The county is entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and contains part of Badlands National Park. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county; taxes on alcohol consumed within the county go to other counties.
Oglala Lakota County is one of two counties in South Dakota that does not have its own county seat (Todd County is the other). Hot Springs in neighboring Fall River County serves as its administrative center. It is also one of five South Dakota counties that are entirely on an Indian reservation. (The others are Corson, Dewey, Todd, and Ziebach.) [Article: Why Does a Reservation County also have a County Government?]
Oglala Lakota County was renamed in May of 2015, originally it had been named Shannon County. Until 1982 Oglala Lakota and Washabaugh County, South Dakota, were the last unorganized counties in the United States. Although it was organized and received a home rule charter that year, Oglala Lakota County, as noted above, contracts with Fall River County for its Auditor, Treasurer, Director of Equalization, State’s Attorney and Registrar of Deeds.
Election Map
View larger map
Courthouse Closed – 4th Of July
The County Courthouse in Hot Springs will be closed on Thursday July 4th, 2019 in observance of the holiday. Normal hours of 8am – 5pm will resume Friday July 5th, 2019.
OLC Hazard Mitigation Plan – Public Review
The current draft of the OST and OLC Hazard Mitigation Plan is now available for Public Review online. This draft includes the latest revisions that were discussed at the second round of meetings. You may review the draft at the project website: https://jeo.com/osthmp. The draft will now be made available for a 30-day public comment […]
Courthouse Closed – Memorial Day
The Fall River County Courthouse will be closed Monday, May 27th, in observance of Memorial Day. Regular office hours will resume Tuesday, May 28th.
Statewide Tornado Drill
South Dakota will have its Statewide Tornado Drill on Wednesday, April 24th, 2019. Sirens will blow! A statewide tornado drill will be conducted for South Dakota by the National Weather Service between 9:00 and 9:30 am MDT (10:00 and 10:30 am CDT) on Wednesday, April 24. Because the exercise is used to ensure communications and […]