Found an item? Your responsibilities

What to do when you find someone else's property — your responsibilities and how to return it safely.

Found something in South Dakota? Handling it responsibly protects both you and the owner. Rules vary by location, but the principles are consistent.

Make a reasonable effort to find the owner. Check for ID, contact details, or anything that identifies who it belongs to.
Don't assume it's yours to keep. Keeping found property without trying to return it can have legal consequences. When in doubt, hand it in.
Hand valuables to the authorities. Report significant or high-value finds to the police non-emergency line for South Dakota; they'll log it and may issue a reference.
Store it safely. Keep the item secure and unchanged while you try to return it.
Post a found listing. Add a found-item listing for South Dakota with enough detail for the real owner to identify it — while holding back one verifying detail.

Helpful resources for South Dakota

Nextdoor
Reach neighbors to return a found item

Recent reports in South Dakota

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Found xylophones near Falls Park, Sioux Falls

On Friday at 7:20 p.m., near Falls Park in downtown Sioux Falls, I found a large, weathered instrument case tucked behind a bench. Inside, a stack of xylophones and a tangle of mallets spilled out, their colors dulled by sun and rain. It felt like stumbling onto someone's late-night jam session, and a wave of responsibility hit me — I hoped to get them back to their owner. I carried the case toward the park's information kiosk by the entrance and waited a moment, just in case the owner wandered by with a memory they'd left behind.

Falls Park, Sioux Falls about 11 hours ago

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Found postcards in Falls Park, Sioux Falls

Today, at around 8:15 a.m., I found a stack of postcards resting on the granite railing near the Falls Park entrance by the Lincoln statue. I tucked them into my backpack for now and kept an eye on them, thinking someone would be missing them soon. The cards show old stamps from the 1960s and cheerful seaside scenes, and I can almost hear the stories behind each one. I’m posting this here because I’d love to see the rightful owner reclaim them through the site.

Falls Park entrance, Sioux Falls about 1 month ago

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Found sheet music in Falls Park, Sioux Falls

I found a sheet music stack under a bench outside Falls Park's gazebo in Sioux Falls at about 10:15 this morning. The pages were a little wrinkled, corners bent, and there was a pencil mark on the front page with a student’s name faintly legible. It looked like someone had been practicing for a recital, and then must have forgotten their music as they hurried off. I held onto the sheet music for a while, hoping to reunite it with its owner, and then placed it here for the site to pass along. I know how frustrating it is to lose a piece of your practice, and I’m glad to help reconnect it.

Falls Park gazebo, Sioux Falls about 2 months ago

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Found dog leashes near Falls Park

I was leaving Falls Park around 7:15 PM, the wind tugging at my jacket, when I spotted a bunch of bright dog leashes tucked under a bench near the carousel. They looked well-loved—red with a stitched paw print, a neon-green one, and a striped blue one. I figured someone had dropped them in a hurry and probably felt a punch of guilt, like I would if I misplaced something important. I picked them up, checked the surrounding paths, and decided to drop them off at the park office so they can reunite with their owner. I hope the real owner is found soon; it always pulls at me to see a dog without its leash and its human nearby.

Reward

Falls Park, near the carousel about 2 months ago

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Found work cases on Main Street in Sioux Falls.

I found a set of work cases on Main Street in Sioux Falls around 11:00 AM today, tucked beneath a bench outside a small coffee shop. The brown leather cases are weighted with papers and a faded name badge peeking from one zipper. My heart jumped, imagining someone rushing to a meeting and leaving them behind, so I carried them to the downtown police desk to be held safely until the owner is found. I hope the owner sees this listing soon and can claim them quickly.

Main Street, downtown Sioux Falls 3 months ago

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Silver Fossil watch with black leather band

I found a silver Fossil watch with a black leather band this afternoon around 2:15 pm in the parking lot behind the Empire Mall on West 41st Street in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The case is stainless steel with a small scuff on the bezel and the leather strap shows light wear from daily use. The back is engraved with the initials 'R.K.' and there's a tiny scratch near the 3 o'clock mark, but the face is clear and easy to read. I spotted it near the cinema entrance and tucked it into a small ziplock in my pocket in case someone comes looking. If this might be yours, send me a message and we can arrange a safe return.

South Dakota 5 months ago