Each organized township in the state is a body corporate and has power:

(1) To sue and be sued;

Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 8-2-1

  • Property: includes property, real and personal. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.

(2) To acquire, by purchase, condemnation, or other lawful means, real property within or without the limits of the township, necessary or convenient for township purposes, or for the exercise of the powers granted to the township;

(3) To make such contracts and purchase and hold such personal property as may be necessary for the exercise of its corporate or administrative powers or for the protection of the property of its inhabitants, including the purchase of or contracting for firefighting equipment or protection;

(4) To pass bylaws or ordinances for the government of such township and for the protection of the lives and property of its inhabitants, and to enforce the same in its corporate name before any magistrate;

(5) To make such orders for the disposition, regulation, or use of its corporate property as may be deemed by the board of supervisors conducive to the best interests of the inhabitants.

Source: SL 1872-3, ch 51, § 8; PolC 1877, ch 23, § 7; CL 1887, § 711; SL 1901, ch 200, § 1; RPolC 1903, § 1003; RC 1919, § 6044; SL 1919, ch 347; SL 1925, ch 290; SDC 1939, § 58.0201 (1) to (5); SL 1941, ch 365; SL 1974, ch 153, § 3.