How to become a pest control technician in South Dakota

The path in South Dakota, step by step

South Dakota licenses pest control work at the state level through the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Pesticide Program. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Book a certification exam at one of the state's testing sites.
2. Pass the category G core exam and your category exams.
3. Send the commercial applicator license application and pay $35.
4. Recertify and renew every two years by the end of February.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: pest control license in South Dakota.

Finding an apprenticeship in South Dakota

South Dakota has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the South Dakota Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Pest control is learned mostly on the job rather than in a long apprenticeship. Training can usually be finished in less than 3 months.

License levels and exams in South Dakota

The license to aim for: Commercial pesticide applicator license.

Trade exam. The commercial category G (General, the core) exam plus the category exams for the work you do.

Keeping it. Every two years. Recertify and renew by the last day of February in the year it expires.

What the South Dakota license costs

The fees the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Pesticide Program lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What pest control technicians earn in South Dakota

The median pest control technician in South Dakota earned $24.00 an hour in May 2025, 2nd of 50 states, with 190 on payrolls. The national median was $21.75.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of pest control technicians in South Dakota earned under $22.64 an hour and a tenth under $18.97. At the top, a quarter earned over $30.03 and a tenth over $33.15.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: pest control technician salary in South Dakota.

Jobs ahead in South Dakota

South Dakota's labor market office projects jobs for pest control technicians growing from 120 in 2022 to 140 in 2032, a change of 16.7%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 20 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 16.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 3.2% projected nationally, ranking 10th of the 39 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group pest control workers.

Starting your own pest control technician business in South Dakota

To contract on your own in South Dakota, the license is the Commercial pesticide applicator license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the South Dakota median of $24.00 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $112.74 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a pest control business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.