South Dakota Electrical Contractor License: Requirements, Experience, and How to Apply
What the South Dakota Electrical Commission requires for the electrical contractor license, the state's master-level license: journeyman or Class B experience, the $115 ICC exam, the $200 license, bond and insurance, renewal and reciprocity.
Contents
South Dakota Electrical Contractor License: Requirements and How to Apply
South Dakota licenses electricians through the South Dakota Electrical Commission. The licenses are apprentice, journeyman, Class B and electrical contractor. There is no "master" title: the electrical contractor license is South Dakota's master-level license, and other states pair it with their master licenses for reciprocity.
Experience
You qualify with either:
- two years as a licensed journeyman, at least one of them in commercial work, or
- one year of commercial work as a Class B electrician.
If you are not licensed yet, start with the journeyman license. See South Dakota Journeyman Electrician requirements.
Applying and the exam
Apply to the Commission first, with a $60 application fee. Once you are approved, you have 90 days to test.
ICC gives the South Dakota Electrical Contractor exam (530) at Pearson VUE test centers for $115:
- 100 multiple-choice questions in 5 hours, four options and one correct answer each,
- open book with the 2023 NEC and Ugly's Electrical Reference (any edition); the hardcover NEC Handbook is also allowed,
- 70% to pass. After a failed attempt the state requires a 30-day wait, and 90 days after a second failure.
What is on the exam breaks down the ICC outline.
Fees, bond and insurance
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Commission application | $60 |
| ICC exam | $115 |
| Electrical contractor license | $200 for two years |
You also need a $10,000 bond and liability insurance, unless your employer carries them.
Which code?
South Dakota applies the 2023 NEC, with state amendments, to installations permitted on or after November 12, 2024. Its exams moved to the 2023 NEC on December 2, 2024.
Renewal and continuing education
Every South Dakota electrical license expires June 30 of even-numbered years. You need 16 hours of continuing education per two-year cycle, at least 8 on the NEC and no more than 8 online or by correspondence.
Licensed in another state?
South Dakota recognizes licenses held active for at least one year. For the electrical contractor license:
| State | South Dakota contractor pairs with |
|---|---|
| Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska | Contractor license |
| Oklahoma | Journeyman plus unlimited contractor |
| Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, Texas, Wyoming | Master license |
Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico have journeyman reciprocity only.
Getting ready
South Dakota and ICC do not publish exam pass rates. Try our free 10-question practice test on the 2023 NEC, or see the full South Dakota Electrical Contractor exam prep.
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