Solar Installation — South Dakota license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Solar Installation in South Dakota. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
| Component | Trade |
|---|---|
| Solar energy system | Solar |
| Electrical interconnection | Electrical |
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: Solar, Electrical.
- May require ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR — Electrical Contractor (SD Electrical Commission) confirmed S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN rule SD-ELEC-LICENSESouth Dakota has NO solar credential (verified absence — rule SD-NO-GC on this page): a solar install rides the ELECTRICAL licence stack — the contractor holds the wiring contract, a wiring permit gates connection (SDCL 36-16-27), and the job is inspected under the 2023 NEC (permits on/after 2024-11-12).
- Component basis JOURNEYMAN-ELECTRICIAN — Journeyman Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) confirmed S-SD-ELEC-LICENSING rule SD-ELEC-EXPERIENCEThe array's wiring is journeyman-level work under the contracting licence (4 yrs/8,000 h + exam at 70%; apprentices only with personal supervision on site) — rule SD-ELEC-EXPERIENCE.
- Alternative path CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN — Class B Electrician (SD Electrical Commission) confirmed S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTINGOn a RESIDENTIAL property the Class B contract right (farm/residential wiring only, SDCL 36-16-14) can hold the solar-electrical contract; commercial arrays need the electrical contractor class (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING). The owner's exemption reaches a homeowner wiring their own residence — with the permit first (rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT).
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 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 excluded JOURNEYMAN-ELECTRICIAN Enter An Electrical Contract With Others (may_not_perform) SDCL 36-16-13, 36-16-14 S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN A 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.
- 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 state roofing, HVAC/refrigeration, solar, general carpentry or painting licence (verified absence) DLR Boards & Commissions list (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) | exemption | Beyond electrical and plumbing, South Dakota licenses NO construction trade at state level: roofing, HVAC/refrigeration, solar installation, framing/carpentry, painting, drywall, masonry, flooring and general building work are unlicensed trades at state level. Evidence (machine-read 2026-10-09): the DLR boards list contains no such board; the Plumbing Commission's occupation list (its front page + licensing page) covers only plumbing-adjacent occupations; the Electrical Commission covers only electrical work; DOR's page routes contractors to the excise tax licence. Any credential for these trades would come from a municipality or county (LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED). | 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) 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). |
| Only an electrical contractor may contract electrical work; Class B is limited to farm/residential SDCL 36-16-13, 36-16-14 (dlr.sd.gov Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09) | license | SDCL 36-16-14 verbatim (official Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09): 'No contract, agreement, or understanding with another for the installation of electrical wiring or the installation of electrical parts of other apparatus shall be entered into by anyone not an electrical contractor. Provided, however, that a Class B electrician, as defined in § 36-16-2, 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 36-16-13 separately licences contracting 'for a fixed sum, price, fee, percentage, or other consideration' after the examination. | 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 36-16-13, 36-16-14 (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). |
| Electrical experience ladder: 4 yrs/8,000 h apprentice → journeyman → +2 yrs/4,000 h (2,000 commercial) → contractor SD Electrical Commission licensing page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) | experience | Commission licensing page verbatim (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'After completing four years (for a total of 8,000 hours) as a licensed apprentice electrician working under the employment and supervision of an electrical contractor, you will be ready to write the journeyman's exam. It will then take another two years as a licensed journeyman (with a total of 4,000 hours of additional work … including a minimum of 2,000 hours of commercial work) to write the electrical contractor's exam.' 'Experience hours must be licensed in order for the working time to count toward the hours required to take the exams.' Statutory floors (official Wiring Bulletin): journeyman ≥4 years (§ 36-16-2(5)), Class B ≥36 months (§ 36-16-2(2)), electrical contractor ≥2 years as journeyman OR ≥1 year commercial as Class B (§ 36-16-19); ARSD 20:44:16:06 fixes 'one year of experience is 2,000 hours'. | S-SD-ELEC-LICENSINGSource S-SD-ELEC-LICENSING — South Dakota State Electrical Commission (within DLR)SD Electrical Commission — Licensing & Renewals (experience ladder, CE, renewal window) — SD Electrical Commission licensing page (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/licensing.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Verbatim: 'After completing four years (for a total of 8,000 hours) as a licensed apprentice electrician working under the employment and supervision of an electrical contractor, you will be ready to write the journeyman's exam. It will then take another two years as a licensed journeyman (with a total of 4,000 hours of additional work … including a minimum of 2,000 hours of commercial work) to write the electrical contractor's exam'; 'Experience hours must be licensed in order for the working time to count'; renewals for 2026 accepted from April 20, no late fee by June 30; 'Licensees are required to attain 16 hours of continuing education (a minimum of 8 code hours) … Per ARSD 20:44:17:02, only 8 hours of continuing education are allowed for pre-approved online courses'; CE certificates cover July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026; 'If you are applying for an Electrical Contractor or Class B Electrician License, you must fill out and submit the Electrical Contractor and Class B Electricians' Bond Application'. |
| Wiring permit required before a new service entrance is connected ($20 per permit, eff. 7/1/2025) DLR Fees for Inspections schedule eff. 2025-07-01 (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) | permit | SDCL 36-16-27 verbatim (official Wiring Bulletin, read 2026-10-09): 'No new electrical service entrance except for communication service may be connected for use until a wiring permit has been furnished to the person, firm, or corporation supplying electrical energy certifying that a wiring permit has been obtained in compliance with the rules promulgated by the commission.' The Commission's Fees for Inspections schedule (machine-read 2026-10-09) charges 'Wiring Permits are $20 each or a book of 20 for $400' effective July 1, 2025, with administrative fees of $250 for a late wiring permit, $250 for failure to make corrections, $100 for failure to notify and $250 for not posting permits; a minimum inspection fee of $150 applies and reinspections run $150/hour. | S-SD-ELEC-FEESSource S-SD-ELEC-FEES — South Dakota State Electrical Commission (within DLR)SD Electrical Commission — Fees for Inspections (schedule effective July 1, 2025) — DLR Fees for Inspections schedule eff. 2025-07-01 (dlr.sd.gov, read 2026-10-09) https://dlr.sd.gov/electrical/fees.aspx Retrieved 2026-10-09 · last verified 2026-10-09 Machine-read 2026-10-09 (HTTP 200). Verbatim: 'Effective July 1, 2025 — Wiring Permits are $20 each or a book of 20 for $400'; new houses 0–200 A $208, 201–400 A $390, 401+ $390 plus circuits; new services $78–$358 plus circuits by ampacity; circuits installed/altered $65 each; requested inspections and reinspections $150/hour; apartment buildings $150 per unit; mobile homes $100 first unit; RV parks $25 per unit; remodel openings/fixtures $3 each (then $1); motor or special equipment $8; administrative fees — late wiring permit $250, failure to make corrections $250, failure to notify $100, not posting permits $250; minimum inspection fee $150. Backs FEE-SD-ELEC-WIRING-PERMIT-001 and the CONFLICT-SD-001 $20 side. |
| 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). |
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-ELEC-EXPERIENCE
DLR licensing page verbatim (machine-read 2026-10-09): 'After completing four years (for a total of 8,000 hours) as a licensed apprentice electrician working under the employment and supervision of an electrical contractor, you will be ready to write the journeyman's exam. It will then take another two years as a licensed journeyman (with a total of 4,000 hours of additional work … including a minimum of 2,000 hours of commercial work) to write the electrical contractor's exam' — and 'Experience hours must be licensed in order for the working time to count.' ARSD 20:44:16:06 fixes one year of experience at 2,000 hours. SDCL 36-16-19 sets the statutory floor for the contractor licence: two years as a journeyman OR one year of commercial experience as a Class B electrician; SDCL 36-16-2 sets Class B at 36 months.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| journeyman-ready | ready_for_journeyman_examination |
|
| journeyman-not-ready | apprentice_hours_insufficient |
|
| electrical-contractor-ready | ready_for_electrical_contractor_examination |
|
| electrical-contractor-not-ready | contractor_experience_not_met | — |
| class-b-experience-met | class_b_experience_met |
|
| class-b-experience-short | class_b_experience_not_met | — |
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-TRADE
Verified absence: South Dakota issues NO state credential for roofing, HVAC/refrigeration, general building, painting, framing, solar or landscaping contracting. None of these trades appears in the DLR boards list (machine-read 2026-10-09) or in either Commission's occupation list (electrical: SDCL 36-16-2 classes; plumbing: the Commission's front-page occupations). Work in those trades is gated only by local permits and any municipal registration (`LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED`), plus the universal excise tax licence (SD-EXCISE) and the electrical/plumbing licences whenever those trades are touched (SD-ELEC-LICENSE, SD-PLB-LICENSE). Confidence `reported` — an assembled absence.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| no-state-credential-for-this-trade | no_statewide_trade_credential |
|
| state-credentialed-trade | state_credentialed_trade | — |
10 Rule: SD-ELEC-PERMIT
SDCL 36-16-27 (machine-read): 'No new electrical service entrance … may be connected for use until a wiring permit has been furnished' to the energy supplier; the section caps a rule's wiring-permit fee at $15 and late/renewal-failure fees at $750. § 36-16-30(9) (2021 amendment) authorises wiring permits 'not to exceed twenty dollars', and the Commission's fee schedule effective July 1, 2025 (machine-read) charges $20 each or a book of 20 for $400, with a $250 late-permit administrative fee. CONFLICT-SD-001 (the $15 vs $20 cap) is resolved with method: the later § 36-16-30 schedule and the Commission's current $20 charge govern what is collected today.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| permit-missing-before-connection | wiring_permit_required_before_service_connection |
|
| permit-in-place | wiring_permit_satisfied | — |
| no-new-service-connection | no_service_connection_permit_gate |
|
11 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 |
|
12 No solar credential — the electrical stack that governs
| Question | South Dakota answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone solar licence? | none exists — verified absence (rule SD-NO-TRADE) | S-SD-BOARDS |
| Who contracts the install? | an electrical contractor; Class B also covers residential roof wiring (rule SD-ELEC-CONTRACTING) | S-SD-WIRING-BULLETIN |
| Journeyman hours? | 8,000 licensed apprentice hours → journeyman; +4,000 hours (2,000 commercial) → contractor exam (rule SD-ELEC-EXPERIENCE) | S-SD-ELEC-LICENSING |
| Before the system is energised? | the wiring permit must be furnished before a new service entrance is connected — $20 (rule SD-ELEC-PERMIT) | S-SD-ELEC-FEES |
| Owner installing on their own home? | the owner's exemption applies — permit FIRST, proof of ownership, rough-in and final inspections (rule SD-ELEC-EXEMPT) | S-SD-ELEC-HOMEOWNER |
13 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 |