Disclosure: this guide contains referral links, marked where they appear. Market data is independently measured from public sources on the dates shown.
A correction first, because this page changes an entry in my own fifty-state table. South Dakota has been listed here as a state that registers kei trucks through a street-legal off-road vehicle class, on roads posted at 65 mph or less, with no interstates. Reading the statutes, two of those three details are wrong.
The off-road class does exist, and it does bar interstates. It also does not reach a kei truck, because the vehicle it describes is one “designed primarily to be operated on land other than a highway.” And the 65 mph figure is South Dakota’s ordinary speed limit, not a restriction on anything in particular.
What is left is more useful than what I had: a state with no federal safety standards clause in its title or registration chapters, a $36 annual license fee for a vehicle of this weight, and an explicit statutory choice between a road title and an off-road one. I research Japan’s used vehicle market from Sapporo; here is the text.
The Short Answer
- No kei-specific rule exists, in either direction.
- No federal safety standards requirement in the title or registration chapters.
- The off-road vehicle route does not apply — the definition turns on design for non-highway use.
- There is no 65 mph restriction. That is the general speed limit.
- A kei truck licenses as a noncommercial pickup truck: $36 a year at 2,000 lb or less.
- 4% excise tax on the purchase price, in lieu of sales tax.
- You may instead take a “no tax paid” title and forgo plates entirely.
- No safety inspection, no emissions test. Insurance is 25/50/25.
Why the Off-Road Route Does Not Fit
SDCL 32-20-13 is the provision people point at, and it is genuinely permissive on its face:
“Any all-terrain vehicle with four or more wheels and with a combustion engine having a piston or rotor displacement of two hundred cubic centimeters or more…may be licensed as a motorcycle pursuant to chapter 32-5 to be used on a public highway. Prior to being licensed, the vehicle shall meet the necessary light, brake, and other vehicle accessory requirements provided by chapters 32-15, 32-17, and 32-18 that are applicable to motorcycles…Any vehicle licensed pursuant to this section may not be operated on the interstate highway system.“
A 660cc engine clears the 200cc floor easily, and four wheels is four wheels. The problem is the noun. The section applies to an “all-terrain vehicle” or an “off-road vehicle,” and SDCL 32-20-1(4) defines the latter as:
“any self-propelled, two or more wheeled vehicle designed primarily to be operated on land other than a highway and includes all terrain vehicles, dune buggies, and any vehicle whose manufacturer’s statement of origin or manufacturer’s certificate of origin states that the vehicle is not for highway use.”
A kei truck fails both limbs, and fails them in the buyer’s favor. It was designed primarily for highways — Japanese ones, but highways — and no document anywhere says it is not for highway use. It is not an off-road vehicle in South Dakota, so 32-20-13 has nothing to say about it, and neither does the interstate ban inside it.
This is the third time in this series the same definitional shape has decided a state, and it cuts differently each time. In Nevada the off-highway definition’s design-purpose test closed the only route people were being pointed at. In Mississippi a near-identical exclusion is a trap to stay out of. Here it simply removes a restriction that was never applicable. The comparison of state definitions collects the pattern.
Where the 65 came from
South Dakota’s general speed limit is 65 miles per hour on ordinary highways. It applies to every vehicle on those roads and says nothing about kei trucks, mini-trucks, off-road vehicles or imports. Attaching it to this class of vehicle is the same error as the 35 mph figure attributed to Mississippi, which came from bills that died in committee — a real number, correctly reported, describing something else.
What South Dakota Actually Requires
Read the chapters that would carry a bar if one existed, and there is nothing there.
SDCL 32-5-2, the registration application, asks for six things: cylinders or bore and stroke, the manufacturer’s weight, the fuel type, make and model and body and year and color and vehicle identification number, the odometer reading, and the purchase price with the names of seller, buyer and lienholder. Nothing about federal standards, certification labels, or country of manufacture.
SDCL 32-3-3 requires a manufacturer’s statement of origin for a new vehicle sold to a dealer; it has no application to a 25-year-old truck bought at auction. SDCL 32-3-5 requires that anyone who brings a motor vehicle into the state obtain a certificate of title in their name, except for temporary use not exceeding ninety days.
Two practical notes follow from that ninety-day window. It is generous by the standards of this series — Mississippi gives thirty days and adds a $250 penalty — and it is the period in which to sort out anything the county treasurer questions.
The choice South Dakota puts in the statute
SDCL 32-3-4 contains something most states leave to practice, and it is worth quoting because it is a decision you actually get to make:
“If the applicant certifies on the application for title that the motor vehicle…is not going to be used upon the highways of this state or any other state, the secretary may, upon completion of an application, payment of title fee and surrender of evidence of ownership, issue a certificate of title, no tax paid…If a no tax paid title is issued the applicant may not purchase license plates.”
So the off-road option is not a consolation prize handed out when registration fails; it is an election the statute offers, with the consequences stated. Certify that the truck stays off the highway and you skip the 4% excise tax and get a clean title, but you get no plates and cannot change your mind without going back and paying. For a truck that will genuinely live on a property, that is a real saving. For anything else it is a trap you set for yourself.
Note the phrase “surrender of evidence of ownership.” That is the statutory hook for a Japanese export certificate of deregistration, and it appears in the no-tax-paid branch. Ask the county treasurer what they want for the ordinary branch before you buy.
What It Costs
| Item | Amount | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Annual license fee, noncommercial pickup truck, manufacturer’s shipping weight 2,000 lb or less | $36.00 | SDCL 32-5-6(1) |
| Same, 2,001 to 4,000 lb | $72.00 | SDCL 32-5-6(2) |
| Motor vehicle excise tax | 4% of the purchase price, in lieu of sales tax | SDCL 32-5B-1 |
| “No tax paid” title, vehicle certified not for highway use | Title fee only — but no license plates | SDCL 32-3-4 |
| Safety inspection | None | — |
| Emissions test | None | — |
| Liability insurance | 25/50/25 | SDCL 32-35-70 |
The weight bracket is worth checking rather than assuming. The statute measures “the manufacturer’s shipping weight, including accessories,” and a kei truck sits close to the 2,000 lb line — a bare two-wheel-drive flatbed is comfortably under it, while a four-wheel-drive with a dump bed and a crane may not be. The difference between the first and second brackets is exactly double, so it is worth knowing which side of the line your truck falls on before you order.
The 4% excise tax is calculated on purchase price, which for an imported vehicle is a question the treasurer will want answered with paperwork. Keep the invoice. The landed cost calculator covers the federal duty and freight, which are the larger numbers.
Insurance
South Dakota requires $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more in any one accident, and $25,000 for property damage, under SDCL 32-35-70. Written 25/50/25.
One provision in that section is unusual and occasionally useful: the policy “may exclude liability coverage if the policyholder certifies in writing that the vehicle will not be operated during the policy period.” If the truck is stored for a winter, that is a conversation worth having with the insurer rather than simply letting cover lapse.
Practically: online quote forms validate VIN length and will reject a Japanese chassis number, so arrange cover by telephone. Ask for agreed-value or stated-value rather than actual cash value; there is no book value for a 1999 Japanese-market truck.
What to Ask
- The county treasurer: what evidence of ownership will they accept for a Japanese export deregistration certificate, and do they want a translation?
- Yourself, honestly: highway title or no-tax-paid title? The second one is cheaper and cannot be undone casually.
- The exporter: what is the manufacturer’s shipping weight on the export certificate? It decides whether you pay $36 or $72.
- Nobody, about the 65 mph figure. It is the ordinary speed limit and applies to your neighbor’s pickup as well.
What to Buy for South Dakota
Four-wheel drive. Wind, snow, gravel section-line roads and long distances between anything. The off-road guide has the measured 4WD share by model from my Japanese-market sample and covers which models offer a low range.
Watch the shipping weight if you want the $36 bracket. South Dakota measures the manufacturer’s shipping weight including accessories rather than a gross rating, so a dump bed can push the truck into the next bracket and double the annual fee. If you do not need the dump, do not buy the dump.
Check the heater and cold-start before shipping. A battery and starter that pass unnoticed in Kyushu behave differently in a South Dakota January. Ask the exporter to confirm the truck starts cold and the heater blows hot on every speed.
Corrosion. South Dakota uses de-icer and gravel in equal measure. Read the auction sheet for C codes, which mark corrosion through metal rather than surface blemishes, and prefer stock from warm, dry prefectures. With no inspection lane at any point, the discipline has to be yours. The Carry guide and the Hijet guide cover what holds up under load.
For reference, the Japanese side of this market as I measured it across 394 trucks: Subaru Sambar ¥370,000, Honda Acty ¥390,000, Mitsubishi Minicab ¥390,000, Suzuki Carry ¥400,000 and Daihatsu Hijet ¥450,000 at the median. The model comparison sets those against United States sale averages, the 25-year rule guide explains how the month of manufacture is counted, and the fifty-state comparison shows where South Dakota sits.
South Dakota never inspects the truck and charges by shipping weight, so the auction sheet answers both the quality question and the fee bracket. CAR FROM JAPAN publishes the inspector’s sheet with each vehicle, so weight, corrosion codes and equipment grades are visible before you bid. My referral code takes $100 off a first purchase: enter KEITRUCK at the order step (referral link).
FAQ
Are kei trucks street legal in South Dakota?
No statute or regulation addresses them specifically, and the title and registration chapters contain no federal safety standards requirement. A kei truck licenses as a noncommercial pickup truck under SDCL 32-5-6.
Do I have to register it as an off-road vehicle?
No. SDCL 32-20-1(4) defines an off-road vehicle as one designed primarily to be operated on land other than a highway, or whose origin document says it is not for highway use. A kei truck is neither, so SDCL 32-20-13 and its interstate ban do not reach it.
Is there a 65 mph restriction?
No. That is South Dakota’s general speed limit on ordinary highways and applies to every vehicle.
What does it cost?
$36 a year at a manufacturer’s shipping weight of 2,000 lb or less, $72 from 2,001 to 4,000 lb, plus 4% excise tax on the purchase price.
Can I title it without plates?
Yes. SDCL 32-3-4 lets you certify that the vehicle will not be used on the highways of this or any other state and take a “no tax paid” title, but you may not then buy license plates.
Is there an inspection?
South Dakota runs no periodic safety inspection and no emissions program.
What insurance is required?
25/50/25 under SDCL 32-35-70.