Transfer Your Electrician License to South Dakota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) ↗
South Dakota grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 14 named partner states (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. 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. Fee: $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.).
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 14 states
South Dakota's reciprocity is a bilateral list, and the list governs — not your years on the tools. If your license comes from a state South Dakota names below and you earned it by exam, the journeyman exam is waived; if it does not, no amount of experience substitutes for sitting the test. Two cautions specific to electrical reciprocity: the list is directional (it names who South Dakota accepts, which says nothing about the reverse), and a license you were grandfathered into rather than examined for is generally not eligible.
NERA member. The Commission's reciprocal-agreements page lists 14 states with EXISTING agreements — all reciprocate journeyman: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming. Master-level (mapped to SD's Electrical Contractor/EC) reciprocates only where the state is marked EC: Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, Texas (Colorado requires the ME + 2,000 more hours; Alaska and New Mexico are journeyman only). Utah, Maine, Vermont and Wisconsin are NERA states listed WITHOUT an existing SD agreement (or only 'similar requirements'), so they are NOT partners. Lists are bilateral and differ between members.
South Dakota requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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 |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 8,000 hours |
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $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 Electrical Commission does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required under an existing reciprocal agreement. |
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) (application linked on this page).
- 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 ($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.)) and allow The Electrical Commission does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required under an existing reciprocal agreement..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
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Frequently asked questions
Does my electrician license transfer to South Dakota?
South Dakota grants journeyman reciprocity to electricians licensed by examination in 14 named partner states (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming). Come from one of them and the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation) waives its journeyman exam once you show a license held at least a year and can document 8000 hours of experience; come from anywhere else and you apply and sit the exam. 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. Fee: $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.).
Will I have to retake the journeyman exam in South Dakota?
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.
What does licensing in South Dakota cost an out-of-state electrician?
$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.) (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.).
How long does South Dakota take to process the application?
The Electrical Commission does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required under an existing reciprocal agreement. — The Electrical Commission does not publish a processing time; no written exam is required under an existing reciprocal agreement..
Which states does South Dakota have electrician reciprocity with?
Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming (14 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Dept. of Labor & Regulation)). The list is bilateral, so a state South Dakota recognizes does not necessarily recognize South Dakota in return.
How many experience hours does South Dakota require?
8000 hours of documented on-the-job experience for the journeyman license; out-of-state hours generally count toward this minimum.
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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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