Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / Plumbers / South Dakota

Blue torch flame heating a copper pipe joint for soldering

Home / Plumbers / South Dakota

How to become a plumber in South Dakota

South Dakota licenses plumbers at the state level through the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

6registered apprenticeship programs$24.82median an hour in South Dakota

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In SD
6 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In SD
3 schools with programs
Compare 3 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Start as an apprentice or trainee$50 registration

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Issued by
    South Dakota State Plumbing Commission
    Cost
    $50 registration
    Compare the ways in
  2. third year apprentice3,800 hrs

    2 years / 3,800 hours

    Time
    3,800 hrs
  3. plumber1,900 hrs

    4 years as an apprentice at 1,900 hours a year

    Time
    1,900 hrs
  4. plumbing contractor1,900 hrs

    6 years experience at 1,900 hours a year, at least 2 as plumber or contractor

    Time
    1,900 hrs
Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the South Dakota license.

South Dakota plumber license
Pay once you're working

$51,620

a year is the median for plumbers in South Dakota ($24.82 an hour, May 2025).4

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Rapid City$26.85
  2. Sioux Falls$26.44
South Dakota median $24.82 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in South Dakota?

Yes. South Dakota licenses plumbing contractors through the SD DLR.2

Are plumbers in demand in South Dakota?

Projections Central expects about 190 plumber openings a year in South Dakota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

6 registered programs in South Dakota. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for plumbers in South Dakota

Sources

  1. South Dakota State Plumbing Commission (dlr.sd.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. SD DLR - Plumbing Commission contractor licensing (dlr.sd.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  4. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, South Dakota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)