Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Watertown is a city in Codington County, South Dakota, with about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Watertown offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Watertown, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests and Questions.
City or county record: where Watertown records are kept
- Kept by the City of Watertown: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Codington County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Codington County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Watertown police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Watertown police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Watertown police records.
- Website: watertownpd.org/FormCenter/WPD-Online-Forms-4/Online-Records-Reques... (page title: Form Center, Online Records Request Form)
- Phone: 617-972-6527
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Codington County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Watertown City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: watertownsd.us/179/City-Council (page title: City Council | Watertown, SD)
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Watertown
South Dakota public records law applies to the city government of Watertown. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Watertown website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Watertown offices listed above, and the city's own website is watertownsd.us; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Watertown?
Request it from the Watertown police records unit at watertownpd.org, phone 617-972-6527. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Watertown?
Watertown cases are heard by the courts that serve Codington County, and people arrested in Watertown are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Codington County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Watertown?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. South Dakota public records law applies to city governments.