South Dakota has no statewide general contractor license and no state qualifying agent requirement.
Requirements checked against the South Dakota Electrical Commission and South Dakota Plumbing Commission, Department of Labor and Regulation published requirements on September 29, 2026.
| Licensing board | No state board for general contractors; GC licensing is city or county level. State Electrical Commission and State Plumbing Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation) license the trades; every contractor needs a Contractor's Excise Tax License from the Department of Revenue |
|---|---|
| License required when | No state GC license at any dollar amount; Contractor's Excise Tax License required of anyone who builds, remodels, or repairs real property |
| What the state calls the qualifier | No qualifier term; an entity may hold the electrical contractor license directly with an officer or manager submitting the experience evidence; plumbing contractor is defined as a person |
| NASCLA exam accepted | no |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | none stated; electrical and plumbing reciprocity are discretionary with no fixed list |
| Exam waivers | Discretionary only. Electrical: reciprocal license granted only if the other state reciprocates and the commission finds qualifications equal South Dakota's. Plumbing: nonresident may register without a new exam only if the other state's regulation is substantially equivalent |
| Experience required | No state GC requirement. Electrical contractor: at least 2 years as a journeyman electrician or 1 year commercial experience as a Class B electrician |
| Application and exam fees | 60 dollars electrical application fee for every class; plumbing initial application capped at 60 dollars; no state GC fee |
| Renewal | Electrical: 200 dollars electrical contractor, 100 dollars Class B, 80 dollars journeyman, two year cycle expiring June 30 of even numbered years. Plumbing: license or renewal capped at 300 dollars, expires annually December 31 |
| Time to license | No processing time published for electrical or plumbing contractor applications; electrical applicant has 90 days after commission approval to sit the exam |
| Bond and financial requirements | No state GC bond, net worth, or liability requirement. Electrical contractor or Class B: 10,000 dollar undertaking plus liability insurance of 100,000 dollars per occurrence and 300,000 dollars aggregate plus a 50 dollar deposit |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Operating without the Contractor's Excise Tax License is a Class 1 misdemeanor: up to 1,000 dollars and a year in jail, rising to 4,000 dollars and two years for continued noncompliance |
| Time to replace a qualifier | None stated in the electrical statute or rules; no replacement deadline in days exists for a departing qualifying person |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | No cap stated in statute or rules on how many businesses one electrical contractor or Class B electrician may be tied to |
Facts checked on July 14, 2026.
Each line was checked against the state board’s published requirements on the date shown. Not stated means the board material we reviewed did not state it, so we do not guess. Boards change rules; confirm the current figure with the board before you file.
General contractors are licensed at the city level: Sioux Falls licenses residential building contractors along with electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades inside city limits, and other cities such as Rapid City run their own programs, so the rules depend on where the project sits. The state does license the trades: the South Dakota Electrical Commission licenses everyone performing electrical work and the South Dakota Plumbing Commission licenses plumbers and plumbing contractors, both under the Department of Labor and Regulation. The one statewide requirement that touches every contractor is the contractor's excise tax license from the Department of Revenue, with a 2 percent excise tax on gross receipts from construction work.
South Dakota has no statewide general contractor license; some cities license GCs locally, and every contractor needs a state Contractor's Excise Tax License from the Department of Revenue. The State Electrical Commission licenses electrical contractors, and a firm, partnership, LLC, or corporation may hold that license directly. Plumbing contractor licenses go to a person, not a business entity.
South Dakota has no state level classification system for general contracting, because there is no state general contractor license to classify. Each city runs its own class system. Confirm the specific contractor classes and fee tiers for Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Brookings, Watertown, and Sturgis directly with the relevant city's building department before relying on them.
South Dakota's approach to company qualification differs from the model used in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. South Dakota's electrical statute allows a firm, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation to hold an electrical contractor's license directly, with an officer or manager submitting the experience evidence on the entity's behalf (SDCL 36-16-1, 36-16-22). SDCL chapter 36-16 and ARSD article 20:44 do not state a cap on how many businesses one licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician may qualify at once, and do not state a replacement deadline in days if that qualifying person leaves a company.
South Dakota's plumbing statute goes further in the other direction. SDCL 36-25-1 defines plumbing contractor as a person, not a business entity, so the credential reads as personal rather than a company license with a qualifier layered on top. A designated qualifier model with a company side replacement clock for South Dakota plumbing is sometimes described by other sources, but this is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page.
South Dakota does not have a stated one company at a time rule or a stated number of days to replace a qualifier. Confirm this directly with the relevant commission before relying on it: electrical at 605 773 3573, plumbing at 605 773 3429.
South Dakota does not appear on NASCLA's Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies list. That list currently covers 20 agencies across 18 jurisdictions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia.
There is no South Dakota state general contractor license for a NASCLA commercial exam to attach to. A NASCLA card held from another state carries no automatic weight in South Dakota.
South Dakota has no state general contractor exam, because there is no state general contractor license. The exams that matter for this state are the three electrical exams run through the International Code Council and PearsonVUE, plus the state administered plumbing contractor and plumber exam, covered below based on the ICC South Dakota Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, the South Dakota Plumbing Commission's exams page, and the Administrative Rules of South Dakota sections governing the plumbing exam.
There is no state level net worth, bonding, or general liability requirement for a South Dakota general contractor, because there is no state general contractor license. City programs set their own requirements; confirm those directly with the relevant city before relying on them. At the state trade level, electrical contractors and Class B electricians must carry the 10,000 dollar undertaking plus the liability insurance described above (SDCL 36-16-20). A comparable statewide bonding or insurance figure for plumbing contractors is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; confirm directly with the Plumbing Commission before relying on a number.
A general processing time in days for the electrical contractor or plumbing contractor application is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. The one concrete clock that is published is the electrical exam window: an applicant has 90 days to test after the commission approves the application, or the 60 dollar application fee is forfeited and must be repaid (SDCL 36-16-13, ARSD 20:44:16:02). For a specific timeline commitment, confirm directly with the relevant commission rather than relying on an estimate.
Electrical reciprocity is discretionary rather than a fixed list. SDCL 36-16-23 lets the Electrical Commission grant a reciprocal license to an electrician licensed in another state only to the extent that state offers similar reciprocity back, and only after the commission is satisfied the applicant's qualifications equal South Dakota's own. Reciprocity fees are 200 dollars for an electrical contractor and 80 dollars for a journeyman electrician (ARSD 20:44:16:11). South Dakota is sometimes described as part of a 14 state National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance journeyman list; confirm this with the commission before relying on it.
Plumbing reciprocity works the same discretionary way. SDCL 36-25-21 lets the Plumbing Commission register a nonresident applicant without a new exam only if that applicant is already registered in another state whose plumbing regulation the commission determines is substantially equivalent.
Reciprocity into or out of South Dakota, in either trade, should be confirmed with the relevant commission for the exact license and state involved before being relied on.
Electrical and plumbing are licensed at the state level. The federal EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification still applies everywhere regardless of city. An HVAC contractor registered in Sioux Falls is not automatically authorized to work in Rapid City or any other city.
The State Electrical Commission, under the Department of Labor and Regulation, licenses under SDCL chapter 36-16 and ARSD article 20:44. License classes are Apprentice Electrician, Journeyman Electrician, Class B Electrician, Electrical Contractor, Electrical Inspector, Maintenance Electrician (for a single employer's own property), and 501(d) Electrician (restricted to religious or apostolic association properties). Apprentice to journeyman requires four years, 8,000 hours, of licensed experience under a contractor or Class B electrician. To apply for an electrical contractor's license, a person needs at least two years of experience as a journeyman electrician, or at least one year of commercial experience as a Class B electrician (SDCL 36-16-19). One year of experience counts as 2,000 hours (ARSD 20:44:16:06). The passing score is 70 percent for the contractor, Class B, journeyman, and 501(d) exams, and 80 percent for the electrical inspector exam (ARSD 20:44:16:03). Biennial license fees are 200 dollars for electrical contractor, 100 dollars for Class B electrician, and 80 dollars for journeyman electrician, with a 60 dollar application fee for every class (SDCL 36-16-17, ARSD 20:44:16:04, 20:44:16:15). Licenses run on a two year cycle expiring June 30 of even numbered years, renewable within 30 days of expiration, or reinstated within one year for a 50 dollar fee before a new exam is required (SDCL 36-16-25, ARSD 20:44:16:18). Continuing education is 16 hours every two years, at least half of it on the National Electrical Code (ARSD 20:44:17:01, 20:44:17:03). Before licensure, an electrical contractor or Class B electrician must post a 10,000 dollar undertaking plus public liability insurance of at least 100,000 dollars per occurrence and 300,000 dollars aggregate, along with a 50 dollar deposit to the commission's undertaking fund (SDCL 36-16-20).
The exam vendor is the International Code Council, delivered through PearsonVUE, per ICC's South Dakota Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, published August 19, 2025. The applicant must first apply and pay a 60 dollar fee to the State Electrical Commission; once approved, the applicant has 90 days to schedule and sit the ICC exam through PearsonVUE or must reapply and repay the fee. Three exams run through this program: exam 530, South Dakota Electrical Contractor, 100 questions, open book, five hour limit, 115 dollars through PearsonVUE; exam 531, South Dakota Journeyman Electrician, 80 questions, four hour limit, 115 dollars; exam 533, South Dakota Class B Electrician, 60 questions, three hour limit, 115 dollars. All three are referenced to NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, 2023 edition, plus Ugly's Electrical References. A failed exam can be retaken after 30 days, and after a second failure the wait becomes 90 days between each further attempt (ARSD 20:44:16:03). This 115 dollar PearsonVUE exam fee is separate from and in addition to the commission's own 60 dollar application fee.
The State Plumbing Commission, also under the Department of Labor and Regulation, licenses under SDCL chapter 36-25 and ARSD article 20:53. License types are Apprentice, Third Year Apprentice Plumber, Plumber, Plumbing Contractor, and specialty licenses covering Sewer and Water, Appliance, Manufactured or Mobile Home, Underground Irrigation, Water Conditioning, and On Site Wastewater System Installer (South Dakota plumbing licensing page). South Dakota's plumbing statute does not use the title Master Plumber at all; SDCL 36-25-1 defines only plumbing contractor, plumber, and plumber's apprentice. Statutory fee caps are 60 dollars for initial application, 30 dollars for license verification, 100 dollars for examination or reexamination, and 300 dollars for a license or its renewal (SDCL 36-25-19). Current published exam fees are 100 dollars for the Contractor and Plumber or Installer exams and 50 dollars for the Third Year Apprentice exam (South Dakota plumbing exams page). Plumbing licenses expire annually on December 31, not biennially like electrical, and can be renewed up to six months after expiration (SDCL 36-25-19.4). Continuing education is only 4 hours per license period (SDCL 36-25-32), far lighter than electrical's 16 hours. A rural or small municipality waiver of the standard licensing path exists under SDCL 36-25-17.1, with training and an examination substituted.
South Dakota plumbing follows the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, published by IAPMO, effective January 1, 2024, as amended by the commission (SDCL 36-25-15, updated by SL 2025, ch 162, section 1; the code year was the 2015 edition before that amendment), not the International Plumbing Code that many neighboring and southeastern states use. Unlike electrical, the plumbing exam is administered directly by the State Plumbing Commission itself, in Pierre, with occasional sessions in Sioux Falls or Rapid City when enough candidates warrant travel, with no third party vendor named on the commission's own exam page (South Dakota plumbing exams page). PearsonVUE and ICC apply only to the electrical trade in this state; they do not administer the plumbing exam.
The licensing rules have not changed. The 2023 National Electrical Code has been fully in force since late 2024: permits have been inspected under the 2023 NEC since November 12, 2024, and exam content switched to the 2023 edition on December 2, 2024 (South Dakota Labor and Regulation, checked 2026-09-29). The Electrical Commission's 2026 renewal window for the current biennial cycle opens April 20, 2026; renewal should not be attempted before that date (South Dakota Electrical Commission, checked 2026-09-29). The Plumbing Commission's exams page lists upcoming batch session dates of July 10, 2026 in Sioux Falls and July 24, 2026 in Rapid City, consistent with the commission's practice of scheduling sessions outside Pierre once 8 to 10 applicants are ready to test (South Dakota plumbing exams page, checked 2026-09-29).
A 2025 legislative package also raised several inspection and permit fee caps, including new residential electrical inspection caps and single family plumbing permit caps, reflected in the Commission's July 1, 2025 fee schedule. These are permit and inspection costs, separate from the licensing fees above.
South Dakota has no statewide license for general contractors. Cities including Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Brookings, Watertown, and Sturgis each run their own licensing process for residential building contractors and other specialty trades, and these city programs are not interchangeable with one another.
Every South Dakota contractor needs, at the state level and regardless of trade, a Contractor's Excise Tax License from the South Dakota Department of Revenue (South Dakota Department of Revenue). This is a tax registration rather than a competency license. It is required of anyone who builds, remodels, or repairs real property, is taxed at 2 percent of gross receipts on realty improvement contracts, and carries Class 1 misdemeanor penalties for operating without it: up to 1,000 dollars and a year in jail, rising to 4,000 dollars and two years for continued noncompliance.
South Dakota not requiring a license is accurate only for general contracting at the state level. A city may still require its own registration, and the excise tax license is required either way.
Official Licensing Authority
All contractor license applications, renewals, and qualifying agent changes must go through this board.
We place a licensed qualifying agent with your company as a full time W-2 employee and prepare the qualifier filing with the South Dakota Electrical Commission and South Dakota Plumbing Commission, Department of Labor and Regulation. Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
Provide your information for a compliance assessment.
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