Power of AttorneyForms & guidance
Find a form ↗

South Dakota Medical Power of Attorney and Advance Directive Form

The health agent makes decisions when the principal cannot make or communicate them. Written preferences and limits guide the appointment.

Jurisdiction
South Dakota
Purpose
Medical & health care
Source / form version
Sanford Health MR32866, revision April 2025
Resource format
PDF
Signing
For South Dakota, sign with two adult witnesses or a notary. The form’s state-specific signing table identifies that route.
Preview PDF

Open the preview to load the complete document. If it does not display, use the direct link below.

Open PDF in a new tab (opens in a new tab)

Sources checked: 2026-11-13. General information, not individual legal advice.

Use South Dakota instructions in the multistate form

Sanford Health publishes a ten-page advance directive covering several states. Use the South Dakota agent and witness requirements identified in its tables. Part 1 names the primary and alternate health agents. This is a health-system form, not a mandatory government blank or a financial appointment.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5]

Discuss treatment and feeding choices

The directive combines an appointment with detailed treatment preferences, including CPR, future life-prolonging treatment and artificial nutrition or hydration. It expressly describes the agent’s treatment powers and provides space for limits. Review these choices with the care team, particularly where personal beliefs or an existing medical order need to be coordinated.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5]

Sign and distribute the complete directive

South Dakota law requires two adult witnesses or a notary for a health power. Sanford provides both execution routes. Do not sign before the chosen witnesses or notary are present. Its introduction states that the document replaces earlier advance directives; give updated copies to the agent and providers so the current instructions can be found. State-specific boxes matter in this multistate document. Do not complete an optional election expressly restricted to Minnesota or North Dakota as though it were a South Dakota rule.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5]

Common questions

Does South Dakota require one government medical form?

No single mandatory statewide health-power blank is supplied here. The download is Sanford Health’s published advance directive with South Dakota instructions.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5]

Are witnesses unnecessary for a health power?

No. Current SDCL 59-7-2.1 requires two adult witnesses or a notary. Some older third-party instructions incorrectly omit that requirement.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5]

Related forms and guides

Sources and verification

  1. Sanford Health: source and instructions (opens in a new tab)
  2. Published form (opens in a new tab)
  3. SDCL §59-7-2.1, health powers and execution (opens in a new tab)
  4. SDCL §34-12D-2, living-will execution (opens in a new tab)
  5. South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, advance care planning (opens in a new tab)

Sanford source and 10-page PDF downloaded and text inspected; AcroForm fields detected. Replaces CaringInfo PDF because its introductory witness guidance conflicted with current law. PREPARE direct links returned 404/timeouts.

The date above records a source check. It does not certify that a form is suitable for your circumstances or that an attorney has reviewed your document. Read the publisher’s current instructions before use.