LicensebyState

Moving to South Dakota as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule

South Dakota has reciprocity agreements with 14 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

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.

States South Dakota reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 14Endorsement 20No credit 16
Every state's path into South Dakota
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-15
AlaskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-15
ColoradoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-15
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-15
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-15
IdahoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineEndorsement2026-09-15
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-15
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-15
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-15
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
NebraskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-15
New MexicoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
OregonEndorsement2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-15
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15
UtahEndorsement2026-09-15
VermontEndorsement2026-09-15
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-15
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-15
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-15

Getting licensed in South Dakota from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how South Dakota issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 11 sources

Journeyman Electrician license by examination

South Dakota issues the Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who has at least four years (8,000 hours) of licensed electrical experience as an apprentice under the employment and supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician, and who passes the journeyman exam. Work in South Dakota counts only while you hold an apprentice license, and your experience starts on the date the Commission receives your apprentice application. You file the Electrician License Application with the $60 application fee; once the Commission approves it, you have 90 days to take the exam. The exam is given by the International Code Council at Pearson VUE test centers: 80 multiple-choice questions, open book, four hours, on the 2023 National Electrical Code, and you need 70% to pass. After passing you have 90 days to complete issuance by paying the $80 license fee.

Several kinds of training can be credited toward the four years under ARSD 20:44:16:09: wiring school and a BSEE degree (see the alternatives), two hours of experience for each verified hour of classroom instruction in an electrical wiring apprenticeship program, up to one year for at least four years of verified work as an electrical lineman, and one year for at least 24 months of verified military experience in electrical wiring. The experience must include study of the National Electrical Code, commercial wiring, residential or farmstead wiring, electrical motor installation, motor controls and blueprint reading. Approved exam references are the NEC and Ugly's Electrical References; Ferm's Fast Finder Index, the NEC Handbook and Tom Henry's Key Word Index are also allowed. A failed exam may be retaken after 30 days, and after a second failure the wait is 90 days. The application asks whether you have been convicted of a crime of violence; no separate background check is listed. The Commission says application processing takes about 30 days.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
International Code Council (Pearson VUE)
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
16 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least four years of licensed electrical experience under the employment and supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician (ARSD 20:44:16:08); one year equals 2,000 hours (20:44:16:06). The application accepts out-of-state employers.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Electrical wiring school credit plus apprentice experience

Each month of schooling completed with a passing grade at an electrical wiring school counts as one month of experience, and the application credits at most 2,000 hours of school. A graduate with the full school credit needs 6,000 hours of licensed apprentice experience. A school transcript is required.

  • Completed an electrical wiring school program with passing grades, shown on a school transcriptThe school must teach the courses in ARSD 20:44:16:12 or their substantial equivalent; credited month for month, up to 2,000 hours.
  • You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Electrical engineering degree plus apprentice experience

A bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering counts as two years of experience, so a graduate needs 4,000 hours of licensed apprentice experience. A school transcript is required.

  • Bachelor of science in electrical engineering (BSEE), shown on a school transcript
  • You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). Journeyman application fee, nonrefundable; forfeited if you do not test within 90 days of approval.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Dakota Journeyman Electrician exam (ICC exam 531) at Pearson VUE: 80 questions, 4 hours, open book, 2023 NEC; 70% to pass.
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($115). Pearson VUE exam fee, per attempt.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($80). Biennial journeyman license fee, paid on issuance; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years.

Published fees on this path total $255, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 16 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $80 renewal fee.

16 hours per two-year cycle, due with the renewal or by June 30, whichever is sooner. At least 8 hours must be on the National Electrical Code, and no more than 8 may be pre-approved online or correspondence courses. Courses must be approved by the Commission. A journeyman licensed in the second year of a biennium does not owe continuing education until the second renewal.

All licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years; copies of continuing education certificates are submitted with the renewal form.

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Trade exam
  • Exam fee · $115

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. ARSD Chapter 20:44:16 - Qualifications and Licenses · ARSD 20:44:16:01, 20:44:16:03, 20:44:16:04, 20:44:16:06, 20:44:16:08, 20:44:16:09, 20:44:16:10, 20:44:16:12, 20:44:16:15 · South Dakota Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. ARSD Chapter 20:44:17 - Continuing Education · ARSD 20:44:17:01, 20:44:17:02 · South Dakota Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  3. International Code Council - South Dakota Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin (August 19, 2025) · International Code Council · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  4. SDCL 36-16-13 - License required, examination, application, fees · SDCL 36-16-13 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  5. SDCL 36-16-17 - Licenses, biennial fees · SDCL 36-16-17 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  6. SDCL 36-16-2 - Definition of terms · SDCL 36-16-2 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Apprentice License Application (Rev 10/2025) · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  8. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Continuing Education · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  9. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Exams for Licensure · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  10. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Electrician License Application (REV 10/2025) · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  11. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Licensing · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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