A South Dakota electrical license is issued by the State Electrical Commission inside the Department of Labor and Regulation. The journeyman license is the credential a traveling inside wireman is usually trying to get. Reciprocity skips the South Dakota exam only when the Commission already has an agreement with your state, you earned that license by examination, and you have held it in active status for at least one year.
The partner table below is the Commission's reciprocal agreements page, checked October 6, 2026. The Commission warns that the other state may still require different scores, extra schooling, or extra supervision. An agreement is not a promise that every journeyman card from that state will be accepted on the first reading.
South Dakota locals GoHereBro tracks are on the cards below. Openings in other states are on the job call map and the Hot Spots dashboard. The national pattern of these deals is in the electrician license reciprocity guide.
Journeyman reciprocity states
You must have earned the out-of-state license by examination. It has to have been active for at least one year, unless the Commission specifies a different hold for that state. The page does not list a shorter hold for any of the current partners.
| State | What South Dakota says it will reciprocate |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Journeyman. No electrical contractor equivalent. |
| Arkansas | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| Colorado | Journeyman. No contractor equivalent. The note on the page says a master electrician credential needs 2,000 more hours. |
| Idaho | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| Iowa | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| Minnesota | Journeyman and electrical contractor. |
| Montana | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| Nebraska | Journeyman and electrical contractor. |
| New Hampshire | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| New Mexico | Journeyman only. |
| North Dakota | Journeyman and electrical contractor. |
| Oklahoma | Journeyman and unlimited electrical contractor. |
| Texas | Journeyman and master electrician (contractor equivalent). |
| Wyoming | Journeyman and electrical contractor. |
"EC" on the Commission's table means the contractor-level equivalent, not a second journeyman card. Read the row before you apply for a contractor license with a journeyman card from New Mexico, Alaska, or Colorado.
Direction is not automatic. Texas will take a South Dakota journeyman under TDLR's list, and South Dakota's table includes Texas journeyman and master. Those are two applications, in two states. The Texas electrical license reciprocity guide is the Texas direction. Iowa, Colorado, and North Dakota each have their own GoHereBro pages: Iowa, Colorado, and North Dakota.
NERA states that still have no South Dakota agreement
The same page lists Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin as NERA states without an existing agreement. A Wisconsin journeyman license is not a South Dakota reciprocity file just because both names show up in NERA conversations. The Wisconsin guide describes Wisconsin's own short list, which is a different direction.
The Commission also posts a long "unverified" table. Do not treat that table as a licensing map. It files Ohio under states with no state license. Ohio licenses electrical contractors, and that note is stale. If your state is not in the agreement table above, call the Commission at (605) 773-3573 before you assume a yes or a no.
SDCL 36-16-23 allows the Commission to grant a license of the same grade when the other state does something similar and the applicant's qualifications equal South Dakota's. The statute is the authority. The agreement table is the list the Commission is actually using.
Exam route
If your state is not in the table, the licensing page describes the hour path:
- Four years, 8,000 hours, as a licensed apprentice working under an electrical contractor, before the journeyman exam.
- Then two more years as a licensed journeyman, 4,000 hours under a contractor, including at least 2,000 hours of commercial work, before the electrical contractor exam.
Hours have to be worked while licensed in order to count. The exams page says that starting December 2, 2024, tests are on the 2023 National Electrical Code. You submit an application and the application fee first. After approval, the Commission sends the test-site details, and you have 90 days to make arrangements. The page says you may not sit the exam without prior written approval.
ARSD 20:44:16:03, as the Commission quoted it in the February 8, 2024 meeting packet, sets the journeyman passing score at 70 percent. A failed exam can be retaken in 30 days. A failed retest means a 90-day wait. The license has to be issued within 90 days after you are told you passed, or the exam is forfeited. The public exams page checked October 6, 2026 does not restate that percentage. Ask the Commission to confirm the 70 percent rule when you apply.
Fees and renewal
The general license application prints two charges. The application fee goes in with the form. The license fee is a separate check if you mail them together.
| What you are buying | Application fee | License fee |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyman, exam route | $60 | $80 |
| Reciprocal journeyman | $60 | $80 |
| Electrical contractor | $60 | $200 |
| Reciprocal electrical contractor | $60 | $200 |
| Class B electrician | $60 | $100 |
The form also asks for a Social Security number and says disclosure is mandatory under federal child-support law. The Commission says it keeps the number confidential.
On the licensing page checked October 6, 2026, the Commission said it began taking 2026 renewals on April 20, 2026, with no late fee if the renewal was in by June 30, 2026. That June 30 date has passed. Continuing education for that cycle is 16 hours, at least 8 of them code hours, for work done from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026. ARSD 20:44:17:02 limits pre-approved online hours to 8. If you are renewing after June 30, 2026, ask about the late fee before you send the old amount. Email on the page: [email protected].
Commission office: 217 West Missouri Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501. Phone (605) 773-3573. TTY 711. Fax (605) 773-6213.
South Dakota halls
GoHereBro tracks two South Dakota locals.
Local 426, Sioux Falls, showed 0 open calls on October 5, 2026, with Book 1 at 25 and Book 2 at 5. A quiet board does not change the license. If a call appears and names a state license, the Commission card is the one that satisfies the state. The union book only satisfies the hall.
Local 1250, Rapid City, showed 3 open calls the same day. The journeyman scale on file for that local is $35.57. Confirm the posting before you drive. Rapid City and Sioux Falls are not the same job market, and a Pierre license is valid statewide only for the class it names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses electricians in South Dakota?
The State Electrical Commission, part of the Department of Labor and Regulation, at 217 West Missouri Avenue, Pierre. Phone (605) 773-3573.
Which states have South Dakota journeyman reciprocity?
Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. You must have passed that state's exam and held an active license for at least one year.
Does South Dakota reciprocate a master or contractor license?
Only from the states whose row says so. New Mexico is journeyman only. Alaska's row says there is no contractor equivalent. Colorado's row says there is no contractor equivalent and adds a 2,000-hour note for a master electrician credential.
Is Wisconsin part of South Dakota reciprocity?
No. The Commission lists Wisconsin as a NERA state without an agreement.
What is the South Dakota journeyman exam based on?
The 2023 National Electrical Code, for tests starting December 2, 2024. You need written approval before you sit. The hour prerequisite on the licensing page is 8,000 hours over four years as a licensed apprentice under an electrical contractor.
What are the fees?
The general application lists $60 to apply and $80 for a journeyman license, including the reciprocal journeyman line. Contractor fees on the same form are $60 to apply and $200 for the license.
How much continuing education does South Dakota require?
Sixteen hours, at least eight of them code, for the July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026 cycle. No more than eight hours may be pre-approved online courses. The no-late-fee window the Commission posted for 2026 renewals ended June 30, 2026.
Does an IBEW ticket replace the South Dakota license?
No. The Commission wants a state license earned by exam, or the apprentice-hour and exam route. The union classification does not appear on the agreement table.
Official sources
- Reciprocal agreements, checked October 6, 2026
- Licensing, checked October 6, 2026
- Exams, checked October 6, 2026
- General license application
- February 8, 2024 commission packet, quoting ARSD 20:44:16:03
- SDCL 36-16-23 in the Commission's wiring bulletin
Call (605) 773-3573 before you send the fee if your state is off the agreement table or you are renewing after June 30, 2026.
