    WashingtonCuster
    · S. Dak. Laws 1918, 15th sess., spec., ch. 354/p. 434
  10. 1923
    Changed Attachment of Washington (extinct) to Pennington “for judicial purposes” was confirmed.
    Washington
    · S. Dak. Laws 1923, 18th sess., ch. 304/p. 319
  11. 1945
    Eliminated Washington eliminated, ending its attachment to Pennington.
    into Washington
    · S. Dak. Laws 1943, 28th sess., ch. 23/p. 40; S. Dak. Code 1939, 1:339

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Pennington

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

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

Pennington by the Census

Population
109,222 2020 Census count
Housing units
49,153 2020 Census count
Land area
2,777 square miles
Water area
7.7 square miles
People per sq mi
39 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Pennington County's official site

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County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Pennington County

When was Pennington County founded?
Pennington County was founded in 1875, and named after John L. Pennington.
What is the county seat of Pennington County?
The county seat of Pennington County is Rapid City.
Is there an online parcel map for Pennington County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 53,747 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Pennington County's boundary or name changed?
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 changes for Pennington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Washington County, Ziebach County and Jackson County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Pennington County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door