Moving to South Dakota as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule
South Dakota has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
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.
States South Dakota reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Colorado | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Connecticut | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Delaware | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Georgia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Hawaii | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Indiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Iowa | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Kentucky | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Louisiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maine | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Michigan | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Minnesota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Hampshire | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Dakota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Oregon | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Texas | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Vermont | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wisconsin | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
Getting licensed in South Dakota from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how South Dakota issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Plumber license by examination
South Dakota's Plumber license, the journeyman-level credential, is earned by passing the State Plumbing Commission's exam after four years as a licensed apprentice plumber, with at least 1,900 hours in each year (7,600 hours). Graduates of an accredited plumbing trade-school program or a three-year association apprenticeship may test after three years and 5,700 hours. Applicants file the Plumbing License Application with the $50 application fee and a Plumbing Experience Verification Form signed by the licensed plumbing contractor they worked under; once approved, they pay the $100 exam fee and schedule the exam. The Commission writes and gives the three-part exam itself, based on the state plumbing code (the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code with South Dakota amendments), and 70 percent is needed to pass. The $105 license fee is paid before the license is issued.
The exam has three parts: code questions with the code book allowed (2 hours), code questions without the code (2 hours), and plumbing drawings on which you size all stacks, wastes and vents without the code (1 hour). There is no separate law or business exam. Exams are given in Pierre by appointment and in Rapid City and Sioux Falls when enough applicants are waiting (usually eight to ten). You may retake the exam for the same license only once every three months, and an approval to test lapses six months after it is granted, with fees forfeited if you do not sit the exam. An incomplete application expires 30 days after it is received, and all fees are nonrefundable. The experience is earned while holding a South Dakota apprentice plumber license and working for a licensed plumbing contractor; after 3,800 hours an apprentice may pass a third-year apprentice exam to work without supervision on single-family homes. Out-of-state applicants may test by showing, by affidavit, the same qualifications required of South Dakota applicants. The application asks about convictions for crimes of violence, which can be grounds for refusal; no fingerprint background check is listed. Restricted plumber licenses for rural areas and towns under 1,500 people are a separate credential.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- South Dakota State Plumbing Commission
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every year
- Continuing education
- 4 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- You must document at least 7,600 hours of qualifying work experience.Verified on the Plumbing Experience Verification Form, signed by the licensed plumbing contractor (or out-of-state equivalent) you worked under; you cannot verify your own experience.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Accredited plumbing trade school plus 5,700 hours
Graduates of an accredited trade school with a plumbing program of at least nine months and at least 1,020 hours of plumbing instruction may apply for the Plumber exam after three years and 5,700 hours as an apprentice plumber. Proof of completion must accompany the application.
- Complete at least 1,020 hours of classroom or related instruction.
- You must document at least 5,700 hours of qualifying work experience.
Three-year association apprenticeship plus 5,700 hours
Graduates of a three-year accredited association apprenticeship training program may apply for the Plumber exam after three years and 5,700 hours as an apprentice plumber.
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (3 years): Graduate of a three-year accredited association apprenticeship training program.
- You must document at least 5,700 hours of qualifying work experience.
Military plumbing experience
Plumbing experience in the military is credited at one year for every two years served, up to five years of credit, toward the four years of experience. Proof of the military plumbing experience, with a supervisor's contact information, must accompany the application.
- Military plumbing experience, credited at one year for each two years of service, up to five years of credit
- You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Plumber license application fee, nonrefundable, sent with the Plumbing License Application.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). Plumber exam fee, paid to the Commission before the exam; the same fee applies to each retake.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Dakota Plumber exam given by the State Plumbing Commission: open-book code questions (2 hours), closed-book code questions (2 hours) and stack, waste and vent sizing drawings without the code (1 hour); 70 percent to pass.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($105). Initial Plumber license fee, paid before the license is issued.
Published fees on this path total $255, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year with 4 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $105 renewal fee.
Four hours of Commission-approved continuing education related to the plumbing trade each calendar year, at least two of them on the plumbing code; an hour is at least 50 minutes of class time. Proof of completion must reach the Commission before the license is renewed.
Plumber licenses expire December 31 each year.
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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- 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 23, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Plumbing License Application (Rev. 02/2026) · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Continuing Education · ARSD 20:53:11; SDCL 36-25-32 · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Agency Page · verified September 23, 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 23, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Plumbing Experience Verification Form (03/2026) · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- South Dakota Plumbing Commission - Applications & Forms · South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, State Plumbing Commission · Agency Page · verified September 23, 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 23, 2026
- SDCL chapter 36-25 - Plumbers · SDCL 36-25-15, 36-25-17.1, 36-25-17.2, 36-25-18, 36-25-19, 36-25-19.4, 36-25-27, 36-25-32 · South Dakota Legislative Research Council · Statute · verified September 23, 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 23, 2026