Any person who negligently causes a fire to be started or who does not take reasonable precautions to prevent a fire from spreading and permits a fire to spread beyond the person’s control is liable for all fire suppression and extinguishment costs that were caused by the fire and that are collectable by the secretary of public safety under §§ 41-20A-6 and 41-20A-10. For purposes of this section, the term, person, includes public utilities, railroads, and private utilities.

Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 34-35-12.1

  • Person: includes natural persons, partnerships, associations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and corporations. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2

Source: SL 1996, ch 217, § 1; SL 2002, ch 252 (Ex. Ord. 02-1), § 13; SL 2016, ch 182, § 1; SL 2021, ch 1 (Ex. Ord. 21-3), §§ 14, 68, eff. Apr. 19, 2021.