South Dakota Codified Laws
Chapter 21 - Electronic Document Management System--Official Court Record
Section 16-21-4 - Official record.

16-21-4. Official record.
(1)Whenever available, the official court record shall be the electronic file maintained by the Unified Judicial System. The official record shall also include, however, any conventional documents or exhibits filed and maintained in accordance with the policy for EDMS. The clerk of court shall maintain the official court record in an electronic format or in a combination of electronic and nonelectronic formats as required. Documents filed by traditional methods shall be electronically scanned and made part of the official record in accordance with the EDMS policy. If a document submitted by traditional methods is not of sufficient graphical quality to be legible when electronically scanned into the EDMS, the clerk shall maintain the document in paper format.
(2)An electronic transmission or print-out from the EDMS that shows the clerk's seal attesting to the document's authenticity shall be considered an official record or certified copy of the original.
(3)Any court rule requiring that a document be an original, be on paper or another tangible medium, or be in writing, is satisfied by the electronic image defined as the original document in this rule. No record or signature may be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form.
(4)A requirement that a document or signature associated with a document be notarized, acknowledged, verified, witnessed, or made under oath is satisfied if the electronic signature of the person authorized to perform that act, and all other information required to be included, is attached or logically associated with the document or signature.
(5)Court personnel will electronically file all official documents entered by the court. This applies to any electronic documents generated by the court and shall include orders, judgments, memoranda, papers, notices and any other official document.

Source: SL 2012, ch 255, §4 (Supreme Court Rule 12-01), eff. Feb. 21, 2012.

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