Minnesota to South Dakota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Dakota has a reciprocity agreement with Minnesota: a Minnesota journeyman plumber 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.
Reciprocity with Minnesota (Journeyworker Plumber to South Dakota Plumber)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry lists South Dakota as one of two states (with North Dakota) whose plumbers licensed by examination may obtain a Minnesota journeyworker plumber license without examination, and North Dakota's Board confirms written agreements exist among the three states. In the South Dakota direction, a Minnesota Journeyworker Plumber licensed by examination applies under 'License by reciprocity' with a Minnesota license verification and proof of four hours of continuing education; Minnesota's exam is based on the Minnesota Plumbing Code (UPC-based), satisfying ARSD 20:53:02:21. The applicant pays the $50 application fee and $100 exam fee with the application and the $105 license fee on approval; no South Dakota exam is taken.
No signed agreement text, date or SD-side years-held/residency condition is published. Minnesota excludes origin licenses obtained through a city reciprocity; SD's rule likewise requires licensure by examination in the origin state.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Minnesota license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Your Minnesota license must be active and in good standing.
- Proof of completion of four hours of plumbing continuing education
What you'll do to get licensed in South Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Plumber application fee (ARSD 20:53:12:01).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). Normal examination fee accompanying the reciprocity application (ARSD 20:53:02:21; SDCL 36-25-21).
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($105). Initial Plumber license fee; renews annually for $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03).
- 4Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Four hours of continuing education each calendar year for renewal (ARSD 20:53:11:05).
Published fees on this path total $255, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How South Dakota licenses journeyman plumbers
South Dakota journeyman plumber · “Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by South Dakota State Plumbing Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation)
South Dakota issues a statewide Plumber license through the State Plumbing Commission under SDCL chapter 36-25 and ARSD article 20:53; it has no 'journeyman' title, but the Plumber license is the journeyman-level credential (a person working under the direction of a plumbing contractor, SDCL 36-25-1(3)). A new applicant needs four years as an apprentice plumber at not less than 1,900 hours per year (7,600 hours), or three years and 5,700 hours with an accredited 9-month/1,020-hour trade-school program or 3-year association apprenticeship; military plumbing earns one year of credit per two years served (max five). The Commission itself administers a three-part exam on the South Dakota plumbing code (2024 Uniform Plumbing Code with state amendments) - open-book code questions, closed-book code questions and stack/waste/vent sizing drawings - passed at 70%, offered by appointment in Pierre and periodically in Sioux Falls and Rapid City; a retake is allowed once every three months. Fees are a $50 application fee, a $100 exam fee and a $105 license fee; licenses expire December 31 and renew annually for $105 with four hours of continuing education each calendar year. Out-of-state plumbers licensed by examination in a state with similar laws and a plumbing code equal to or exceeding South Dakota's may be licensed without examination under SDCL 36-25-21; those tested on the IPC or another code, or from non-licensing jurisdictions, are approved for the South Dakota exam on proof of equivalent experience.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Dakota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Minnesota?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Minnesota.
- What does it cost to get a South Dakota journeyman plumber license from Minnesota?
- Published fees on this path total $255, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Minnesota work hours count in South Dakota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Dakota's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - FAQ (reciprocal licensing with South Dakota) · NDCC 43-18-13.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- ARSD Article 20:53 - Plumbing Commission (licensing rules) · ARSD 20:53:02:18, 20:53:02:20, 20:53:02:21, 20:53:03:02, 20:53:03:03, 20:53:03:04, 20:53:03:07, 20:53:11:03, 20:53:11:05, 20:53:12:01, 20:53:12:02, 20:53:12:03 · South Dakota Legislative Research Council (State Plumbing Commission rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Plumbing License Application (Rev. 02/2026) · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Licensing Examinations · ARSD 20:53:12:02 · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Licensing Requirements · ARSD 20:53:03:02 · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Reciprocity · SDCL 36-25-21; ARSD 20:53:02:21 · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- SDCL 36-25-1 - Definition of terms (State Plumbing Commission) · SDCL 36-25-1(3), (4), (6) · South Dakota Legislative Research Council · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- SDCL 36-25-21 - Reciprocity--Determination by commission · SDCL 36-25-21 (SL 1970, ch 222, § 11; SL 2025, ch 163, § 3) · South Dakota Legislative Research Council · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.