A public nuisance may be abated without civil action by any public body or officer as authorized by law. Any municipality, county, or township may defray the cost of abating a public nuisance by taxing the cost thereof by assessment against the real property on which the nuisance occurred or against the real property abutting or adjoining the unrepaired sidewalk as set forth in § 9-46-2. If the nuisance abated is an unsafe or dilapidated building, unrepaired sidewalk, junk, trash, debris, or similar nuisance arising from the condition of the property, the municipality, county, or township may commence a civil action against the owner of the real property for its costs of abatement in lieu of taxing the cost by special assessment.

Any private person may abate a public nuisance which is specially injurious to that person or any private nuisance injurious to that person by removing or if necessary destroying that which constitutes the nuisance without committing a breach of the peace or doing unnecessary injury. If a private nuisance results from a mere omission of the wrongdoer, and cannot be abated without entering upon the wrongdoer’s land, reasonable notice shall be given to the wrongdoer before entering to abate it.

Source: SDC 1939 & Supp 1960, § 37.4707; SL 1981, ch 167; SL 1991, ch 182; SL 2004, ch 145, § 1; SL 2020, ch 30, § 15.