By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
South Dakota apportioned (prorate) registration is issued only by the Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services section in Pierre, which serves as a one-stop office for both IRP and IFTA. New accounts must be created online in Motor Carrier Connect, fees are apportioned by each jurisdiction's share of the previous July-through-June fleet distance, one plate and one cab card per vehicle cover all member jurisdictions, and renewals run on a staggered quarterly cycle with expiration months of February, May, August, and November.
South Dakota IRP administration
- Office
- IRP/Prorate Licensing, 445 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501-3185; South Dakota apportioned licenses are issued only by Motor Carrier Services, a section of the Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division
- Process
- New motor carrier accounts are completed online at https://sd.motorcarrierconnect.com (Apply for Motor Carrier Account), then vehicles are added on Schedule A/E. Paper submissions go to the Pierre office.
- Fee structure
- IRP license fees are calculated from the jurisdictions in which the fleet accrued actual distance during the previous July 1 through June 30 reporting period; a new licensee with no actual distance registers and pays apportioned fees to all member jurisdictions using South Dakota's Average Per Vehicle Distance Chart, then reports actual distance at first renewal.
- Fees: south dakota share
- The South Dakota fee component follows the commercial motor vehicle fee schedule in SDCL 32-9-15, and a 4 percent motor vehicle excise tax applies to titled prorate vehicles, prorated by the carrier's South Dakota mileage percentage.
- Fees: credentials
- A 3 dollar fee applies for each registration card or identification device issued for each proportionally registered vehicle; mailing plates costs 12 dollars per plate or set and 2.50 dollars per decal or set.
- Fees: late payment
- Billings are due on receipt; a temporary-operating-authority billing unpaid after 30 days draws a penalty of 10 percent of fees or 10 dollars (whichever is greater) plus interest of 1.5 percent per month (or 5 dollars minimum for the first month), and failure to provide licensing information within 20 days of temporary authority brings a 20 dollar penalty.
- Fees: registered weight
- Registered weight is the maximum combined gross weight licensed and is normally the same in all jurisdictions; a variance greater than 10 percent from the South Dakota weight requires justification.
- Cab card
- The cab card lists all IRP member jurisdictions and the vehicle's maximum combined gross weight, and the plate number always matches the cab card number. Since July 1, 2018 cab cards print on 8.5 by 11 paper, and since January 1, 2019 (IRP ballot 412) all states accept an electronic image of the cab card.
- Cab card: carriage
- The card must be carried in the vehicle at all times, or in the power unit of a combination, and paper or electronic proof is equally valid.
- Cab card: corrections
- Corrections requested more than 15 days after receipt of the cab cards cost 3 dollars per card; a duplicate card is 3 dollars, and cards may be reprinted any time from the online account.
- Cab card: renewal display
- Per Section 605 of the IRP Plan, renewed credentials may be displayed before the effective date, but both the old and new cab cards must be carried until the new registration period begins.
- Process: system
- Motor Carrier Connect (https://sd.motorcarrierconnect.com); IFTA returns are filed in SD Interstate Online (https://interstateonline.sd.gov)
- Process: documents
- IRP application, Agreement to Maintain Records, Schedule A/E vehicle registration form, MCS-150 (USDOT registration), Power of Attorney if applicable, a setup checklist with proof of South Dakota residency such as a phone bill in the registrant's name at the listed address plus insurance, property tax proof, or a rental contract, a current stamp-verified Form 2290 Schedule 1 for vehicles of 28 tons or more, and title work (Application for Motor Vehicle Title, original title or MSO, bill of sale or purchase agreement).
- Process: prerequisites
- The fleet must verify its vehicles are registered under a South Dakota interstate fuel user (IFTA) license before fleet registration is submitted, and the same Tax Identification Number or FEIN should be used for both IRP and IFTA accounts. Renewals are refused if the DOT number is out of service or taxes or IFTA accounts are delinquent.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More South Dakota IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: summary
- Temporary clearance issued with new applications is valid for a maximum of 45 days or until the end of the current registration year, requires an advance deposit, cannot be voided once issued, and the licensing cannot be canceled. Unladen vehicle permits (25 dollars, issued by the Department of Public Safety) let an owner operate a vehicle whose registration lapsed from a lease cancellation, empty, for up to 30 days across member jurisdictions.
- Contact: email
- [email protected]
- Contact: note
- The IRP phone line above is the Department of Revenue Motor Carrier Services number published on both the Department's Motor Carrier Services page and the SD Truck Info IRP/Prorate Licensing page. The 605-224-7364 (224-SEMI) line belongs to the Highway Patrol Permit Center for oversize and overweight permits, not to the IRP unit, and the 605-773-3314 line is the Motor Fuel Section for IFTA.
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether South Dakota can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- The fleet must operate in two or more jurisdictions, and South Dakota base-jurisdiction evidence in the new-account checklist includes proof of residency such as a copy of a phone bill in the registrant's name for the address listed, plus insurance, property tax proof, or a property rental contract.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Service representatives
- Equipment may be registered in the base jurisdiction of either the service representative or the carrier, with records kept or made available in that jurisdiction; household goods carrier equipment registered in the carrier's base jurisdiction is registered in the carrier's name.
- Qualifying vehicles: Summary
- An apportionable vehicle is a power unit used or intended for use in two or more member jurisdictions for transporting persons for hire or property, with two axles and a gross or registered gross weight over 26,000 pounds, or three or more axles regardless of weight, or used in combination when the combination exceeds 26,000 pounds. Lighter vehicles used for hire in two or more jurisdictions may be apportioned at the registrant's option; recreational vehicles, restricted plates, and government vehicles are excluded.
- Qualifying vehicles: Intrastate alternative
- Vehicles traveling exclusively within South Dakota need an in-state commercial license from a county treasurer's office rather than IRP.
- Renewal: Summary
- Renewal is staggered quarterly: carriers select February, May, August, or November, and every fleet of a carrier shares one expiration month, expiring on the last day of that month (enforcement begins the first day of the following month). Motor Carrier Services emails a renewal notice 30 to 45 days before expiration; filing online before the deadline and paying at least 15 days before it ensures credentials arrive before expiration.
- Renewal: Months
- February 28 (enforced March 1), May 31 (June 1), August 31 (September 1), November 30 (December 1)
- Reciprocity: Summary
- What an IRP license does not do: exempt a carrier from motor fuel taxes in any jurisdiction, from obtaining operating authority where the apportioned vehicle operates, from the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, from maximum size and axle limitations or bridge laws, from a commercial driver license, or from sales tax due.
What the South Dakota share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the South Dakota inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
- South dakota share
- The South Dakota fee component follows the commercial motor vehicle fee schedule in SDCL 32-9-15, and a 4 percent motor vehicle excise tax applies to titled prorate vehicles, prorated by the carrier's South Dakota mileage percentage.
- Credentials
- A 3 dollar fee applies for each registration card or identification device issued for each proportionally registered vehicle; mailing plates costs 12 dollars per plate or set and 2.50 dollars per decal or set.
- Late payment
- Billings are due on receipt; a temporary-operating-authority billing unpaid after 30 days draws a penalty of 10 percent of fees or 10 dollars (whichever is greater) plus interest of 1.5 percent per month (or 5 dollars minimum for the first month), and failure to provide licensing information within 20 days of temporary authority brings a 20 dollar penalty.
Setting up a South Dakota IRP account
New motor carrier accounts are completed online at Motor Carrier Connect, then vehicles are added on the Schedule A/E form, with paper submissions going to the Pierre office. The document list is long but concrete: the IRP application, the agreement to maintain records, the Schedule A/E, the MCS-150, a power of attorney where one applies, residency proof such as a phone bill in the registrant's name plus insurance, property tax proof, or a rental contract, a stamp-verified Form 2290 Schedule 1 for the heaviest vehicles, and the title work.
Two prerequisites shape the order. The fleet's vehicles must be registered under a South Dakota interstate fuel user license before fleet registration is submitted, and the same tax identification number should serve both accounts. An advance deposit goes in with the application, and temporary clearance runs up to forty-five days while plates are processed.
How the fees work
Apportioned fees follow distance: each jurisdiction collects on the share of actual distance the fleet ran there during the previous July-through-June reporting period. A new licensee with no history registers and pays across all member jurisdictions using the state's average per vehicle distance chart, then reports actual distance at first renewal.
The South Dakota component follows the commercial motor vehicle fee schedule, and an excise tax applies to titled prorate vehicles, prorated by the carrier's in-state mileage share. Registered weight is normally the same in every jurisdiction, with a variance threshold above which justification is needed. Billings are due on receipt, and late payment draws a percentage penalty plus monthly interest.
Plates and the cab card
One plate and one cab card per vehicle cover all member jurisdictions. The card lists those jurisdictions and the vehicle's maximum combined gross weight, and the plate number always matches the card number. The card rides in the vehicle, paper or electronic proof equally valid, and every member state accepts an electronic image.
Corrections requested soon after receipt are free of a per-card charge, later ones and duplicates carry a small per-card fee, and cards reprint any time from the online account. Renewed credentials may be carried before their effective date with both old and new cards in the cab until the new period starts.
Renewal on a staggered quarterly cycle
Each carrier picks one of four expiration months, and every fleet the carrier owns shares it, expiring on the last day of that month with enforcement from the first day of the next. Renewal notices email out thirty to forty-five days ahead, and filing online with payment at least fifteen days early gets credentials in hand before expiration.
Renewal is refused when the DOT number is out of service or taxes or the IFTA account are delinquent, which ties the two Pierre programs together beyond sharing an office.
What an IRP license does not do
The reciprocity list is worth reading before you assume the plate settles everything. Apportioned registration does not exempt a carrier from motor fuel taxes in any jurisdiction, from obtaining operating authority where the vehicle operates, from the federal heavy vehicle use tax, from maximum size and axle limitations or bridge laws, from a commercial driver license, or from sales tax due.
Audits are part of the deal: distance records for the current license year and the three prior reporting periods support renewal billing, and the Department runs IRP audits with notice, assessment, and sixty days to appeal.
Reach the South Dakota IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
- [email protected]
- Notes
- The IRP phone line above is the Department of Revenue Motor Carrier Services number published on both the Department's Motor Carrier Services page and the SD Truck Info IRP/Prorate Licensing page. The 605-224-7364 (224-SEMI) line belongs to the Highway Patrol Permit Center for oversize and overweight permits, not to the IRP unit, and the 605-773-3314 line is the Motor Fuel Section for IFTA.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through South Dakota, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.