Oklahoma to South Dakota: master electrician license reciprocity
South Dakota has a reciprocity agreement with Oklahoma: a Oklahoma master 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 Oklahoma (unlimited Electrical Contractor)
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 Oklahoma covering 'Journeyman, unlimited electrical contractor (EC)'. An Oklahoma unlimited electrical contractor who earned the license by examination and has held it in active status for at least one year receives a South Dakota Electrical Contractor license without taking the South Dakota exam. The applicant files the Electrician License Application marked Reciprocal EC with the $60 application fee and the $200 biennial reciprocity license fee as a separate payment, submits continuing education certificates from July 1, 2020 forward, and before issuance files the $10,000 undertaking, liability insurance certificate and $50 special-fund deposit required of every electrical contractor.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Oklahoma license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your Oklahoma license for at least 1 year.Held at least one year unless otherwise specified
- Your Oklahoma 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 ($200). Biennial reciprocity license fee for electrical contractor (ARSD 20:44:16:11), submitted as a separate check.
- 3Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($10,000). $10,000 undertaking or approved security (SDCL 36-16-20).
- 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence / $300,000 aggregate (waived if the employer partnership or corporation carries it).
- 5Other. $50 deposit to the Commission's special fund at issuance and each biennial renewal ($50).
- 6Other. Certificates of completion for all continuing education earned since 7/1/2020.
Published fees on this path total $260, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $10,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How South Dakota licenses master electricians
South Dakota master electrician · “Electrical Contractor”
Statewide license
Issued by South Dakota Electrical Commission (Department of Labor & Regulation)
South Dakota has no license titled 'master electrician'; its highest person-held electrician credential is the Electrical Contractor (EC) license, which the Commission's own reciprocity table equates with other states' Master Electrician licenses. The EC license is issued to an individual who has at least two years (4,000 hours) of experience as a licensed journeyman under an electrical contractor, including one year (2,000 hours) of commercial wiring, and who passes the Commission's electrical contractor exam (NEC 2023 plus state statutes and rules, 70%); a Class B electrician can also advance with one additional year of commercial experience. Before the license is issued the applicant must file a $10,000 undertaking (or approved security), proof of public liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate, and a $50 deposit to the Commission's special fund, unless employed by a partnership or corporation that carries them. The application fee is $60 and the biennial license fee is $200; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years and renewal requires 16 hours of continuing education. The Commission has EC-level reciprocity agreements with 11 states; Alaska, Colorado and New Mexico agreements cover the journeyman level only.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Dakota master electrician exam if I'm licensed in Oklahoma?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Oklahoma.
- How long do I need to have held my Oklahoma license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a South Dakota master electrician license from Oklahoma?
- Published fees on this path total $260, 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.
- Does it work the other way, from South Dakota to Oklahoma?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Dakota to Oklahoma, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- SDCL 36-16-19 - Experience required for contractor's license · SDCL 36-16-19 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026At least two years of experience as a journeyman electrician, or one year of commercial experience as a Class B electrician, before applying for an electrical contractor's license. Text read from sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-19.html.
- 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.
- SDCL 36-16-20 - Undertaking and insurance required of contractor or Class B electrician · SDCL 36-16-20 · South Dakota Legislature · Statute · verified September 15, 2026$10,000 undertaking and $100,000/$300,000 liability insurance before an electrical contractor or Class B license is issued; $50 deposit. Text read from sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/36-16-20.html.
- 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 - Undertaking and Insurance Requirement · SDCL 36-16-20 · South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, Electrical Commission · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Electrical contractor and Class B applicants must deposit a $10,000 undertaking (or approved security), carry public liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence / $300,000 aggregate, and pay a $50 deposit to the special fund at issuance and each biennial renewal; a licensed person employed by a partnership or corporation that satisfies the requirements is exempt.
- 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.