How to become a plumber in South Dakota

The path in South Dakota, step by step

South Dakota licenses plumbing work at the state level through the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register as an apprentice and work four years at 1,900 hours a year.
2. Apply for the plumber's license with the application fee and pass the state exam.
3. Work at least two more years to reach six years total.
4. Apply for the plumbing contractor's license and pass the $100 contractor exam.
5. Renew every year with 4 hours of continuing education.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing 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. Most plumbers learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction each year.

License levels and exams in South Dakota

The license to aim for: Plumbing Contractor license.

Trade exam. Yes. State administered exams, held in Pierre by appointment and in Sioux Falls and Rapid City when enough applicants sign up.

Keeping it. Every year. Licenses expire December 31. Contractors, plumbers and third-year apprentices need 4 hours of continuing education each year, 2 of them on code.

Coming from another state. The commission may license nonresidents without an exam if their state's requirements are substantially equivalent and they were licensed by exam.

What the South Dakota license costs

The fees the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What plumbers earn in South Dakota

The median plumber in South Dakota earned $24.82 an hour in May 2025, 50th of 51 states, with 1,760 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in South Dakota earned under $22.18 an hour and a tenth under $18.86. At the top, a quarter earned over $29.83 and a tenth over $35.81.

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

Jobs ahead in South Dakota

South Dakota's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 1,880 in 2022 to 2,110 in 2032, a change of 12.2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 190 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 12.2% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 13th of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

Starting your own plumber business in South Dakota

To contract on your own in South Dakota, the license is the Plumbing Contractor license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the South Dakota median of $24.82 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $114.18 per billable hour. Try your own in the plumber labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a plumbing 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.