Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Butte County, South Dakota, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Butte County is a court case in the Circuit Court for Butte County, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing. This guide says which court takes the ticket, who writes them and where the driving record lives.
This guide covers where tickets go, who writes them, the driving record, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Butte County public records, Butte County arrest records, Butte County warrants, Butte County inmate search, Butte County criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Butte County Goes
Tickets in Butte County go to the Circuit Court for Butte County. A paid ticket, a dismissal and a trial all end up in that court's records.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dakotaathome.sd.gov/search/f45278a2-1fd4-528f-bf30-cea718cadf6f (page title: Butte County Clerk of Courts | South Dakota Unified Judicial System | Clerk of Courts), phone 605-892-2516, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name.
Who Writes the Tickets in Butte County
The Butte County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Belle Fourche write the traffic tickets in Butte County.
The Driving Record and the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing, which adds each conviction the court reports and handles suspensions; the court does not issue driving records.
Paying a ticket is a conviction, reported to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Department of Public Safety (see Butte County DUI).
Cities in Butte County
Wherever in the county a ticket is written, it is answered in the Circuit Court for Butte County.
The cities and towns in the county are Belle Fourche, Newell, Nisland and Fruitdale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Butte County?
With the Circuit Court for Butte County, whose page SearchSystems verified is at dakotaathome.sd.gov, phone 605-892-2516.
Who keeps my driving record in South Dakota?
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Butte County?
The Circuit Court for Butte County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with magistrate judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
Is this the official Butte County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.