South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. Its council is based in Grantham. The district also includes the towns of Bourne, Market Deeping and Stamford, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

South Kesteven borders North Kesteven to the north, South Holland to the east, the City of Peterborough and North Northamptonshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, the Melton district of Leicestershire to the west, and the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire to the north-west.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the area of five former districts from the administrative county of Kesteven, which were all abolished at the same time:

The new district was named South Kesteven referencing its position within Kesteven, one of the three historic parts of Lincolnshire.

South Kesteven District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lincolnshire County Council. All of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election. Following that election, a coalition of some of the independent councillors with the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour formed to run the council. As at May 2025, all the positions on the council's cabinet are held by independent councillors.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

The leaders of the council since 2002 have been: