Do I have to take the South Dakota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Iowa?

No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Iowa.

How long do I need to have held my Iowa license?

At least 1 year before applying.

What does it cost to get a South Dakota journeyman electrician license from Iowa?

Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.

How long does the application take?

The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.

Iowa to South Dakota: journeyman electrician license reciprocity

Reciprocity· Exam waivedVerified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

South Dakota has a reciprocity agreement with Iowa: a Iowa journeyman electrician can get a South Dakota license without retaking the trade exam.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Reciprocal agreement with Iowa (journeyman)

A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.

The South Dakota Electrical Commission lists an existing reciprocal agreement with Iowa covering the journeyman (JM) license (and the Iowa Master Electrician for the EC license). An Iowa journeyman who earned the license by examination and has held it in active status for at least one year receives a South Dakota Journeyman license without taking the South Dakota exam. The applicant files the Electrician License Application marked Reciprocal JM with the $60 application fee, the $80 biennial reciprocity license fee as a separate payment, and certificates for continuing education completed since July 1, 2020.

At a glance

Trade exam: Waived
Law / code exam: Not required
Typical processing: About 30 days
Agreement: Active

What you must already have

Your Iowa license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
You must have held your Iowa license for at least 1 year.Held at least one year unless otherwise specified
Your Iowa license must be active and in good standing.

What you'll do to get licensed in South Dakota

1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). Application fee, nonrefundable.
2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($80). Biennial reciprocity license fee for journeyman (ARSD 20:44:16:11), submitted as a separate check.
3Other. Certificates of completion for all continuing education earned since 7/1/2020.

Published fees on this path total $140, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

How South Dakota licenses journeyman electricians

South Dakota journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by South Dakota Electrical Commission (Department of Labor & Regulation)

South Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the South Dakota Electrical Commission, part of the Department of Labor & Regulation. A new applicant must have at least four years (8,000 hours, with one year defined as 2,000 hours) of electrical training as a licensed apprentice under the employment and supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician, and must pass the Commission's own written journeyman exam, drawn from the NEC (2023 edition since December 2, 2024) and South Dakota statutes and rules, with 70%. The application fee is $60 and the biennial license fee is $80; all licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years and renewal requires 16 hours of continuing education (at least 8 code hours). The Commission has journeyman reciprocity agreements with 14 states, under which the exam is waived for a licensee who earned the origin license by exam and has held it in active status for at least one year.

Moving to South Dakota Leaving South Dakota

Common questions

Do I have to take the South Dakota journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in Iowa?: No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Iowa.
How long do I need to have held my Iowa license?: At least 1 year before applying.
What does it cost to get a South Dakota journeyman electrician license from Iowa?: Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
How long does the application take?: The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.

Sources

SDCL 36-16-2 - Definition of terms · SDCL 36-16-2 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026Defines journeyman electrician (at least four years of experience in wiring, installing and repairing), electrical contractor (qualifications to plan, lay out and supervise, and who undertakes work for others), Class B electrician (36 months, farm and residential) and apprentice. Text read from the Legislature's statute rendering at sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-2.html.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Exams for Licensure · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Exams are on the 2023 NEC since December 2, 2024; an applicant must submit the application and fee, be approved, and then has 90 days to arrange testing; no exam without prior written approval. No exam fee amount is shown.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Electrician License Application (REV 10/2025) · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Form · verified September 15, 2026Fee table: application fee $60 for every class; license or reciprocal fee $80 Journeyman / Reciprocal JM, $200 Electrical Contractor / Reciprocal EC, $100 Class B. Applicant checks Exam or Reciprocal; Part II records other-state licenses and how obtained; experience table accepts out-of-state employers; requires CE certificates from 7/1/20 forward; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years; processing about 30 days.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Licensing · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Describes the license classes and progression: apprentice to journeyman after four years (8,000 hours) under an electrical contractor; journeyman to electrical contractor after two more years (4,000 hours, at least 2,000 commercial); 16 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle (minimum 8 code hours).
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Reciprocal Agreements for Licensure · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026States the conditions (license earned by examination, held at least one year, active status for one year) and tabulates existing agreements by state and class: journeyman (JM) with 14 states and Electrical Contractor (EC) with 11 of them (Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico are journeyman-only). Separately lists NERA states without agreements (Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin), 'states with similar licensing requirements' and states with no or unverified state licenses, with no stated treatment other than to call the Commission.
South Dakota Electrical Commission - Wiring Bulletin (SDCL 36-16 and ARSD Article 20:44) · ARSD 20:44:16:03, 20:44:16:04, 20:44:16:06, 20:44:16:08, 20:44:16:11, 20:44:16:15 · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 15, 202620:44:16:03: Commission-written exam from the NEC and state statutes and rules, 70% to pass for EC, Class B, journeyman; license must be issued within 90 days of passing; retake after 30 days. 20:44:16:04: application fees $60. 20:44:16:06: one year of experience is 2,000 hours. 20:44:16:08: apprentice to journeyman four years under a licensed EC or Class B; journeyman to EC two years under an EC with one year commercial. 20:44:16:11: biennial reciprocity fee EC $200, journeyman $80, nonrefundable. 20:44:16:15: biennial license fees EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $100.

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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