A homestead or homestead estate generally includes a house, outbuildings, and the adjoining land owned and occupied by a person or family as a primary residence.

Many states—but not all—have laws that protect a person’s homestead from forced sale for the satisfaction (payment) of debts—at least up to a certain amount of the homestead’s value. These laws may be referred to as homestead exemptions or homestead laws and may be located in a state’s constitution or in its statutes.

The homestead exemption exists to provide a secure home for the family against creditors. The exemption is liberally construed to further its purposes. No specific writing is needed to claim a homestead exemption, but instead merely proof of concurrent usage and intent on the part of the owner to claim the land as a homestead.

In some states the constitutional family homestead exemption applies to the entire family, and not to either spouse individually. Therefore, so long as real property is a family homestead due to one spouse's intention and use, that property is protected by the homestead exemption, unless full abandonment has been pleaded and proved. Once a property has been established as a homestead, the property remains exempt unless it ceases to be a homestead due to abandonment, alienation, or death.

Abandonment of a homestead occurs when the homestead claimant ceases to use the property and intends not to use it as a home again. Anyone asserting abandonment of a homestead has the burden of proving it by competent evidence.

In South Dakota, the homestead exemption is designed to protect a portion of a person's home and adjoining land from forced sale by creditors, ensuring that individuals have a secure place to live despite financial difficulties. South Dakota Codified Laws (SDCL) 43-31-1 through 43-31-34 outline the specifics of the homestead exemption in the state. The exemption applies to a dwelling house and its appurtenances, and up to one acre of land in a platted city or town, or up to 160 acres of land if located outside of a platted city or town. The value protected by the exemption is up to $60,000. This exemption is available to any resident of South Dakota who is the head of a family or over the age of sixty, regardless of marital status. The homestead exemption in South Dakota is automatically applied; no specific writing is required to claim it, but the owner must demonstrate the intent and actual use of the property as a primary residence. The exemption continues until the property is abandoned, alienated, or upon the death of the owner. Abandonment requires both cessation of use and intent not to return, and the burden of proof for abandonment lies with the party asserting it.