South Dakota legislation · 101st Legislature (2026)
South Dakota SB205: revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation.
Status: In committee, February 24, 2026
What the bill says
An Act to revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation.
From the introduced text, January 29, 2026:
An Act to revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota: Section 1. That § 50-11-19 be AMENDED: 50-11-19. In addition to all other registration fees paid to the department, an additional original registration tax of four percent, based upon the purchase price of [DELETED: the] [ADDED: any] aircraft [ADDED: except a drone] , [DELETED: shall] [ADDED: must] be paid to the department, along with the application for the original registration of an aircraft. For an initial registration of aircraft manufactured and used exclusively for agricultural purposes, [ADDED: except for a drone used in agriculture,] the registration tax under this section is three percent. Aircraft subject to the tax imposed by this chapter are exempt from taxes imposed by chapters 10-45 and 10-46. Aircraft used under a use stamp or dealer certificate, or engaged in regularly scheduled flying consisting of an act of interstate or foreign commerce, are exempt from the taxes imposed by chapters 10-45 and 10-46. Failure to pay the registration tax under this section within thirty days after an aircraft is operated in this state is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Failure to pay the registration tax within ninety days of the due date [DELETED: shall result] [ADDED: results] in a …
Sponsors
- John Shubeck (R, HD-016) · primary sponsor
- Mykala Voita (R, SD-021) · primary sponsor
- Jana Hunt (R, HD-028)
- Liz Larson (D, SD-010)
- Lauren Nelson (R, SD-018)
- Carl Perry (R, 03)
- Brandon Wipf (R, SD-022)
Latest actions
- : Do Pass
- : Do Pass
- : Scheduled for hearing
- : First read in House and referred to Commerce and Energy
- : Do Pass
- : Do Pass
- : Scheduled for hearing
- : First read in Senate and referred to Commerce and Energy
Votes
- Do Pass (February 24, 2026): 29 yea, 37 nay, failed
- Do Pass (February 23, 2026): 7 yea, 4 nay, passed
- Do Pass (February 17, 2026): 31 yea, 2 nay, passed
- Do Pass (February 12, 2026): 6 yea, 1 nay, passed
Subjects: Aviation, Drones, Taxation, Grants, Fund, Promulgation of Rules, Higher Education
Common questions
- What is SB205?
- SB205 is a bill in the South Dakota Legislature (101st Legislature (2026)): revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation.
- What does SB205 do?
- In its own words: An Act to revise registration fees for drones and establish a fund to support drone aviation.
- What is the status of SB205?
- In committee as of February 24, 2026. Latest action: Do Pass (February 24, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB205?
- John Shubeck (R, HD-016), with 6 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB205?
- On the South Dakota Legislature website: https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/27223
Source: official South Dakota record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.