How to Become an Electrician in South Dakota
South Dakota licenses electricians through the Electrical Commission. The reviewed route distinguishes apprentice licensing, supervised experience, related instruction, journeyman examination, advanced license classes, electrical-contractor authorization, and local permits or city credentials. The rules can differ by state, city, and type of work.
Regulator: South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Electrical Commission
Employment outlook: South Dakota vs United States
These state and national projections describe the occupation. They do not promise a job, wage, or opening.
South Dakota state record
2024–2034
- Employment (2024)
- 3,092
- Projected (2034)
- 3,577
- Projected change
- 15.7% (2024–2034)
- Annual openings
- 333
Source note: The South Dakota DLR 2024–2034 statewide projection PDF is the source of record for the employment, projected employment, percentage change, and average annual openings fields. Its total openings field is an average annual modeled measure, not a current vacancy, job offer, sponsor seat, or guarantee. The wage ladder is a separate May 2025 BLS statewide OEWS estimate.
United States benchmark
2025–2035; national benchmark, not a state estimate for South Dakota
- Employment (2025)
- 821,000
- Projected (2035)
- 896,900
- Projected change
- 9% (2025–2035)
- Annual openings
- 72,700
National median wage benchmark: $63,190
Annual openings are the source’s estimate and may include growth and replacement demand. They do not count jobs available to you now.
The BLS May 2025 state OEWS dataset is the source of record for this wage ladder. The exact statewide row was retrieved from the BLS OEWS query system. The linked O*NET local-wage page is retained as a readable cross-check and is not a separate wage vintage. BLS OEWS state figures are survey estimates for wage-and-salary workers in nonfarm establishments, not job offers, guaranteed starting pay, benefits, overtime, self-employment income, or business revenue. The occupation scope follows the exact SOC row, so a job title or employer may include duties outside this occupation.
O*NET readable cross-check for BLS May 2025 state OEWS May 2025 State employment source: official record 2024–2034 State projection source: official record 2024–2034 National benchmark source: BLS OOH 2025–2035Official sources used for this record (16)
These links show the source trail for the record. A listing is a citation, not an endorsement; confirm volatile rules and local requirements before acting.
- South Dakota 2024–2034 occupational projections catalogSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota 2024–2034 statewide occupational projectionsSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota registered-apprenticeship training informationSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota registered-apprenticeship occupational mappingsSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- Sioux Falls building permits and inspectionsCity of Sioux Falls · accessed 2026-09-19
- BLS May 2025 state OEWS data fileU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed 2026-09-19
- BLS May 2025 South Dakota state wage table — ElectricianU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota electrician wages, readable cross-checkU.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, O*NET OnLine · accessed 2026-09-19
- U.S. electrician employment projections, 2025–2035U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota Electrical CommissionSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota Electrical Commission licensingSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota electrical continuing educationSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota Electrical Commission formsSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota electrical laws and rulesSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation · accessed 2026-09-19
- South Dakota Electrical Commission Wiring BulletinSouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Electrical Commission · accessed 2026-09-19
- Sioux Falls Electrical JourneymanCity of Sioux Falls · accessed 2026-09-19
Do I need to pay for school first?
Do not treat a listed course as a required first step. We have not established a school requirement for every route. Ask the regulator and the employer or apprenticeship sponsor these questions before paying:
- Can I apply for supervised paid work before enrolling? Which registration or license must I hold first?
- Is classroom training required for this exact route, or is it one of several options?
- Does this specific approved course count toward the qualification I want? Who confirms that credit?
- What can I legally do after completion, and what experience or examination remains?
- What are the full costs and refund terms before I pay a deposit?
These are verification questions, not findings about this pathway. A source-checked training listing does not establish school necessity, legal authority, a paid position, or an open application.
South Dakota state licensing is separate from project permits and inspections. Sioux Falls states that journeyman electricians working within city limits must carry both a state and city license; check the actual municipality before relying on a state credential alone.
Source record checked
We checked the official sources for this state and trade on the review date shown.
Checked recently: 2026-09-19 · source period May 2025. This date is a reminder to check the information. It does not mean it was checked again.
What this does not prove: This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.
Your next best steps
Start with a conversation, not a resignation. Use these steps to check your options. They do not guarantee a job, a training place, or a license or certificate.
Check which work you may do
Check the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Electrical Commission page. Ask which Electrician work you may do, who must supervise it, and which exams and fees apply. Make sure the rules are for workers, not just contractors or businesses. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.
Ask what the training qualifies you to do
Ask the school what you will learn, how much hands-on practice you will get, and what you can do after finishing. A course completion certificate is not a license or a job offer. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.
Ask about current jobs and training places
Ask whether there is a paid job now, a training program to apply to, or only a list for future applicants. Check starting pay, work hours, tools, travel, benefits, how they choose applicants, and what happens if the job or training ends early, or if you leave early. This is not a job offer or a promise of a training place, a job, a license, or a certificate. It does not show that an employer is involved.
Questions to take with you
Use these with a regulator, employer, sponsor, or training provider. Save the answers in writing when possible.
- 1Are these Electrician rules for individual workers, contractors or businesses, or both? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 2Which work or class hours count toward the license, certificate, or required experience? Who keeps the records? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 3Can I start paid work under supervision before I earn the license or certificate? Who must supervise me? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 4Is there a paid job or training place open now? Is this only a list for future applicants, or an old listing? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 5What is the starting pay, and how could it rise? Can I get those terms in writing? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 6Which fees, tools, travel, exams, insurance, or equipment will I need to pay for? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
- 7Does finishing this program count toward South Dakota requirements? Does the licensing authority need to approve it separately? Check the linked licensing authority for current rules, the work you may do, and how to apply.
Steps to qualify in South Dakota
Click on each stage to inspect the legal requirements, hours, fees, and exam specifications.
South Dakota apprentice electrician license
Start paid field work under employment and supervision
South Dakota describes a licensed apprentice route with employment and supervision by an electrical contractor or Class B electrician, related instruction, and documented hours before the journeyman examination. A registered apprenticeship is a route structure, not proof of a current sponsor seat or opening.
- Classroom hours:
- At least 144 instruction hours per year in an electrical wiring apprenticeship program; the program also includes 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT.
- Supervised work hours:
- At least 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT in the apprenticeship program; the four-year route totals 8,000 hours of qualifying experience under an electrical contractor or Class B electrician
Stored requirement from this source-checked record. Read the stage's official source and confirm current eligibility, accepted credits, and how hours must be documented.
A state or exam fee is not the total cost. Tuition, tools, protective equipment, travel, application waiting time, unpaid study, and lost income need a separate written budget. A complete route cost is not verified here.
Key requirements in this record
- Apply for the appropriate apprentice license before relying on hours
- Work under the employment and supervision of an electrical contractor or Class B electrician
- Use an approved apprenticeship or related-instruction route and keep separate records of instruction and electrical-wiring OJT
Online Training Applicability
Training, experience, and continuing education
These requirements describe different things: related instruction, supervised on-the-job experience, wiring-school instruction, and renewal education. They are not interchangeable and do not prove a current sponsor seat, employer opening, or placement result.
Continuing education
DLR requires 16 hours by renewal or June 30, whichever is sooner, including at least 8 National Electrical Code hours. At least 8 hours must be in person, so 16 hours cannot be completed online-only; no more than 8 hours may come from pre-approved correspondence or interactive-online coursework, and all CE must be Commission-preapproved.
Selected-stage instruction
South Dakota apprentice electrician license
At least 144 instruction hours per year in an electrical wiring apprenticeship program; the program also includes 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT.
Selected-stage field experience
South Dakota apprentice electrician license
At least 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT in the apprenticeship program; the four-year route totals 8,000 hours of qualifying experience under an electrical contractor or Class B electrician
Stage-by-stage hour qualifiers
South Dakota apprentice electrician license
Instruction/training: At least 144 instruction hours per year in an electrical wiring apprenticeship program; the program also includes 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT.
On-the-job experience: At least 2,000 hours per year of electrical-wiring OJT in the apprenticeship program; the four-year route totals 8,000 hours of qualifying experience under an electrical contractor or Class B electrician
South Dakota journeyman electrician license
Instruction/training: At least 576 instruction hours belong to the separate wiring school definition; this is not a universal apprenticeship-program total.
On-the-job experience: Four years and 8,000 hours of qualifying electrical-wiring experience under an electrical contractor or Class B electrician
South Dakota Class B Electrician or another official electrical license class
Instruction/training: Confirm the current class-specific instruction requirements
On-the-job experience: Confirm the current class-specific experience requirements
South Dakota electrical-contractor license or business authorization
Instruction/training: Not stated as a single statewide total in this record
On-the-job experience: Another 4,000 hours toward the electrical-contractor examination, including at least 2,000 commercial hours
Questions to verify for South Dakota career switchers
When can I legally begin earning money?
South Dakota describes apprentice work under employment and supervision of an electrical contractor or Class B electrician, and DLR describes registered apprenticeship as earn-while-learning. These sources do not prove a current sponsor seat, opening, wage, benefits package, or placement result.
Does online trade training count toward my license?
Online electrical theory may support preparation, but the Wiring Bulletin’s apprenticeship-program instruction, electrical-wiring OJT, licensee supervision, examination, permits, inspections, and practical competence remain separate.
What does it take to start my own contracting business?
An electrical-contractor business route is separate from the individual electrician license. Confirm the current Commission rules, responsible licensee, insurance, bonding, permits, inspections, business setup, tools, vehicles, and working capital before contracting.
Will another state accept my license or certificate?
This record does not list a verified reciprocity agreement. Check the current transfer or examination-waiver rules with the relevant board before assuming that a credential or work history transfers to another state.
Ready to map your personal transition into South Dakota Electrician work?
Input your current income, budget, and evening availability to generate a step-by-step planning outline with listed training options. Check each provider and regulator before enrolling.