How to become a real estate agent in South Dakota

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (the Commission's pages are the versions read on the date shown, its application form is the June 2026 revision, and PSI's bulletin is its October 1, 2023 update; the Commission's fee page still lists a salesperson renewal for licenses issued under the old system, but no salesperson license is issued to new applicants), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the Commission's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1South Dakota real estate license requirements

• Age and residency: at least 18 years of age, and a citizen of the United States or a resident of South Dakota, competent to transact business in a way that safeguards the public.
• Course: a 116-hour pre-licensing course approved by the Commission, with the license application made within two years of completing it.
• Exam: a score of 75% on both the national and South Dakota state portions of the PSI broker associate exam.
• Deadline: a license application within 60 days of the notice of passing the last portion, or the passing score is forfeited.
• Background: an electronic fingerprint card through a local Livescan agency, with the analysis fee paid online, and no grounds for denial such as a felony conviction, unpaid judgments or misstatements.
• Insurance: an errors and omissions certificate of coverage filed with the application.

See how South Dakota compares with every other state on the requirements by state table.

Source: PSI, South Dakota Real Estate Broker Associate Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (updated October 1, 2023), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, License Types and Requirements, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, South Dakota Resident Broker Associate, Auctioneer and Property Manager License Application (revised June 2026), read September 9, 2026.

2Steps to get your South Dakota real estate license, in order

1. Complete the 116-hour pre-licensing course

   At one of the schools on the Commission's approved list; the application must follow within two years of the course.

2. Pass both PSI portions for $105

   Registration with PSI takes a $105 card payment; the national portion is 90 items scored to 100 points in 150 minutes and the state portion 52 items in 120 minutes, each passed at 75%, and a candidate who fails one portion retakes only that portion.

3. Apply within 60 days with $225, fingerprints and insurance

   The resident application carries a non-refundable $225 fee by check or money order, the electronic fingerprint card and receipt, the score reports and the errors and omissions certificate; an incomplete application is returned.

4. Complete 60 post-licensing hours over two license periods

   30 required hours in the first period, from licensing through the following license year, and another 30 in the two license years after that; the license then renews every two years by November 30.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information, read September 9, 2026; PSI, South Dakota Real Estate Broker Associate Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (updated October 1, 2023), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, South Dakota Resident Broker Associate, Auctioneer and Property Manager License Application (revised June 2026), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Continuing and Postlicensing Education Requirements, read September 9, 2026.

3How much a South Dakota real estate license costs

The Commission publishes its application, fingerprint and renewal fees and PSI's exam fee on its own pages; insurance and tuition are paid to the carrier and the schools.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, South Dakota Resident Broker Associate, Auctioneer and Property Manager License Application (revised June 2026), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Non-Resident Licensing Information, read September 9, 2026.

4How long it takes to become a real estate agent in South Dakota

The fixed parts are 116 course hours, one PSI sitting of 270 minutes at Madison, Rapid City or Sioux Falls, an application within 60 days of passing and two years of the course, and 60 post-licensing hours over the first two license periods; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the pages read for this guide. Those parts come from the Commission's own pages and the exam vendor's bulletin, not a school's marketing:

• Course: 116 hours at an approved school, at its pace; apply within two years of it.
• Exam: 150 minutes national and 120 minutes state at a PSI center in Madison, Rapid City or Sioux Falls.
• Application: within 60 days of passing; no processing time is published.
• Post-licensing: 30 hours by the end of the following license year, then 30 more over the next two.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information, read September 9, 2026; PSI, South Dakota Real Estate Broker Associate Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (updated October 1, 2023), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Continuing and Postlicensing Education Requirements, read September 9, 2026.

5The South Dakota real estate exam

The broker associate exam is 142 questions in 4.5 hours, two portions, national (150 minutes) and South Dakota state (120 minutes), by computer at PSI centers in Madison, Rapid City and Sioux Falls, scheduled online, by phone or by mailed registration. You need 75% on each portion to pass. The notice of passing starts the 60-day window to file the license application; scores are forfeited if the application is late. Retakes: a candidate who passes one portion and fails the other retakes only the failed portion, at PSI's registration fee; the bulletin read for this guide sets no waiting period or attempt limit.

Pass rate

Neither the Commission nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the South Dakota broker associate exam on the pages or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, License Types and Requirements, read September 9, 2026; PSI, South Dakota Real Estate Broker Associate Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (updated October 1, 2023), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Two routes. A licensee moving to South Dakota, or already moved and still licensed in the previous state, gets the equivalent South Dakota license by filing a certificate of licensure in good standing with the application; a non-resident keeping an out-of-state license passes only the South Dakota state exam and files fingerprint cards with the $50 DCI fee, a license history from every state dated within 30 days, proof of errors and omissions insurance and the application, while their responsible broker obtains a South Dakota broker license.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, License Types and Requirements, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Non-Resident Licensing Information, read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The license runs two years, with renewal applications due online by November 30 of the renewal year. To renew you complete 24 clock hours of approved continuing education within the license period and pay $125 on time, or a $20 per month penalty applies to renewals received December 1 through June 30; a license not renewed by January 1 goes to non-renewal status, and one not renewed by June 30 becomes invalid, after which the pre-licensing course and exams must be repeated late.

First renewal: 30 hours of required post-licensing education in the first period, which runs from licensing through the following license year, before the ordinary 24-hour CE requirement applies.

Later renewals: 24 hours of Commission-approved continuing education during the preceding two license years, at least 12 of them in required subject areas such as contracts, license law, fair housing and ethics; the renewal fee is $125 every two years, with proof of errors and omissions coverage.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Frequently Asked Questions (license renewal), read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Fees, read September 9, 2026; South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Continuing and Postlicensing Education Requirements, read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in South Dakota

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For South Dakota, release May 2025:

BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Every state is ranked on the same survey on the salary by state page.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Real Estate Sales Agents (41-9022), South Dakota, read September 8, 2026.

9After the license: choosing a brokerage in South Dakota

A new broker associate license is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 603 South Dakota agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 259 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 259. Ask each brokerage for its commission split and fees in writing before you sign.

Source: Realty Census, South Dakota count and brokerage ranking, September 5, 2026 (realtycensus.com/south-dakota/), read September 9, 2026.

One thing worth knowing before your profile goes live: a brokerage profile page is public, and the contact details on it get collected and sold as marketing lists, such as the South Dakota list from US Realtor List, which is why vendor email tends to start the week an agent's profile first appears. Any list of this kind should tell you how to come off it, and a reputable one acts on that request.

10Pre-license schools in South Dakota

The Commission approves the pre-licensing schools and lists them under Schools Providing Approved Pre-Licensing Courses; post-licensing and continuing education courses must also be approved by the Commission and are marked required or elective. The list is at the Commission's exam information page, which links the approved school list.

The full list, alphabetical with what the Commission publishes about each provider, is on the South Dakota real estate schools page.

This page carries no affiliate links. The South Dakota schools page says at its top whether it carries any; schools there are alphabetical, never ordered by commission.

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Continuing and Postlicensing Education Requirements, read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in South Dakota

How long does it take to become a real estate agent in South Dakota?

The fixed parts are 116 course hours, one PSI sitting of 270 minutes at Madison, Rapid City or Sioux Falls, an application within 60 days of passing and two years of the course, and 60 post-licensing hours over the first two license periods; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the pages read for this guide. The course is 116 hours at the school's pace; the exam is 150 plus 120 minutes at a PSI center in Madison, Rapid City or Sioux Falls; the application is due within 60 days of passing and within two years of the course; and the 60 post-licensing hours run over the first two license periods. No typical processing time is published.

How much does it cost to get a real estate license in South Dakota?

$380 to the state and its vendors ($105 exam, $225 application, $50 fingerprints), plus tuition for the pre-license course, the errors and omissions premium and tuition for the 116 hours and the post-licensing courses, which the providers set.

What is the pass rate for the South Dakota real estate exam?

Neither the Commission nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the South Dakota broker associate exam on the pages or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in South Dakota?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in South Dakota is $65,170 a year, with the middle half earning between $47,960 and $77,070. BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Does South Dakota have real estate license reciprocity?

Yes. A licensee moving in files a certificate of licensure for the equivalent license; a non-resident sits only the state exam and files fingerprints, license histories and insurance.

Sources and dates