Rapid City, SD Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration deadline
- 10 business days after foreclosure filing
- Registration fee
- $50 initial, $50 per year renewal
- Correction window
- 3 days after written warning
- Required upkeep
- No debris, litter, or standing water
- Filed with
- City's Finance Office
- Penalty
- General penalty § 1.12.010
Summary
Rapid City Municipal Code § 8.16.090 makes a mortgagee register any vacant residential property within 10 business days of filing foreclosure and keep it free of debris, litter, standing water and outward signs of vacancy while the loan is in foreclosure, backed by a $50 registration fee and the city's general penalty.
A. Within 10 business days of filing a foreclosure action on residential property that is vacant at the time of filing, the mortgagee shall submit a vacant/foreclosed property registration form for the property to the City's Finance Office. ... ... C. During the period that the property is registered, the mortgagee shall have the obligations set forth in this section. 1. Vacant/foreclosed property shall be maintained free of all outward appearances of foreclosure and vacancy during the registration period including:
a. No signs or placards on the exterior of the building or in the windows indicating that the property is vacant or foreclosed, unless otherwise required by federal or state law;
b. The premises shall be maintained free of debris and litter;
c. The premises shall remain secure and locked. Broken windows and doors which are visible from the right-of-way may be covered with plywood or similar boarding material;
d. Handbills, circulars, and advertisements shall be removed from porches and yards in a timely manner; and
e. Standing water on the premises, including but not limited to standing water in swimming pools, shall be eliminated.
Full Breakdown
090A requires the mortgagee to file a vacant/foreclosed property registration form with the City's Finance Office within 10 business days of filing a foreclosure action on residential property that is already vacant, or within 10 business days of the property becoming vacant later in the process. The form must name a local agent, 18 or older or a South Dakota-registered business, who can receive code violation notices and legal process, and that agent must maintain a South Dakota office or residence. Subsection B sets a $50 initial registration fee and a $50 annual renewal fee for as long as the property stays vacant.
While registered, subsection C requires the property be kept free of every outward sign of foreclosure and vacancy: no exterior vacancy signage unless federal or state law requires it, no debris or litter, doors and windows kept secure and any broken windows or doors visible from the right-of-way boarded with plywood or similar material, handbills and circulars removed from the yard promptly, and standing water, including in a swimming pool, eliminated. These duties apply on top of, not instead of, every other property maintenance requirement in the code. 030.
Violations & Fines
Subsection D of § 8.16.090 subjects any violation to the general penalty of § 1.12.010: a fine of $1 to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. A mortgagee who ignores the 3-day correction warning also faces city abatement of the violation with the cost assessed back against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to register a vacant foreclosed home in Rapid City?
What maintenance is required on a vacant/foreclosed property?
What happens if the mortgagee doesn't comply?
Is there an annual fee to keep a property registered?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rapid City
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