<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en-US"><head><meta charset="UTF-8"><meta http-equiv='content-language' content='en-us'/><title>SDLRC - Codified Law 9-8-4 - Common council--Composition--Election and terms of aldermen--Vacancy--Resignation.</title><meta name="Generator" content="PowerTools for Open XML"><style>span { white-space: pre-wrap; } p.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Normal { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8SENU { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8CL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Statute { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8000000 { font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8NoIndent { text-indent: 0.00in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont-000001 { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8SCL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } </style><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"><meta property="og:title" content="SD 9-8-4 - Common council--Composition--Election and terms of aldermen--Vacancy--Resignation."><meta property="og:description" content="SDLRC Codified Law 9-8-4 - Common council--Composition--Election and terms of aldermen--Vacancy--Resignation."><meta property="og:type" content="website"><meta property="og:url" content="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/9-8-4"><meta property="og:image" content="https://lawmakerdocuments.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/photos/logoshape.webp"><meta property="og:site_name" content="South Dakota Legislature"></head><body><div><p dir="ltr" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Normal"><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-8-4" rel="noopener"><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8SENU">9-8-4</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8SENU">. </span><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8CL">Common council--Composition--Election and terms of aldermen--Vacancy--Resignation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Statute"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">The common council consists of the mayor elected at large and two aldermen elected from and by the voters of each ward of the municipality. The term of office is two years, unless a municipality adopts an ordinance establishing the term of office to be three, four, or five years. Except as otherwise provided in § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-8-2" rel="noopener"><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">9-8-2</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">, the mayor and aldermen hold office until their successors are elected and qualified. At the first election of aldermen, the council shall stagger the initial terms of the alderman in each ward to provide that two aldermen from the same ward are not up for reelection in the same year. A person may hold office for more than one term. The vacancy of an alderman is filled as provided in § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-13-14.1" rel="noopener"><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">9-13-14.1</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont"> or </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-13-14.2" rel="noopener"><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">9-13-14.2</span></a><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Statute"><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont">A resignation by an alderman must be in writing and must specify the effective date of the resignation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8Normal"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8000000"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8NoIndent"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8DefaultParagraphFont-000001">Source: </span><span class="s9e90effc099e461facc1adb1156addf8SCL">SDC 1939, § 45.0703; SL 1998, ch 44, § 1; SL 2005, ch 48, § 2; SL 2017, ch 56, § 5; SL 2025, ch 38, § 21.</span></p></div></body></html><br /><hr><br /><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en-US"><head><meta charset="UTF-8"><meta http-equiv='content-language' content='en-us'/><title>SDLRC - Codified Law 9-8-4 - Common council--Composition--Election and terms of aldermen--Vacancy--Resignation.</title><meta name="Generator" content="PowerTools for Open XML"><style>span { white-space: pre-wrap; } p.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbNormal { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbSENU { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbCL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbStatute { text-indent: 0.50in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fb000000 { font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } p.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbNoIndent { text-indent: 0.00in; text-align: justify; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 108%; margin-top: 0; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: .001pt; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont-000001 { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; } span.s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbSCL { font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0; padding: 0; } body { text-decoration-skip-ink: none; } </style><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"><meta property="og:title" content="SD - Municipalities with less than three thousand residents--Authorized to elect aldermen at-large."><meta property="og:description" content="SDLRC Codified Law - Municipalities with less than three thousand residents--Authorized to elect aldermen at-large."><meta property="og:type" content="website"><meta property="og:url" content="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute="><meta property="og:image" content="https://lawmakerdocuments.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/photos/logoshape.webp"><meta property="og:site_name" content="South Dakota Legislature"></head><body><div><p dir="ltr" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbNormal"><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-8-4.1" rel="noopener"><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbSENU">9-8-4.1</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbSENU">. </span><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbCL">Municipalities with less than three thousand residents--Authorized to elect aldermen at-large.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbStatute"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">Notwithstanding § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-8-4" rel="noopener"><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">9-8-4</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">, the voters of any second or third class municipality may, by majority vote, choose to elect aldermen to the common council at large using the process provided in § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-11-6" rel="noopener"><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">9-11-6</span></a><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">. The voters may revert to electing aldermen by ward in the same manner provided in this section, subject to the waiting period in § </span><a href="https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes?Statute=9-11-8" rel="noopener"><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">9-11-8</span></a><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbNormal"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fb000000"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbNoIndent"><span xml:space="preserve" class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbDefaultParagraphFont-000001">Source: </span><span class="s0164c049ae9d42519f316c6eb137a3fbSCL">SL 2022, ch 21, § 1.</span></p></div></body></html>