South Dakota Contractor License Classifications
South Dakota's 14 seeded classifications sit in two commissions and five credential families: the electrical contractor and the three electrician classes of the State Electrical Commission (SDCL ch. 36-16), the plumbing contractor and plumber ladders of the State Plumbing Commission (SDCL ch. 36-25), and the six specialty contractor and installer families of ARSD 20:53. There is no general contractor, roofing, HVAC or solar credential here — those absences are seeded as absences — and no category the statutes do not name.
01 No GC licence — who is actually licensed
ELECTRICAL: CONTRACTOR + 3 CLASSES|PLUMBING: 2 LADDERS|SPECIALTY ×6
- Verified absence — no GC credential — the DLR boards list contains no construction contractor board and no classification here is titled general contractor, roofer, HVAC or solar installer (confidence reported). S-SD-BOARDS
- Contracting vs practice — the electrical family splits the two rights: only an electrical contractor may contract electrical work, Class B contracts farm/residential wiring only, and journeyman/apprentice licences permit practice under a contractor (§ 36-16-14). S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN
- Experience floors, never a dollar floor — electrical runs 8,000 apprentice hours → journeyman → +4,000 hours (2,000 commercial) → contractor; plumbing runs 1,900 hours/year against 4-year and 6-year ladders. Neither trade has any dollar threshold. S-SD-ELEC-LICENSING S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING
- The excise credential has no classes — the contractor's excise tax licence is a TAX credential (2% of gross receipts), so it deliberately carries no practice classifications. S-SD-DOR-EXCISE
02 State Electrical Commission (SDCL ch. 36-16) — the only class that may CONTRACT electrical work
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician licences (SD State Electrical Commission, SDCL 36-16-2 — journeyman electrician: 4 years' experience, may practise but may not contract; Class B electrician: 36 months' experience, may contract farm and residential wiring only (§ 36-16-14); apprentice electrician: registered biennially at $20 and personally supervised, no unsupervised work) | Class B Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) | SDCL 36-16-2(2) verbatim: "'Class B electrician,' a person having the necessary qualifications, training, technical knowledge and at least thirty-six months' experience in wiring, installing and repairing electrical apparatus and equipment in accordance with the standard rules established by the State Electrical Commission." SDCL 36-16-14: a Class B electrician 'is authorized to enter into a contract, undertaking, or agreement for the installation of electrical wiring and his authority under the contract, undertaking or agreement is limited to the installation of farm electrical wiring, residential electrical wiring, the installation of electrical equipment, appliances and apparatus, in relation to said farm and residential wiring.' | SDCL 36-16-2(2), 36-16-14 | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
| JOURNEYMAN-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician licences (SD State Electrical Commission, SDCL 36-16-2 — journeyman electrician: 4 years' experience, may practise but may not contract; Class B electrician: 36 months' experience, may contract farm and residential wiring only (§ 36-16-14); apprentice electrician: registered biennially at $20 and personally supervised, no unsupervised work) | Journeyman Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) | SDCL 36-16-2(5) verbatim: "'Journeyman electrician,' a person having the necessary qualifications, training, technical knowledge and at least four years of experience in wiring, installing, and repairing electrical apparatus and equipment in accordance with the standard rules established by the State Electrical Commission." A journeyman may practise the trade but may NOT enter into an electrical wiring contract — § 36-16-14 bars any contract 'by anyone not an electrical contractor' except the Class B farm/residential carve-out. | SDCL 36-16-2(5), 36-16-13, 36-16-14 | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
| APPRENTICE-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician licences (SD State Electrical Commission, SDCL 36-16-2 — journeyman electrician: 4 years' experience, may practise but may not contract; Class B electrician: 36 months' experience, may contract farm and residential wiring only (§ 36-16-14); apprentice electrician: registered biennially at $20 and personally supervised, no unsupervised work) | Apprentice Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) | SDCL 36-16-2(1): an apprentice electrician is 'a person learning the trade under the supervision and employment of an electrical contractor, journeyman electrician or Class B electrician' (or under the listed public-entity/corporate supervisors). SDCL 36-16-21: 'An apprentice shall register with the State Electrical Commission … a biennial registration fee not to exceed twenty dollars. Biennial fee requirements apply in even-numbered years. The apprentice may not be allowed to work on an installation without personal supervision.' | SDCL 36-16-2(1), 36-16-21 | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
| ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR | Electrical Contractor Licence (SD State Electrical Commission, SDCL ch. 36-16 — plans, lays out and supervises electrical installation for others for consideration; the ONLY class that may contract electrical work; $10,000 undertaking + $100k/$300k liability insurance and a $50 deposit (§ 36-16-20); $60 application + $200 biennial licence; 16 h CE per biennium; two-year term expiring midnight June 30 of even-numbered years) | Electrical Contractor (SD Electrical Commission) | SDCL 36-16-2(3) verbatim: "'Electrical contractor,' a person having the necessary qualifications, training, experience, and technical knowledge to plan, lay out, and supervise the installation and repair of electrical wiring, apparatus, and equipment for electric light, heat and power in accordance with the standard rules governing such work; and who undertakes or offers to undertake with another to plan for, lay out, supervise and install or to make additions, alterations and repairs in the installation of such work." SDCL 36-16-13 extends the licence to anyone who, 'for a fixed sum, price, fee, percentage, or other consideration, undertakes or offers to undertake with another to plan, lay out, supervise, install, make additions, make alterations, or make repairs, in the installation of wiring' — after passing the Commission's examination. | SDCL 36-16-2(3), 36-16-13 | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
Contractor, Class B, journeyman, apprentice
The electrical contractor is the only class that may enter a contract for electrical wiring (§ 36-16-14); Class B's right is expressly "limited to the installation of farm electrical wiring, residential electrical wiring" — commercial work needs the contractor licence. The journeyman (4 years) practises but does not contract, and the apprentice may not work "without personal supervision" (§ 36-16-21). None of the four carries a dollar threshold: the duty attaches to the work itself (§ 36-16-1). S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN
03 State Plumbing Commission (SDCL ch. 36-25) — the individual and contractor ladders
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing Contractor Licence (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — six years' experience as a contractor, plumber or apprentice with at least two of those years as a contractor or plumber, ≥1,900 hours per year; commission-administered examination; $50 application + $275 initial licence + $275 annual renewal; expires December 31 annually; must use licensed plumbers for commercial/rental property) | Plumbing Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for the plumbing contractor's license, you must: Have six years' experience as a plumbing contractor, plumber, or plumber's apprentice with at least two of those years as a plumbing contractor or plumber. Have spent at least 1,900 hours per year during these six years as a plumbing contractor, plumber or plumber's apprentice. Fill out the plumbing application and submit with application fee.' The licence is issued after the Commission's examination; initial licence AND annual renewal are $275 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:03, 20:53:12 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| THIRD-YEAR-APPRENTICE-PLUMBER | Plumber licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — plumber: four years' apprentice experience at ≥1,900 hours per year, $50 application + $100 exam + $105 annual licence; third-year apprentice plumber: two years/3,800 hours plus a state exam to work unsupervised on single-family dwellings only; apprentice plumber: no exam, tiered $20/$30/$40/$50 annual fee, cannot renew past 7,600 hours) | Third-Year Apprentice Plumber (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'Apprentice plumbers who have had two years (3,800 hours) experience in learning and assisting in the installation, alteration and repair of plumbing under a plumbing contractor may work without supervision during their third year and fourth year, only on single family dwellings and only upon satisfactorily passing a state-administered examination.' The exam costs $50 (ARSD 20:53:12:02). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:03:05 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| APPRENTICE-PLUMBER | Plumber licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — plumber: four years' apprentice experience at ≥1,900 hours per year, $50 application + $100 exam + $105 annual licence; third-year apprentice plumber: two years/3,800 hours plus a state exam to work unsupervised on single-family dwellings only; apprentice plumber: no exam, tiered $20/$30/$40/$50 annual fee, cannot renew past 7,600 hours) | Apprentice Plumber (SD Plumbing Commission) | ARSD 20:53:12:01/:03 (machine-read from the LRC-approved package): apprentice application fee $20; apprentice licence fee 'twenty dollars for the first year, thirty dollars for the second year, forty dollars for the third year, and fifty dollars for four or more years.' ARSD 20:53:03:05: 'An apprentice may not renew an apprentice license once the apprentice has accumulated seven thousand six hundred hours of experience.' | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:03:05, 20:53:12 | S-SD-PLUMBING-RULES-PDF |
| PLUMBER | Plumber licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — plumber: four years' apprentice experience at ≥1,900 hours per year, $50 application + $100 exam + $105 annual licence; third-year apprentice plumber: two years/3,800 hours plus a state exam to work unsupervised on single-family dwellings only; apprentice plumber: no exam, tiered $20/$30/$40/$50 annual fee, cannot renew past 7,600 hours) | Plumber (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for the plumber's license, you must: Have four years' experience as an apprentice plumber. Have spent at least 1,900 hours per year during these four years as an apprentice plumber. Credit for military plumbing is given at the rate of one year credit for each two years in the military up to a maximum of five years of credit.' $50 application, $100 exam, $105 initial licence and $105 annual renewal (ARSD 20:53:12:01/:02/:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:03, 20:53:12 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
Two ladders, one exam board, annual licences
The plumbing contractor needs six years (at least two as a contractor or plumber) at ≥1,900 hours/year; the plumber four years of apprenticeship at the same hourly floor (military credit: 1 year per 2 served, up to 5); the third-year apprentice reaches 3,800 hours and then may work unsupervised on single-family dwellings only after the state exam; the plain apprentice needs only an application and cannot renew past 7,600 hours. All are annual licences expiring December 31. S-SD-PLUMBING-DEFAULT
04 Plumbing specialty families (ARSD 20:53) — five specialty contractors plus the septic installer
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEWER-WATER-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Sewer and Water Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for a sewer and water contractor's license, you must: Have one year of experience as a sewer and water installer.' The installer tier needs 'two years of experience as a sewer and water apprentice.' Initial licence AND annual renewal: contractor $235, installer $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:06, 20:53:12:03 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| APPLIANCE-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Appliance Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for an appliance contractor's license, you must: Have one year of experience as an appliance installer.' The installer tier needs 'two years of experience as an appliance apprentice.' Initial licence AND annual renewal: contractor $200, installer $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:05, 20:53:12:03 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| WATER-CONDITIONING-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Water Conditioning Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for a water conditioning contractor's license, you must: Have one year of experience as a water conditioning installer.' The installer tier needs 'two years of experience as a water conditioning apprentice.' Initial licence AND annual renewal: contractor $200, installer $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:04, 20:53:12:03 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| UNDERGROUND-IRRIGATION-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Underground Irrigation Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for an underground irrigation contractor's license, you must: Have one year of experience as an underground irrigation installer.' The installer tier needs 'two years of experience as an underground irrigation apprentice.' Initial licence AND annual renewal: contractor $200, installer $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53, 20:53:12:03 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| MANUFACTURED-MOBILE-HOME-CONTRACTOR | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Manufactured and Mobile Home Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for a mobile home contractor's license, you must: Have one year experience as a manufactured and mobile home installer.' The installer tier needs 'two years of experience as a mobile home apprentice.' Initial licence AND annual renewal: contractor $200, installer $105 (ARSD 20:53:12:03). | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53:07, 20:53:12:03 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| ONSITE-WASTEWATER-INSTALLER | Plumbing & specialty contractor/installer licences (SD State Plumbing Commission, SDCL ch. 36-25 — sewer and water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning CONTRACTORS (one year as an installer, $200–$235 annual) plus the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) INSTALLER (two years as an apprentice, $105 annual); all annual, expiring December 31) | Individual and Small On-site Wastewater System (Septic) Installer (SD Plumbing Commission) | Commission licensing page (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'To apply for the individual and small on-site wastewater system installer license, you must: Fill out the on-site wastewater system installer certification application and submit with application fee.' The Commission's front page lists 'individual and small on-site wastewater system (septic) installers' among the occupations it licenses; under ARSD 20:53:12:01 an installer application is $50 and under :03 an installer licence is $105 annually. | SDCL ch. 36-25; ARSD 20:53, 20:53:12 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
Six specialty families — contractor and installer tiers
Sewer & water, appliance, manufactured & mobile home, underground irrigation and water conditioning contractors each need one year as an installer; the individual and small on-site wastewater (septic) installer needs two years as an apprentice. Restricted licences exist in ARSD 20:53:11 with published fees, but no official page defines what "restricted" restricts — so their scope is deliberately NOT modelled here (research §O). S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING
05 Deterministic scope limits
- sd:class-b-electrician — commercial electrical contracting (SDCL 36-16-14) S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINThe hard commercial boundary — a Class B licence never covers a commercial electrical contract; the electrical contractor class does.
- minor-work — owner install electrical in own residence or farmstead (SDCL 36-16-15; ARSD 20:44:14:01(12)) S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNERThe exemption is from the LICENCE only — the permit comes before the work and the inspections still run (rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT).
- sd:class-b-electrician — farm and residential electrical contracting (SDCL 36-16-14) S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINThe Class B carve-out — contracting rights exist, but only for farm/residential wiring (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING).
- sd:journeyman-electrician — enter an electrical contract with others (SDCL 36-16-13, 36-16-14) S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINA journeyman may perform electrical work but may not hold the contract — the distinction that keeps SD from presenting one 'electrician licence' as a contractor licence.
- minor-work — contractor excise tax license before contracting (SDCL 10-46A, 10-46B) S-SD-DOR-EXCISEThe one credential EVERY South Dakota construction contract needs, whatever the trade or amount (rule SD-EXCISE).
- roof-replacement — roofing work without any state credential S-SD-BOARDSD_interpretation_ours + reported: an ASSEMBLED absence, labelled as ours. It is published affirmatively (never as a gap) beside the two credentials that DO exist.
- sd:third-year-apprentice-plumber — unsupervised plumbing on anything but a single family dwelling (ARSD 20:53:03:05; DLR licensing page) S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSINGA narrow official window — the third-year apprentice is NOT a journeyman substitute on commercial or multi-family work.
- sd:electrical-contractor — contract electrical work of any kind (SDCL 36-16-13, 36-16-14) S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINThe only class that may contract electrical work of any kind (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING).
- bathroom-remodel — homeowner permit on commercial or rental property (SDCL 36-25-17; DLR homeowner pages) S-SD-PLUMBING-HOMEOWNERThe owner exemptions NEVER reach income property — commercial and rental work must go to the licensed contractors (the second owner page states the electrical half verbatim).
- sd:apprentice-electrician — work on an installation without personal supervision (SDCL 36-16-21; ARSD 20:44:16:05) S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINSupervision is a LICENCE condition, not advice: unsupervised apprentice work is outside the registration entirely.
- bathroom-remodel — homeowner plumb own single family dwelling (SDCL 36-25-17) S-SD-PLUMBING-HOMEOWNEROwner = installer, single-family only, $130 certificate, three state inspections (rule SD-PLB-HOMEOWNER).
These limits feed the deterministic rules (SD-NO-GC, SD-NO-TRADE, SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING, SD-ELEC-EXPERIENCE, SD-PLB-EXPERIENCE, SD-PLB-HOMEOWNER) that project pages evaluate — missing facts return NOT_DETERMINED, never a forced answer. S-SD-BOARDS
06 Sources
S-SD-BOARDSboard page
DLR — Boards & Commissions under the direction of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (the absence evidence)
https://dlr.sd.gov/boards_commissions_councils.aspxS-SD-DOR-EXCISEboard page
South Dakota Department of Revenue — Contractor's Excise Tax (the licence every contractor needs)
https://dor.sd.gov/businesses/taxes/contractors-excise-tax/S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNERboard page
SD Electrical Commission — Homeowner Wiring (the owner's exemption, permit-first rule)
https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/homeowner_wiring.aspxS-SD-PLUMBING-HOMEOWNERboard page
South Dakota Plumbing Commission — Homeowner Plumbing (SDCL 36-25-17, $130 certificate, inspections)
https://dlr.sd.gov/plumbing/homeowner_plumbing.aspxS-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSINGboard page
South Dakota Plumbing Commission — Licensing Requirements (experience ladders, 2026-2027 mailing)
https://dlr.sd.gov/plumbing/licensing.aspxS-SD-PLUMBING-RULES-PDFregulation
South Dakota Plumbing Commission — LRC-approved ARSD ch. 20:53 rule package (fee chapter 20:53:12, effective 7/2/2025)
https://dlr.sd.gov/plumbing/meeting_documents/agenda-052925-rules-with-LRC-approval.pdfS-SD-WIRING-BULLETINbulletin
SD Electrical Commission — Wiring Bulletin: SDCL ch. 36-16 (Electricians and Electrical Contractors) + ARSD article 20:44, official reproduction
https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/documents/wiring_bulletin.pdf