Electrician License from Montana to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does South Dakota accept a Montana electrician license?
Yes — South Dakota has a reciprocity arrangement covering Montana license holders. Apply to the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete South Dakota's remaining requirements.
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Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Montana is on South Dakota's journeyman reciprocity list, which puts this move on the fast track: South Dakota waives its journeyman exam for electricians who earned a qualifying Montana license by examination, held it at least a year, and meet the experience hours. Two conditions decide whether you actually qualify — your Montana license must have come from an exam, not a grandfather clause, and it must be current. The list is also revocable; the verification date on this page is when we last confirmed Montana on it, and the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) is the live source.
What's different between Montana and South Dakota
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into South Dakota. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Montana to South Dakota (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
South Dakota to Montana (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: Montana and South Dakota do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Montana matter?
Coming from Montana matters here: only 14 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into South Dakota.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (23) and no state license to transfer (13).
- Reciprocity agreements
South Dakota's reciprocity agreement list names 14 states, including Montana.
Montana's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Application fee
South Dakota lists $80 for an out-of-state applicant and Montana lists $190 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Experience hours
South Dakota's first-time-applicant standard is 8,000 hours of documented experience for the journeyman license; Montana's is 8,000.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
South Dakota and Montana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- South Dakota (this move): No South Dakota examination is required under an existing reciprocal agreement if you hold a license earned by examination in a reciprocal state and have held it in active status for at least one year; applicants from states with no agreement must qualify and sit the South Dakota journeyman exam
- Montana (the reverse move): No Montana journeyman exam is required if your existing out-of-state license is substantially equivalent (the other state required passing an electrical exam PLUS an approved apprenticeship, bona fide union/trade training, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance); if it is not substantially equivalent, you must pass the Montana journeyman exam (75% to pass)
What changes, Montana → South Dakota
| Montana (current) | South Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience hours | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| Application fee | $190 ($190 application fee for licensure by reciprocity or endorsement (same as by exam); a $50 temporary work permit is available to exam candidates only) | $80 (SDCL 36-16-17 sets the biennial journeyman electrician license fee at eighty dollars; the electrical contractor (master-equivalent) biennial fee is $200. Reciprocal applicants pay 'the required fee' (SDCL 36-16-23). The Commission's online portal has been offline since Oct 21, 2025; no separate reciprocal application/processing fee is published on accessible pages.) |
| Processing time | The Montana State Electrical Board does not publish a processing time | The Electrical Commission does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required under an existing reciprocal agreement |
| Licensing authority | Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor & Industry) | South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a license earned by examination in a reciprocal state, active and in good standing for at least one year.
- Furnish proof that your qualifications are equal to South Dakota's (four years / 8,000 hours for journeyman) (SDCL 36-16-23).
- South Dakota has no separate 'master' license — an out-of-state master maps to SD's Electrical Contractor (EC) license, and some partners reciprocate journeyman only.
- Reciprocating states may require additional education/supervision or a different exam passing score than South Dakota.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What could disqualify me even though Montana is on South Dakota's list?
A Montana license you were grandfathered into rather than earning by exam, a license held less than a year, or falling short of the experience-hour minimum. South Dakota's reciprocity is conditional, not automatic.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- SD Electrical Commission — Reciprocal Agreements for Licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SD Electrical Commission — Licensing (4 yrs / 8,000 hrs) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SDCL 36-16-23 — Reciprocal licenses to electricians from other states ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SDCL 36-16-17 — Biennial license fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician Application & Checklist (Rev. 07/22/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana State Electrical Board - Journeyman Electrician license information ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com