Every fee on the page.
Cancel within 60 days of your first charge, and your money comes back automatically.
How the guarantee works →South Dakota camp licensing requirements.
Who licenses day camps and overnight camps in South Dakota, under which rules, and who is exempt. Last checked November 2, 2026.
Get startedor book a demo
Day camps and overnight camps in South Dakota
| Camp type | What the state asks | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Day camps | Depends on the program | Group child care for 13 or more children needs a Social Services license, but camps designed primarily for character building or recreation are exempt.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Overnight camps | Depends on the program | South Dakota's child welfare licensing law does not apply to summer or recreational camps designed primarily for character building or recreation.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026. |
Who oversees camps in South Dakota
| Agency | What it does |
|---|---|
| South Dakota Department of Social Services | Licenses child welfare agencies, including day care centers and group family day care homes.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-9 - License or registration required for child care or placement by public or private agency--Waiver violation as misdemeanor., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026. |
Exemptions
- Summer or recreational camps designed primarily for character building or recreation are outside the child welfare licensing law.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Schools whose care of children is only incidental to their educational services are outside the law.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Institutions run by other departments of state government are outside the law.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Social Services may waive licensure for a facility that another state agency regulates in a similar way, on request with proof of approval.Source: SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-9 - License or registration required for child care or placement by public or private agency--Waiver violation as misdemeanor., South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
Official rules
- SDCL 26-6-14
Categories of child welfare agency licensesSouth Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026. - SDCL 26-6-27
Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutionsSouth Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
Sources
Every source is an official government page.
- SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-27 - Educational and incidental activities exempt from chapter--State institutions.South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
- SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-14 - Categories of child welfare agency licenses.South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
- SDLRC - Codified Law 26-6-9 - License or registration required for child care or placement by public or private agency--Waiver violation as misdemeanor.South Dakota Legislature, Legislative Research Council. Checked November 2, 2026.
About this page
We read each source above on an official government site on November 2, 2026. Each fact links to the page it came from.
Rules change, and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency before you open or change a program.
This page is a summary of public rules. It is not legal advice, and Bloomily does not file license applications.
Camp licensing in other states
- Alabama
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Arizona
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Arkansas
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- California
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state camp rules.
- Colorado
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Connecticut
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Delaware
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Florida
Day camps: no state license. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Georgia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Idaho
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Illinois
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Indiana
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state camp rules.
- Kentucky
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Louisiana
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Maine
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Maryland
Day camps: state certificate. Overnight camps: state certificate.
- Massachusetts
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Michigan
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Mississippi
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Missouri
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Montana
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Nebraska
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: no state license.
- Nevada
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- New Hampshire
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- New Jersey
Day camps: state certificate. Overnight camps: state certificate.
- New York
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- North Dakota
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Ohio
Day camps: state registration. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Oregon
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- South Carolina
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Tennessee
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Texas
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Vermont
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Virginia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Washington
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state registration.
- West Virginia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Wisconsin
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
Running the camp itself
- See camp registration software
Online forms, deposits, waitlists and check-in for day camps and summer camps.
Check us before you commit.
Three things directors ask before they start, answered where you can read them.
Help whenever you need it.
AI help is built in, plus full support from our team. Ask a question, and it answers from your own records.
How AI help works →Children’s data deserves grown-up care.
Encrypted on the way and at rest. Each program’s records are walled off. We never hold card numbers.
Trust and security →Running a camp in South Dakota? Put forms, deposits, waitlists and check-in on Bloomily.
Get startedor book a demo
One flat price per camp, never per child. $199 a month billed yearly ($2,388), or $249 month to month. Free for home daycares up to 18 children. Every fee is on the pricing page.
Sign up today and set up in an afternoon.
Run more than one kind of program? Talk to us.