Brand Registration Information
There are over 25,000 brands currently registered in South Dakota. Brands for cattle, horses, mules, buffalo (American Bison) and sheep are registered separately and a separate fee is required for each location on which a brand is registered.
- Brand Locations
- Characters
- Brand Examples
- Fees
| Cattle | right or left shoulder, rib or hip |
| Horses/Mules | right or left jaw, shoulder or hip |
| Buffalo | right or left hip |
| Sheep | Paint brands - right or left side or hip Hot iron brands - nose or right or left jaw |
- Registered livestock brands in South Dakota must consist of two but not more than three letters, numbers or symbols.
- Characters should be proportionate in size.
- Only the vertical or horizontal positions of the following are acceptable for registration.
- Tumbling characters are not allowed.
Note: There can be no brand within a brand. Ex. ® $
Capital print block letters of the alphabet, excluding the letter "Q". Letters may be lazy, reversed, or inverted. (See sample brands below)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z
Numbers two (2) through nine (9).
The following symbols:
Some Examples of various designs using the letters R and S are:
Capital print block letters of the alphabet, excluding the letter "Q". Letters may be lazy, reversed, or inverted. (See sample brands below)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z
Numbers two (2) through nine (9).
The following symbols:
Some Examples of various designs using the letters R and S are:
| Brand Application | $40.00 | Applications for livestock brands are researched and compared with other registered brands to avoid issuing a brand which is a duplicate of, or similar to, a previously registered brand. Applicants are notified of the results of the conflict check. |
| Brand Registration | $50.00 | PLUS $18.00 for each year remaining in current brand renew period. |
| Brand Transfer | $50.00 | This applies to any modification of the brand ownership as currently recorded. A transfer form is generated by the brand office. Please call the office when in need of a transfer. |
| Brand Renewal | $90.00 | Occurs every five years. Which are years ending in a 0 or 5 such as 2005, 2010, 2015.. All brands are subject to renewal between January 2 through May 1of the renewal year. To avoid cancellation, fees must be paid before May 1. |
| Brand History | $20.00 per brand | Starting March 1, 2009, the brand office will be charging $20 per brand for running a brand history and $1 per page for copies. If the history is extensive and takes over an hour to perform, $10 per hour will be charged for additional time over the first hour. Payment is required before history is delivered. |
© Copyright 2017 - South Dakota State Brand Board