State Public Safety Grant Guide
South Dakota Public Safety Grants
Grant pathways and verified guidance on foreign-entity contracting, drone operations, federal UAS funding, surveillance systems, and cybersecurity for South Dakota agencies.
South Dakota public safety teams can pursue DPS justice and homeland security funding, direct federal programs, county courthouse security support, traffic safety grants, and targeted private funding for volunteer fire departments. The grant and purchasing rules vary with the applicant, contract value, vendor, funding source, and mission.
Use this guide to identify a program, then verify the current notice, eligibility, allowable costs, procurement method, cybersecurity review, and required approvals with the funder and your agency. For the national framework, read MAXSUR's NDAA, TAA, FCC & Blue UAS guide.
South Dakota snapshot: The enacted SB 189 foreign-entity contracting restriction reaches covered contracts issued by state and local purchasing agencies. It tests whether the contractor is a prohibited entity, and the law contains a defined waiver process. It is not a blanket rule that every foreign-manufactured component is barred at every purchase value. Federal award and agency security requirements may impose additional restrictions.
South Dakota Procurement & Drone Compliance
Apply the state vendor test and federal UAS test separately
South Dakota's SB 189 vendor certification, its drone operating laws, and federal restrictions address different risks. Review each one before selecting the aircraft, payload, cameras, or network services for a grant-funded project.
SB 189 can reach both
Covered purchasing-agency contracts cannot be executed with a prohibited entity; bidders certify their status. Local governing boards have a limited waiver route.
ASDA restricts covered UAS
OMB M-26-02 restricts use of federal award funds to procure or operate FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to specified exceptions and waivers.
Prior approval and Blue UAS
BJA imposes an additional prior-approval and Blue UAS Cleared List certification process for drones under its awards.
Facility overflight is a felony
SDCL § 50-15-3 restricts flights over specified corrections and military facilities without express administrator authorization.
SB 189 is a covered-contract vendor restriction
2023 SB 189, enacted as Chapter 18, added SDCL §§ 5-18A-50 through 5-18A-53. A purchasing agency may not execute a contract subject to specified procurement sections with a prohibited entity. The law defines a purchasing agency broadly and defines a prohibited entity by ultimate ownership or control by a foreign parent entity or government from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Venezuela; it requires bidder or offeror certification for covered contracts.
The state procurement office expressly says the law affects state and local governmental bodies. Its guidance identifies $50,000 supplies/services and $100,000 public-improvement thresholds for the cited covered contracting methods and says smaller goods/services purchases do not acquire this added SB 189 requirement. The law also permits a waiver by the state procurement commissioner or the local governing board where compliance is impossible, the item is unique or unavailable, or there is no other market participant, except as federal law prohibits. Obtain procurement counsel's review of the actual contract and vendor; product country of assembly alone is not the statutory test.
Executive order history and agency cybersecurity
Executive Order 2023-02 initially addressed executive-branch contracts and information or communications technology linked to prohibited foreign entities. Executive Order 2023-10 rescinded it effective July 1, 2023 following SB 189. Do not cite the old order as the current legal basis for every purchase.
State device and network policies can still apply. For a drone or surveillance project, record the vendor's ownership and certification, aircraft and payload origins, radio and modem suppliers, firmware/update path, cloud endpoints, telemetry, remote support, retention, and access controls. Have IT, procurement, and grant staff review the same system diagram before it connects to a government network.
Drone operating laws and 2026 changes
SDCL § 50-15-3 prohibits drone operation over the grounds of a prison, correctional facility, jail, juvenile detention facility, or military facility without express authorization from its administrator. A 2026 amendment made a violation a Class 6 felony. It also refers to law-enforcement countermeasures authorized under § 50-15-3.1; that provision calls for DPS rules on the scope and training, rather than giving every agency unrestricted authority to interfere with aircraft.
Other South Dakota UAS provisions address privacy and unsafe operations, and the FAA's operating and airspace requirements still apply. Plan launch sites and mission-specific permissions with the facility and aviation authorities. The prohibition is an overflight rule as worded; do not reframe it as an invented mile-wide buffer.
Federal award funding and Blue UAS
Under OMB M-26-02, Appendix D, since December 22, 2025 federal grant and other award funds generally cannot be used by recipients or subrecipients to procure a FASC-prohibited UAS or in connection with its operation, subject to listed exemptions and waivers. This can matter even when the drone was first purchased with local funds, depending on how a federal project supports its operation.
BJA-funded UAS additionally require express prior approval, a certification tied to the Blue UAS Cleared List, and privacy and cybersecurity assurances. BJA also restricts modifications or accessories and use of the UAS to process, store, or transmit federal information under that certification. Blue UAS is not itself a blanket South Dakota local purchasing law.
Surveillance equipment, FCC, TAA, and court IT
NDAA Section 889 addresses specified covered telecommunications and video-surveillance equipment and services in federal acquisition. Federal awards have their own restrictions, including 2 CFR 200.216. Screen cameras, recorders, communications links, software, and cloud services separately from a drone's eligibility.
The FCC UAS Covered List action affects new equipment authorizations for covered products; it is not a general ban on using all previously authorized systems. TAA obligations depend on the federal contract or purchasing vehicle, not simply whether a local grant is involved. South Dakota's courthouse security program specifically asks video-surveillance applicants about cloud/on-premises deployment, monitoring access, MFA, workstation/network needs, bandwidth, and recording retention.
Practical South Dakota purchasing checklist
- 1Map the purchase. Identify buyer, contract type and amount, vendor, state or local funds, and every federal award.
- 2Obtain SB 189 documentation. Confirm vendor certification or a properly authorized statutory waiver for a covered contract.
- 3Review the full system. Include airframe, payload, video, radio, software, remote access, and data storage in cybersecurity screening.
- 4Seek grant approval. Check ASDA/FASC status, BJA's UAS procedure where applicable, award terms, and allowable operating costs.
- 5Plan the mission. Obtain FAA and sensitive-facility authorization as required, then retain quotes, approvals, and charges with the grant file.
Available Funding Pathways
South Dakota Grant Opportunities
Program names are pathways, not approvals for a particular product. Status reflects information reviewed September 28, 2026; verify each application window, eligibility, allowable cost, and procurement condition with the official administrator.
| Program | Administrator / level | Potential fit | Planning status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 South Dakota Local Byrne JAG subawards | SD DPS / federal pass-through | Local and tribal law enforcement projects within state JAG priorities | DPS lists applications due Oct. 31, 2026. Review the state notice and UAS conditions. |
| FY2026 Local JAG direct formula | BJA / direct federal | Only jurisdictions listed for a direct allocation; eligible justice technology and equipment | Open: Grants.gov Oct. 9, JustGrants Oct. 16, 2026. Separate from DPS subawards. |
| State Homeland Security Grant Program | SD DPS Office of Homeland Security / FEMA pass-through | Terrorism-nexus preparedness, access control, cyber assessment, radios, rescue and response | Ask the state office for current round; projects cannot start before a signed award agreement. |
| Courthouse Security Grant Program | SD Unified Judicial System / state | County courthouse alarms, metal detectors, video surveillance and other approved security | County applicants; 75% state / 25% county cost share. Obtain judicial endorsement and check current tier process. |
| Office of Highway Safety grants | SD DPS / NHTSA pass-through | Approved impaired-driving, traffic safety, and crash-data projects | Ask the Office of Highway Safety for current solicitation and eligible costs. |
| Black Hills Energy Funds for Firefighters | Private foundation | Volunteer fire protective gear, rescue equipment, and communications in service communities | 2026 awards announced; check next cycle and service-area eligibility. |
| BJA Body-Worn Camera Partnership Program | BJA / direct federal | Body-camera implementation, policy, and digital evidence | Check current BJA notice; FY2026 first application step has passed. |
| COPS School Violence Prevention Program | COPS Office / direct federal | Eligible school security coordination and equipment | FY2026 first step has passed; monitor next notice and applicant rules. |
| Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership | BJA / direct federal | Eligible law enforcement ballistic vests | Check the next BJA window. Not a general drone or camera grant. |
| Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program | BJA / direct federal | Approved substance-use and public-safety collaboration, data, and response projects | Check next solicitation and purpose-area conditions. |
Funding fit: The Community Foundation's Beyond Idea Grants primarily serve eligible nonprofits and community-led work, so they should not be treated as a general municipal police equipment source. Court security and firefighter grants have narrower beneficiaries and allowable uses than JAG or homeland security programs.
FY2026 Funding Snapshot
JAG allocations, not award examples
BJA's formula tables identify pools of potential funding. They do not establish that a named department received an award or that any specific equipment has been approved.
| Allocation | FY2026 amount | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota state JAG | $1,081,978 | State formula allocation; includes required pass-through components. | BJA state table |
| Required variable pass-through | $426,062 | A required component within the state allocation, not additional funding. | BJA state table |
| Under-$10,000 pass-through | $168,914 | State-administered component for jurisdictions below the direct-allocation threshold and/or state police under BJA rules. | BJA state table |
| Direct South Dakota local JAG | $415,003 | Aggregate direct local allocation, separate from state JAG. | BJA state/local table |
Documented private awards: Black Hills Energy reports $165,000 across 72 volunteer fire department grants in seven states in 2026. That is a multi-state program total, not a South Dakota allocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
South Dakota purchasing and drone questions
Does SB 189 apply to municipal purchases?
Yes, to covered contracts issued by purchasing agencies as defined in the state procurement law. State guidance expressly includes local governmental bodies. The law has contract-method and threshold limits and a local governing-board waiver route.
Does SB 189 ban every Chinese-made drone?
It restricts covered contracts with a defined prohibited entity and requires vendor certification. It is not a simple country-of-assembly rule for every low-value product. Other agency and federal restrictions may still apply.
Can a locally purchased aircraft be used in a federal project?
Review the actual federal award's operation costs, whether the aircraft is FASC-prohibited, and any program-specific UAS approval. A local purchase alone does not settle the federal grant analysis.
Is flying over a correctional facility a misdemeanor?
Under the amended SDCL § 50-15-3, unauthorized overflight of the listed correctional or military facilities is a Class 6 felony. Obtain express administrator authorization and comply with FAA requirements.
Plan the Project
Connect funding to field capability
Cooperative Procurement
Eligible agencies can evaluate cooperative contracts after checking SB 189 vendor certification, the agency's procurement authority, the grant conditions, and the proposed system's cybersecurity controls.
Information reviewed September 28, 2026. Grant cycles, procurement thresholds, federal restricted lists, and agency policies can change. Confirm current requirements with the funder, procurement office, and counsel before purchasing or operating equipment.