Minor Work — South Dakota license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Minor Work in South Dakota. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
No project components are seeded for this project — we do not invent component lists without evidence.
02 Jurisdiction
This project is evaluated for South Dakota — the no-general-contractor-licence state. The State Electrical Commission (SDCL ch. 36-16) licenses only electrical, and only on its own terms: no dollar threshold, a $10,000 undertaking with liability insurance, biennial June 30 even-year renewal; the State Plumbing Commission (SDCL ch. 36-25) runs the plumbing ladders on annual December 31 licences; and every person entering a construction contract needs DOR's 2% contractor's excise licence. Local permits and any municipal registration are a separate layer under SDCL 36-16-35. South Dakota jurisdiction page.
sdlegislature.gov serves a JavaScript app shell to this project's fetcher, so SDCL ch. 36-16 and ARSD 20:44 were read IN FULL from DLR's official Wiring Bulletin PDF and ARSD 20:53 from the Commission's LRC-approved rule package PDF; the ch. 36-25 penalty cross-reference (§ 36-25-30) is surfaced from the official rule page and flagged reported. Permit fees, local construction rules and any municipal business-licence rate were not researched and remain LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. Both conflicts ($15/$20 wiring-permit caps; annual vs "2026-2027" specialty term) are published side by side. State requirements are not the complete story for any locality.
03 Trade → license
Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.
Trades involved: no seeded components — trade resolution follows from the classification relations below.
- May require ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR — Electrical Contractor (SD Electrical Commission) confirmed S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN rule SD-ELEC-LICENSESouth Dakota has NO dollar threshold for electrical work: any electrical contracting or performance needs a Commission licence (SDCL 36-16-1, Class 2 misdemeanor) — a small job is NOT exempt. The only carve-out is the owner's own residence/farmstead with the permit first (SDCL 36-16-15, rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT).
- Component basis PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR — Plumbing Contractor (SD Plumbing Commission) confirmed S-SD-PLUMBING-DEFAULT rule SD-PLB-LICENSELikewise no plumbing threshold: plumbing work on property connected to a public water/sewer system needs a Commission licence whatever the price (DLR occupation list + SDCL 36-25-17 scope), unless the $130 homeowner certificate applies (rule SD-PLB-HOMEOWNER).
- Alternative path CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN — Class B Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) confirmed S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTINGA small RESIDENTIAL or FARM electrical job may be contracted by a Class B electrician (36 months' experience, SDCL 36-16-14) instead of a full electrical contractor — the cheapest contracting path in the state (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING). The contractor's excise licence still applies to the contract (SD-EXCISE).
04 Scope
What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.
- Officially excluded CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN Commercial Electrical Contracting (may_not_perform) SDCL 36-16-14 S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN The hard commercial boundary — a Class B licence never covers a commercial electrical contract; the electrical contractor class does.
- Officially included minor-work Owner Install Electrical In Own Residence Or Farmstead (may_perform) SDCL 36-16-15; ARSD 20:44:14:01(12) S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNER The exemption is from the LICENCE only — the permit comes before the work and the inspections still run (rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT).
- Officially included CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN Farm And Residential Electrical Contracting (may_perform) SDCL 36-16-14 S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN The Class B carve-out — contracting rights exist, but only for farm/residential wiring (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING).
- Officially included minor-work Contractor Excise Tax License Before Contracting (requires) SDCL 10-46A, 10-46B S-SD-DOR-EXCISE The one credential EVERY South Dakota construction contract needs, whatever the trade or amount (rule SD-EXCISE).
- Officially included ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR Contract Electrical Work Of Any Kind (may_perform) SDCL 36-16-13, 36-16-14 S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN The only class that may contract electrical work of any kind (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING).
05 Requirements
| Requirement | Kind | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No statewide general contractor licence exists (verified absence) DLR Boards & Commissions list (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) + DOR excise page | license | South Dakota issues NO general contractor, builder or construction-licence credential at state level. Evidence assembled from three official machine-read sources (2026-10-09): (1) DLR's own boards list shows every occupational board it directs — Abstracters, Athletic, Accountancy, Barber, Technical Professions, Cosmetology, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, Real Estate — with NO construction contractor board; (2) the only state construction-trade licences are electrical (SDCL ch. 36-16) and plumbing (SDCL ch. 36-25); (3) the Department of Revenue frames the state credential a construction contractor needs as the contractor's EXCISE TAX licence — 'Any person entering into a contract for construction services … must have a South Dakota contractor's tax license.' | S-SD-BOARDSSource S-SD-BOARDS — South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR)DLR — Boards & Commissions under the direction of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (the absence evidence) — DLR Boards & Commissions list (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) + DOR excise page https://dlr.sd.gov/boards_commissions_councils.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Lists every occupational/professional licensing board DLR directs: Abstracters' Board, Athletic Commission, Board of Accountancy, Board of Barber Examiners, Board of Technical Professions, Cosmetology Commission, ELECTRICAL Commission, PLUMBING Commission, Real Estate Commission — plus Banking, Human Rights, advisory councils and 'Other occupational and professional licensing boards and commissions, including those not under DLR'. NO general/building/roofing/HVAC contractor board exists. Together with the two trade chapters and DOR's excise page this is the evidence base for REQ-SD-NO-GC-LICENSE-001 and REQ-SD-NO-TRADE-LICENSE-001 (both confidence 'reported' — an assembled absence, never a gap). |
| Contractor's excise tax licence required for any construction contract (2%) DOR Contractor's Excise Tax page (dor.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) | license | SD Department of Revenue (machine-read 2026-10-09) verbatim: 'Any person entering into a contract for construction services (as defined in Division C of the Standard Industrial Classification Manual of 1987) or engaging in services that include the construction, building, installation, or repair of a fixture to real property must have a South Dakota contractor's tax license. The excise tax imposed on the gross receipts for construction projects is at a rate of 2%.' Two project types apply — qualified utility projects (SDCL 10-46B) and everything else (SDCL 10-46A); a bid factor of 2.041% may be used to collect the full tax; returns are due the 20th of the month (25th if electronic); a prime contractor must issue exemption certificates to its subcontractors, and a subcontractor without one is treated as a prime contractor. | S-SD-DOR-EXCISESource S-SD-DOR-EXCISE — South Dakota Department of Revenue (DOR)South Dakota Department of Revenue — Contractor's Excise Tax (the licence every contractor needs) — DOR Contractor's Excise Tax page (dor.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) https://dor.sd.gov/businesses/taxes/contractors-excise-tax/ Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Verbatim: 'Any person entering into a contract for construction services (as defined in Division C of the Standard Industrial Classification Manual of 1987) or engaging in services that include the construction, building, installation, or repair of a fixture to real property must have a South Dakota contractor's tax license. The excise tax imposed on the gross receipts for construction projects is at a rate of 2%.' Two project types: qualified utility projects (SDCL 10-46B) and non-qualified (SDCL 10-46A); returns due the 20th of the month (paper/ACH the 25th electronic); bid factor 2.041%; prime contractors must issue exemption certificates to subcontractors (a subcontractor without a certificate is treated as a prime contractor); owner-occupied dwellings rules; Indian Country guidance to check with the tribe. No licence APPLICATION fee is published on the page — so no excise fee row is seeded (§O). |
| Electrical work requires a State Electrical Commission licence (Class 2 misdemeanor) SDCL 36-16-1 (dlr.sd.gov Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09) | license | SDCL 36-16-1 verbatim (official Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09): 'Any person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation engaged, or offering to engage, in business as an electrical contractor as defined in § 36-16-2 or any person performing the work as defined in this chapter, shall obtain a license from the State Electrical Commission before any person may undertake and perform such work … It is a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation to engage in such business or such work unless the provisions of this chapter are complied with.' | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINSource S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN — South Dakota State Electrical Commission (within DLR)SD Electrical Commission — Wiring Bulletin: SDCL ch. 36-16 (Electricians and Electrical Contractors) + ARSD article 20:44, official reproduction — SDCL 36-16-1 (dlr.sd.gov Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09) https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/documents/wiring_bulletin.pdf Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Downloaded and read IN FULL 2026-10-09 (pdftotext, 3,106 lines) — the Commission's official PDF reproduction of the entire electrical statute chapter AND its administrative rules, used because sdlegislature.gov serves a JavaScript shell to the fetcher. Sections credited: § 36-16-1 (licence required; Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-2 (definitions — apprentice, Class B with 36 months, electrical contractor, inspector, journeyman with 4 years, maintenance, 501(d)), § 36-16-13 (contracting licence after examination; exam fee ≤$150, application ≤$100), § 36-16-14 (only an electrical contractor may contract; Class B limited to farm/residential wiring), § 36-16-15 (owner exemption for own residence/farmstead/new owner-occupied single-family; >60 A entrances inspected; failure to report = Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-16 (nine occupational exemptions), § 36-16-17 (biennial fee caps: EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $200, inspector $120, maintenance $120, 501(d) $120), § 36-16-19 (2 yrs journeyman or 1 yr commercial Class B for the EC), § 36-16-20 ($10,000 undertaking + liability insurance $100k/$300k + $50 deposit; no additional undertaking for a municipal licence), § 36-16-21 (apprentice registration ≤$20, even years, personal supervision), § 36-16-23 (reciprocity), § 36-16-25 (two-year term expiring midnight June 30 of even-numbered years, renewal within 30 days; emergency farm/residential repairs exempt), § 36-16-27 (wiring permit before service connection; rule fee cap $15, late cap $750), § 36-16-30 (inspection fee caps incl. wiring permits ≤$20), § 36-16-33 (five discipline grounds incl. NEC non-compliance and aiding an unlicensed person), § 36-16-34 (Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-34.1 (injunction), § 36-16-35 (localities may impose MORE STRINGENT requirements), § 36-16-38 (reinstatement ≤$100); rules ARSD 20:44:16:03 (exam written from NEC + statutes/rules, 70% pass, 90-day/30-day/90-day windows), 20:44:16:04 ($60 application fee every class), 20:44:16:05 (apprentice supervision), 20:44:16:06 (1 year = 2,000 hours), 20:44:16:15 (biennial fees: EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $100, inspector $100, 501(d) $80), 20:44:16:16 (temporary journeyman $10), 20:44:16:17 (apprentice registration $20), 20:44:16:18 (reinstatement $50 within one year), 20:44:17:01 (16 h CE per biennium), 20:44:17:02 (≤8 h online per biennium). |
| Plumbing work requires a State Plumbing Commission licence (all seven occupations) SD Plumbing Commission front page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) | license | The Commission's front page verbatim (machine-read 2026-10-09): it 'Licenses all qualified plumbers, sewer and water installer, appliance installers, manufactured and mobile home, underground irrigation installers, water conditioning installers, and individual and small on-site wastewater system (septic) installers within the state,' and 'Administers the state laws and regulations concerning plumbing, sewer and water, appliance installation, manufactured and mobile home, underground irrigation, and water conditioning.' The licensing page enumerates the licence families (contractor/plumber/third-year/apprentice + six specialty families). SDCL 36-25-17 is titled 'License required for plumbing work on property connected to public water or sewer system — Exceptions' (official chapter index, surfaced), and the Homeowner Plumbing page quotes it as the homeowner exception. Violation of ch. 36-25 is a Class 2 misdemeanor per § 36-25-30 (rule cross-reference, surfaced — see REQ-SD-PLB-PENALTY-001). | S-SD-PLUMBING-DEFAULTSource S-SD-PLUMBING-DEFAULT — South Dakota State Plumbing Commission (within DLR)South Dakota Plumbing Commission — home (duties, occupations licensed, annual Dec 31 expiry) — SD Plumbing Commission front page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) https://dlr.sd.gov/plumbing/default.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Verbatim: 'IMPORTANT NOTICE: Per state law, plumbing licenses expire annually on Dec. 31. To reinstate a plumbing license, a reinstatement form must be submitted with the appropriate fee. Plumbing contractors, plumbers, and 3rd-year apprentice plumbers licensed by exam must provide proof of completion of continuing education in 2025 before a renewal for 2026 license will be processed'; 'The Commission … Licenses all qualified plumbers, sewer and water installer, appliance installers, manufactured and mobile home, underground irrigation installers, water conditioning installers, and individual and small on-site wastewater system (septic) installers within the state'; 'Ensures updating and distribution of the state plumbing code'. Backs the annual renewal (RENEW-SD-PLUMBING), CONFLICT-SD-002 side A and the occupation list. |
| Owner's exemption: wire your own residence/farmstead — but the permit comes FIRST DLR Homeowner Wiring page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) + SDCL 36-16-15 | exemption | SDCL 36-16-15 verbatim (official Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09): 'No license is required of a person installing electric wiring in or on: (1) The person's own residence, including attached or unattached accessory structures and the parcel of land upon which the structures are situated; (2) The person's own farmstead; (3) The premises of a single-family dwelling unit that is in the process of being constructed if the person owns the premises and intends to occupy [it] …; or (4) The premises of any private, non-habitable property owned by the person …' — but 'Entrance installations in excess of sixty amperes capacity, circuits, or the installation of electrical parts of other apparatus shall be subject to inspection and payment of an inspection fee,' and 'Failure to report this work as required by law is a Class 2 misdemeanor'; 'residence' means a detached owner-occupied single-family dwelling. The Commission's Homeowner Wiring page adds: the owner's exemption (rule 20:44:14:01(12)) requires an approved HOMEOWNER PERMIT BEFORE starting any electrical work, proof of ownership, no commercial/rental property, mobile/modular only on an owner-occupied lot (otherwise a licensed electrical contractor must wire it), 72-hour inspection notice, rough-in + final inspections, and a permit life of three years. | S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNERSource S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNER — South Dakota State Electrical Commission (within DLR)SD Electrical Commission — Homeowner Wiring (the owner's exemption, permit-first rule) — DLR Homeowner Wiring page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) + SDCL 36-16-15 https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/homeowner_wiring.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Verbatim: '…defines an "owner's exemption" as an exemption from licensure requirements for an individual owner who is personally installing electrical wiring and fixtures in a residence or farmstead which is owned and resided in or on by the person installing the electrical wiring or fixtures. You MUST have an approved homeowner permit BEFORE starting any electrical work'; 'Homeowners are not allowed to conduct an installation on commercial or rental property with a Homeowner's permit. Homeowners of a mobile home or modular home are not allowed … unless the units are located on an owner-occupied lot … These properties must be wired by a licensed South Dakota electrical contractor'; proof of ownership required; a wiring permit is required when a $30-or-more fee is generated; 72-hour inspection notice; rough-in before covering and a final inspection before occupancy; 'Current life of a permit is three years.' NOTE: the page labels its definition 'SDCL 20:44:14:01(12)', but that citation is an ARSD rule number (the page's own typo) — this seed cites the rule correctly as ARSD 20:44:14:01(12). |
| Localities may impose MORE STRINGENT requirements than the state chapter SDCL 36-16-35, 36-16-20 (dlr.sd.gov Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09) | permit | SDCL 36-16-35 verbatim (official Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09): 'Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit any municipality, rural electric cooperative, private utility, or political subdivision of the state from making and enforcing more stringent requirements than those set forth in this chapter, and such requirements shall be complied with.' § 36-16-20 adds the flip side: a licensed electrical contractor or Class B electrician need not furnish any additional undertaking for a MUNICIPAL licence. Municipal zoning/planning runs under SDCL ch. 11-4/11-6 (chapter index surfaced). | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETINSource S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN — South Dakota State Electrical Commission (within DLR)SD Electrical Commission — Wiring Bulletin: SDCL ch. 36-16 (Electricians and Electrical Contractors) + ARSD article 20:44, official reproduction — SDCL 36-16-35, 36-16-20 (dlr.sd.gov Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09) https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/documents/wiring_bulletin.pdf Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Downloaded and read IN FULL 2026-10-09 (pdftotext, 3,106 lines) — the Commission's official PDF reproduction of the entire electrical statute chapter AND its administrative rules, used because sdlegislature.gov serves a JavaScript shell to the fetcher. Sections credited: § 36-16-1 (licence required; Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-2 (definitions — apprentice, Class B with 36 months, electrical contractor, inspector, journeyman with 4 years, maintenance, 501(d)), § 36-16-13 (contracting licence after examination; exam fee ≤$150, application ≤$100), § 36-16-14 (only an electrical contractor may contract; Class B limited to farm/residential wiring), § 36-16-15 (owner exemption for own residence/farmstead/new owner-occupied single-family; >60 A entrances inspected; failure to report = Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-16 (nine occupational exemptions), § 36-16-17 (biennial fee caps: EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $200, inspector $120, maintenance $120, 501(d) $120), § 36-16-19 (2 yrs journeyman or 1 yr commercial Class B for the EC), § 36-16-20 ($10,000 undertaking + liability insurance $100k/$300k + $50 deposit; no additional undertaking for a municipal licence), § 36-16-21 (apprentice registration ≤$20, even years, personal supervision), § 36-16-23 (reciprocity), § 36-16-25 (two-year term expiring midnight June 30 of even-numbered years, renewal within 30 days; emergency farm/residential repairs exempt), § 36-16-27 (wiring permit before service connection; rule fee cap $15, late cap $750), § 36-16-30 (inspection fee caps incl. wiring permits ≤$20), § 36-16-33 (five discipline grounds incl. NEC non-compliance and aiding an unlicensed person), § 36-16-34 (Class 2 misdemeanor), § 36-16-34.1 (injunction), § 36-16-35 (localities may impose MORE STRINGENT requirements), § 36-16-38 (reinstatement ≤$100); rules ARSD 20:44:16:03 (exam written from NEC + statutes/rules, 70% pass, 90-day/30-day/90-day windows), 20:44:16:04 ($60 application fee every class), 20:44:16:05 (apprentice supervision), 20:44:16:06 (1 year = 2,000 hours), 20:44:16:15 (biennial fees: EC $200, journeyman $80, Class B $100, inspector $100, 501(d) $80), 20:44:16:16 (temporary journeyman $10), 20:44:16:17 (apprentice registration $20), 20:44:16:18 (reinstatement $50 within one year), 20:44:17:01 (16 h CE per biennium), 20:44:17:02 (≤8 h online per biennium). |
06 Rule: SD-ELEC-LICENSE
SDCL 36-16-1 (machine-read from DLR's official Wiring Bulletin): 'Any person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation engaged, or offering to engage, in business as an electrical contractor as defined in § 36-16-2 or any person performing the work as defined in this chapter, shall obtain a license from the State Electrical Commission before any person may undertake and perform such work … It is a Class 2 misdemeanor' to do so without compliance. There is NO dollar threshold on any electrical licence — the duty attaches to the work itself.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| unlicensed-electrical-work | electrical_license_required |
|
| licensed-electrical-work | electrical_license_held |
|
| no-electrical-work | no_electrical_license_needed_for_this_work |
|
07 Rule: SD-PLB-LICENSE
SDCL 36-25-17 is titled 'License required for plumbing work on property connected to public water or sewer system — Exceptions' (official chapter index, surfaced — the chapter's full text sits behind sdlegislature.gov's JavaScript shell). The Commission's licensing page (machine-read) enumerates exactly which occupations require licences: plumbers, plumbing contractors, third-year apprentices, sewer and water installers, appliance installers, manufactured and mobile home installers, underground irrigation installers, water conditioning installers, and individual and small on-site wastewater system installers. The Commission's front page states the licence is issued by the State Plumbing Commission; violating SDCL 36-25 is a Class 2 misdemeanor (SDCL 36-25-30, surfaced — confidence `reported`, no dollar/day figures read).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| unlicensed-plumbing-work | plumbing_license_required |
|
| licensed-plumbing-work | plumbing_license_held |
|
| no-plumbing-work | no_plumbing_license_needed_for_this_work |
|
08 Rule: SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING
SDCL 36-16-14 (machine-read): 'No contract … for the installation of electrical wiring … shall be entered into by anyone not an electrical contractor. Provided, however, that a Class B electrician … is authorized to enter into a contract … 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.' § 36-16-13 conditions contracting on passing the examination; § 36-16-2 defines the classes (Class B needs 36 months' experience, journeyman 4 years, apprentice registered and personally supervised).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| electrical-contractor-may-contract | may_contract_electrical_work |
|
| class-b-farm-or-residential | class_b_may_contract_farm_residential_only |
|
| class-b-outside-scope | class_b_may_not_contract_commercial_work | — |
| journeyman-or-apprentice-cannot-contract | may_practise_but_not_contract |
|
| no-electrical-credential | may_not_contract_or_perform_electrical_work | — |
09 Rule: SD-NO-GC
Verified absence: South Dakota issues NO statewide general contractor licence. The DLR boards list (machine-read 2026-10-09) names every occupational board the department directs — Abstracters, Athletic, Accountancy, Barber, Technical Professions, Cosmetology, Electrical, Plumbing, Real Estate — and no construction contractor board exists; the only two construction trades licensed by the state are electrical (SDCL ch. 36-16) and plumbing (SDCL ch. 36-25); DOR's own page frames the credential every South Dakota construction contractor holds as the contractor's EXCISE TAX licence. Confidence `reported`: an absence assembled from three official sources, not a single statute reciting 'no general contractor licence'. A caller reporting an 'SD general contractor licence' holds an electrical or plumbing credential, the excise tax licence, or a municipal licence.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| no-statewide-gc-license | no_statewide_general_contractor_license |
|
| claims-state-gc-license | unrecognized_state_credential |
|
10 Rule: SD-EXCISE
DOR verbatim (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'Any person entering into a contract for construction services (as defined in Division C of the Standard Industrial Classification Manual of 1987) or engaging in services that include the construction, building, installation, or repair of a fixture to real property must have a South Dakota contractor's tax license. The excise tax imposed on the gross receipts for construction projects is at a rate of 2%.' Two project types: qualified utility projects (SDCL 10-46B) and non-qualified (SDCL 10-46A); returns are due the 20th of the following month on paper/ACH, the 25th electronically; the bid factor is 2.041%; prime contractors must issue exemption certificates to subcontractors (a subcontractor without a certificate is treated as a prime contractor). No licence application fee is published on the page read (§O) — no fee row is seeded.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| construction-contract-entered | contractor_excise_tax_license_required |
|
| no-construction-contract | excise_license_not_triggered |
|
11 Rule: SD-ELEC-EXEMPT
SDCL 36-16-15 (machine-read): 'No license is required of a person installing electric wiring in or on: (1) The person's own residence … (2) The person's own farmstead; (3) The premises of a single-family dwelling unit … in the process of being constructed if the person owns the premises and intends to occupy [it] …; or (4) Any private, non-habitable property owned by the person …' — entrances over 60 A, circuits and parts remain subject to inspection with an inspection fee; failure to report the work is a Class 2 misdemeanor; 'residence' means a detached owner-occupied single-family dwelling. DLR's Homeowner Wiring page (machine-read) adds the rule ARSD 20:44:14:01(12) definition of the owner's exemption: an approved homeowner permit BEFORE starting work, proof of ownership, NO commercial or rental property, mobile/modular only on an owner-occupied lot (otherwise a licensed electrical contractor must do it), 72-hour inspection notice, rough-in + final inspections, permit life three years.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| not-owner-occupier | owner_exemption_not_available | — |
| disallowed-property | owner_exemption_unavailable_for_property | — |
| owner-permit-not-yet-obtained | homeowner_permit_required_before_work |
|
| owner-exemption-applies | owner_electrical_exemption_applies |
|
12 Rule: SD-LOCAL
SDCL 36-16-35 (machine-read): 'Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit any municipality, rural electric cooperative, private utility, or political subdivision … from making and enforcing more stringent requirements than those set forth in this chapter.' The wiring-permit duty of § 36-16-27 is itself statewide, and building permits are issued locally. NO South Dakota municipal code or permit schedule was opened this phase — every city/county licensing and permit fact is LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED and is never guessed (research §K/§O).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| local-permit-required | local_permit_required |
|
| local-license-required | municipal_contractor_license_required |
|
| no-local-requirements-reported | no_local_requirement_reported |
|
13 No threshold — what actually applies to small work
| Question | South Dakota answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State GC or handyman licence? | none exists — verified absence, confidence "reported" (rule SD-NO-GC) | S-SD-BOARDS |
| Construction contract entered? | 2% excise licence required — any person entering a construction contract (rule SD-EXCISE) | S-SD-DOR-EXCISE |
| Electrical work — any dollar floor? | no floor — SDCL 36-16-1 attaches to the work itself; Class 2 misdemeanor (rule SD-ELEC-LICENSE) | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
| Plumbing work — any dollar floor? | no floor — SDCL 36-25-17 licenses plumbing work on public-connected property (rule SD-PLB-LICENSE) | S-SD-PLUMBING-DEFAULT |
| Doing your own work? | the owner exemptions are the only carve-out — permit FIRST for wiring, $130 certificate for plumbing (rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT) | S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNER |
| City permit or registration? | SDCL 36-16-35 lets localities impose more stringent requirements — LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED (rule SD-LOCAL) | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
14 Fees and the credential boundary
| Question | South Dakota answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical contractor — application / biennial | $60 application + $200 licence (machine-read, ARSD 20:44:16:04/16:15); statutory cap $200 | S-SD-ELEC-LICENSING |
| Electrical undertaking | $10,000 + $50 deposit, plus $100k/$300k liability insurance (§ 36-16-20) | S-SD-ELEC-UNDERTAKING |
| Plumbing contractor — initial / renewal | $275 / $275 annual (ARSD 20:53:12:03); plumber/installer $105 | S-SD-PLUMBING-LICENSING |
| Wiring permit | $20 each or 20 for $400 — CONFLICT-SD-001 resolves the $15-vs-$20 caps to the current schedule | S-SD-ELEC-FEES |
| Any state credential for the primary trade? | none for roofing, HVAC, solar or general building — verified absences (rules SD-NO-GC, SD-NO-TRADE) | S-SD-BOARDS |