Escapees mail forwarding in South Dakota: how it actually works
“Escapees mail forwarding South Dakota” is one of the most common things RVers search before picking a home state. The short answer is that Escapees gives you a South Dakota address for your state paperwork, but your mail is actually handled at their Texas center. This page lays out how that works, what Escapees charges, and what South Dakota’s own offices ask a full-timer for. Everything was checked on 23 Oct 2026 from Escapees’ pages and South Dakota state pages. It is not legal advice.
New to RV mail? RVers start here: the step-by-step checklist.
How the two addresses work
From the Escapees Domicile & Residency page and their mail service FAQ (both checked 23 Oct 2026):
- All mail is processed in Texas, at the main Escapees mail center in Livingston (Polk County).
- Your everyday address looks like
101 Rainbow Dr, # xxxxx, Livingston, TX 77399. Escapees says to give that Texas address “whenever possible.” - If you domicile in South Dakota, you also get a South Dakota address. Escapees calls the SD and FL locations “sub stations” and says you can’t sign up there.
- Use the SD address only for state-specific mail. Escapees lists driver licenses, vehicle registration, insurance and voter registration as examples.
- State mail sent to the SD address is forwarded to you through Livingston for an extra $1 per piece (FAQ).
- Packages received at the South Dakota (or Florida) location are returned to sender. Order everything to the Texas address.
Escapees’ South Dakota page also describes an optional member benefit called Escapees: Home, which lets you use the Box Elder, South Dakota satellite center as your physical address for state documents. That puts you in Pennington County for things like the county treasurer, county auditor and jury lists.
What that means on the road
- Plates and license renewals mailed by South Dakota go to the SD address, then get forwarded through Texas, so they take a little longer to reach you. Renew early when you can. See RV registration renewal from the road and driver license renewal from the road.
- Amazon orders, parts and anything in a box go to the Texas address. If you put the SD address on a parts order out of habit, it will bounce back.
- Banks, the IRS and everyone else also get the Texas address under Escapees’ rules. Our IRS and bank guide covers what federal rules say about addresses.
What Escapees charges (checked 23 Oct 2026)
The mail service is a benefit for Escapees RV Club members only, so club dues come on top. We didn’t find the dues on the mail service pages, so check them on the club site. The same plans and prices apply whether you pick Texas, Florida or South Dakota.
| Item | Price on the Escapees rates page |
|---|---|
| Category A (all mail forwarded, junk included) | $125 a year |
| Category B (only the mail types you pick) | $145 a year |
| Category C (custom sorting) | $175 a year |
| Business account (required at 15+ pieces a month) | $175 a year |
| Temporary account, Category A only | 2 months $40, 3 months $50, 4 months $60, 6 months $70 |
| Mail scanning (Categories B and C) | $10 a month, or $100 a year |
| Enrollment fee | $50, waived for new subscribers while their promotion runs |
| Postage deposit | $50 up front; you pay actual postage from it |
| State mail sent to the SD or FL address | $1 per piece extra (FAQ) |
| Packages at the Texas address | $1 each; $5 if any side is over 30 inches; storage free 30 days, $5 for days 31–60, then $10 every 30 days |
| Certified mail | $0.75 to receive |
The same rates page also shows a lower summary of $110 / $130 / $150 a year for the three categories. The figures above are from its rate cards. Ask Escapees which one applies when you sign up. The page also says promotional pricing renews at the standard rate once the promotion ends.
Escapees says it forwards as often as you ask, usually the next business day, or on a schedule you set (daily, weekly or every two weeks). It accepts UPS and FedEx at the Texas address, but never anything perishable, refrigerated, alcohol, ammunition, firearms, tobacco or hazardous. There’s no refrigeration for medicine, so see packages and prescriptions on the road. When you cancel, USPS rules make them keep forwarding first-class mail for six months, and leftover postage is refunded after that.
What South Dakota asks a full-timer for
A mail service gives you an address. The state decides whether you count as a resident. These are the state’s own rules, not Escapees’.
Driver license
South Dakota’s Department of Public Safety (online renewal page, checked 23 Oct 2026) says a full-time traveler using a mail forwarding service needs, on top of the usual application, fee and ID documents:
- a completed Residency Affidavit (it must be notarized if you apply online or by mail),
- a receipt with your name from a South Dakota hotel, motel, campground or RV park showing one night of stay within the last year, and
- one document with your name and personal mailbox (PMB) address, such as a receipt from the mail forwarding company. DPS says “virtual addresses or virtual postal addresses will not be accepted.”
Your first SD license means showing up at a driver exam station for the photo. After that, DPS allows online renewal once every ten years if you’ve been in person in the last ten years, and you can’t renew online if the license has been expired more than 30 days. Escapees’ South Dakota page points out you can use any SD exam station, not only Rapid City. Full renewal details are in our license renewal guide.
Voter registration
South Dakota’s Secretary of State (register-to-vote and residency pages, checked 23 Oct 2026) says:
- If you register using only a commercial mail receiving agency, mail forwarding service or P.O. box as your residence, without describing where you actually live in the habitation field, you are registered as a federal-only voter. That means your ballot only lists president, U.S. Senate and U.S. House (SDCL 12-4-1.3).
- State law defines a resident as someone with a fixed dwelling where they live and usually sleep for at least 30 consecutive days (SDCL 12-1-4, effective July 1, 2025).
- A newer law, SB 175 (in effect March 26, 2026), also makes a new voter federal-only if they don’t show proof of citizenship when registering. A South Dakota license or ID issued after July 1, 2025 counts, and so does a photocopy of a birth certificate or U.S. passport, among other documents.
Escapees repeats this notice on its own South Dakota page. Absentee ballots and deadlines are covered in voting by mail for RVers.
Vehicle title and registration
South Dakota’s Department of Revenue says you have 90 days from arrival to title and license a vehicle, and the application is filed with the treasurer in your county of residence (Pennington County for the Box Elder address). If your old state’s tax rate was lower than South Dakota’s, you pay the difference. If it was higher, you don’t pay more. Motorhome license fees follow the state’s non-commercial motorhome fee schedule. The fees and the non-resident title fee are laid out in the registration guide and the domicile guide.
Changing your address without going back
Escapees’ South Dakota page says you can change the address on your license by calling DPS (605-773-3178), and change your vehicle registration address online at mysdcars.sd.gov if you have a valid license. We’re passing that along from Escapees, so confirm it with the state before you count on it.
Escapees or a South Dakota-based service?
The main question is where you want your everyday mail and packages handled.
- Escapees makes sense if you’re fine with a Texas address for everyday mail and packages and only need South Dakota for paperwork. If you’d rather skip the second address, see Escapees with a Texas domicile. It also suits you if you want the club, or might switch your domicile to Texas later, because the Texas address stays the same.
- A service in South Dakota, like America's Mailbox (Box Elder) or DakotaPost (Sioux Falls), handles all of your mail and packages at the SD address itself. Prices, setup fees and package rules for both are in the RV mail forwarding comparison, and we cover the first in depth in America’s Mailbox for RVers.
Whichever you pick, the South Dakota rules above don’t change. You still need the one-night receipt and the affidavit for your license, and a mailbox-only voter registration still makes you federal-only. Picking a home state is a bigger decision than picking a mailbox, so read the SD vs Texas vs Florida domicile guide first.
Quick answers
Does Escapees have a mail center in South Dakota?
It has a South Dakota satellite location in Box Elder (Pennington County) that receives state-specific mail. All mail is processed and forwarded from Livingston, Texas, and you can’t sign up at the South Dakota location.
Can I have packages sent to my Escapees South Dakota address?
No. Escapees says packages received at the South Dakota or Florida locations are returned to sender. Send them to your Texas Escapees address.
Do I have to visit South Dakota?
For the driver license, yes. Your first SD license needs an in-person photo, and DPS wants a receipt for at least one night in South Dakota within the last year. Escapees doesn’t change that.
Can I use Escapees without changing my domicile?
Yes. The Escapees FAQ says you can be domiciled in any state and use the service just for forwarding.
More RV guides
RVers start here RV mail forwarding services compared SD vs Texas vs Florida domicile
Links marked sponsored may earn WhichMailbox a commission later. They don’t change what you pay.
Sources checked 23 Oct 2026
- Escapees Mail Service: Domicile & Residency (all mail processed in Texas; FL/SD address for state mail only; packages returned)
- Escapees Mail Service: South Dakota Domicile & Residency (Box Elder satellite center, Escapees: Home, Pennington County contacts, address-change notes)
- Escapees Mail Service FAQ ($1 per piece for SD/FL state mail, package and certified mail fees, forwarding schedule)
- Escapees Mail Service: Categories & Rates
- South Dakota DPS: Renew or replace your driver license online (full-time traveler requirements)
- South Dakota Secretary of State: Register to vote (SB 175, federal-only voter notice)
- South Dakota Secretary of State: Residency qualification (SDCL 12-1-4, 12-4-1.3)
- South Dakota Department of Revenue: Motor vehicle (90 days from arrival, tax reciprocity)
- South Dakota Department of Revenue: Recreational, motorhomes and converted housecars
Reviewed 2026-10-23.