Except as otherwise provided by the terms of the trust, if the value of the trust property of a noncharitable trust is less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars, the trustee may terminate the trust. On petition by a trustee or beneficiary, the court may modify or terminate a noncharitable trust or appoint a new trustee if it determines that the value of the trust property is insufficient to justify the cost of administration involved. Upon termination of a trust pursuant to this section, the trustee shall distribute the trust property in accordance with the trustor‘s probable intention. The existence of spendthrift or similar protective provisions in a trust does not make this section inapplicable. The court, when considering the termination of a trust containing spendthrift or similar protective provisions, shall consider the feasibility of appointing a new trustee to continue the trust. This section does not apply to a purpose trust under subdivision 55-1-21(1).

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Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 55-3-27

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Property: includes property, real and personal. See South Dakota Codified Laws 2-14-2
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustor: The person who makes or creates a trust. Also known as the grantor or settlor.

Source: SL 1998, ch 282, § 5; SL 2004, ch 312, § 12; SL 2015, ch 240, § 18; SL 2018, ch 275, § 26.