Moving to South Dakota as a master HVAC technician: every state's rule
South Dakota does not issue a statewide master HVAC technician license, so there is no reciprocity to speak of. Here is what that means in practice.
South Dakota master HVAC technician
Licensed by cities and counties
South Dakota does not issue a master HVAC, mechanical or refrigeration license and has no state board for the trade; only the State Fire Marshal's boiler inspection program exists at state level, and it certifies boilers, not installers. The master-level credential exists only in cities that license mechanical contracting. In Sioux Falls the person-held credential is the Master Mechanic, earned by documenting four years of experience (2,000 hours per year) with a licensed mechanical contractor and passing the city's four-hour open-book exam on the International Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes ($75, 75% to pass); the master mechanic then qualifies a Mechanical Contractor license ($200 for two years, $10,000 compliance bond, liability insurance), and a separate Refrigeration Contractor license is earned by a shorter IMC exam. In Rapid City the Mechanical Contractor (Class C trade) license is issued to a firm whose designated license holder has six years of verifiable experience, passes the city exam, and carries $1,000,000 liability insurance; it runs three years with six hours of continuing education. Neither city recognizes out-of-state licenses: Sioux Falls says it does not reciprocate any license and requires its exam of everyone, and Rapid City's code recognizes other agencies' licenses only for general building contractor classes. An out-of-state master or HVAC contractor should expect to sit the local exam in each city where they contract.
How local licensing works in South Dakota
How local licensing works. South Dakota has no state HVAC licensing statute, so contractor and master-level credentials exist only under city ordinances. Boilers are inspected and certificated by the State Fire Marshal's Office (Department of Public Safety), which does not license installers or contractors.
Sioux Falls. The Mechanical Board of Appeals and Examiners tests Master Mechanics: four years of experience as a sheet metal mechanic, refrigeration technician, general manager, project manager or engineer employed by a licensed mechanical contractor, at least 2,000 hours per year, with up to one year of credit for trade school or engineering/construction management degrees and up to two years for military work. The exam ($75, non-refundable) is given the second Wednesday of each month, is open book on the 2021 IMC and IFGC (2024 codes to be adopted in 2026), and requires 75%; a first failure may be retaken after 30 days, later failures after 90 days. The Mechanical Contractor license must be applied for within 90 days of passing: $200 for a two-year license expiring December 31 of odd years ($100 if issued in the second year), a $10,000 compliance bond naming the City, current liability insurance, and the master mechanic must be an owner, partner or W-2 employee. The Refrigeration Contractor license uses a separate two-hour, 20-question IMC exam ($75, 75%) with the same bond and fee. An Inactive Master Mechanic license preserves the credential without contracting. The city states it does not reciprocate any licenses.
Rapid City. Under RCMC 15.26.080 a Mechanical Contractor (MC) license is held by a proprietorship, partnership, firm or corporation whose license holder has six years of verifiable experience (education credit of one year per 18-24 month program) and is qualified in planning, superintending and installing mechanical systems; if that person leaves, the firm has 30 days to qualify another. Under RCMC 15.04.140 the designated license holder must pass the city's exam, the firm must carry $1,000,000 aggregate and per-occurrence liability with $300,000 fire damage coverage, the license runs three years, and six hours of continuing education are required per period. License and exam fees are set by council resolution and were not found on a published page. The Building Official may accept another government agency's license only for Class A and B general building licenses.
Out-of-state holders. No reciprocity or endorsement path for out-of-state master or contractor licenses was found in either city. The practical route is to document experience, pass the local exam, and post the local bond and insurance in each city where work will be contracted.