Similar to becoming a licensed electrician in South Dakota, a plumber’s license will be administered through a branch of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. However, your plumber’s license will involve meeting the requirements of the South Dakota Plumbing Commission.
Since plumbing licenses are delegated through the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, this means they are set at the state level, unlike general contractors licenses. As such, there is only one process to obtain your plumbing license in South Dakota — which will include on-the-job experience, training, and taking exams.
South Dakota Plumbing License Reciprocity
The South Dakota Plumbing Commission allows reciprocal agreements with other states on two conditions:
- A required fee must be paid;
- You currently hold a license that the South Dakota Plumbing Commission deems comparable to that of a South Dakota plumbers license.
The states whose licenses are recognized as equivalent to the South Dakota Plumbing Commission plumbing licenses include:
South Dakota Journeyman Plumber License Requirements
To become a journeyman electrician in South Dakota, you must complete the plumbing application. This application will request information on the dates of your previous (and/or current) employment, the number of hours worked during this employment, the work you performed during your employment. Reciprocity applicants may simply attach a photo of their license to the application, and can skip the work history portion.
Naturally, applicants must have obtained an apprentice’s license before applying for a journeyman’s license. Additionally, you must spend at least 1,900 hours per year working as an apprentice for the four years you are one.
If you are or have been in the military, you are granted a credit — one year’s credit for every two years you are in the military. This can be stacked to equal five years of credit maximum.
Finally, your plumbing application to become a journeyman electrician in South Dakota must be accompanied by a $205 fee.
Plumbing Journeyman Exam
The exam to become a licensed journeyman in South Dakota will be held in Pierre, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City, SD. They will only be available at one of these three locations when the office has enough applicants to warrant travel to these sites. The journeyman exam will cost $205. Exams will be scheduled and paid for through the South Dakota Plumbing Commission’s online licensing and payment system.
For more information on examinations, visit the South Dakota Plumbing Commission licensing examinations page.
Plumbing Apprenticeship Requirements
A plumber’s apprentice license application may look familiar to a journeyman, since they are the same form. However, to get your apprentice’s license, you will need to show proof that you have fulfilled the following requirements:
- Two years (3,800 hours) of experience, learning, and assistance in installing, altering, and the repair of plumbing under the supervision of a plumbing contractor.
- Pass a state-administered examination.
Apprentices are allowed to work without supervision during their third and fourth years, but only on single-family dwellings and after they have passed a state-administered test
South Dakota Plumbing Apprentice Jobs
If you are looking to become a plumbing apprentice in South Dakota, regularly check the following job boards:
The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation also offers multiple places to register as an apprentice for workers and businesses on their website.
Plumbing Trade Schools in South Dakota
There are four primary places where plumbers can go to start their plumbing apprenticeships:
Midwestern Mechanical Rapid, Inc.
1865 Samco Rd.
Rapid City, SD 57702
605-250-0477
Krohmer Plumbing – Michell, SD
401 South Ohlman
Michell, SD 57301
605-996-2752
Krohmer Plumbing – Sioux Falls, SD
3505 N. 1st Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
605-275-0077
Western Dakota Tech
800 Mickelson Dr
Rapid City SD 57703
605-718-2565
South Dakota Professional License Search
To look up and/or verify a plumber’s license in South Dakota, visit the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation’s licensee roster database provided by the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions.
For More License and Career Guides
To find out how to become a Plumbing Contractor in another state, start here.
For information on other trades in South Dakota, click on a link below to learn more about the licensing requirements:
Call Us