South Dakota Real Estate Broker Associate License requirements

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

1. 1

   116-hour Commission-approved broker-associate course

   SDCL 36-21A-30.1. Not a 90-hour North Dakota salesperson certificate. Waived if currently licensed in another state.

2. 2

   PSI $98 — National 90/100pts at 75% (150 min) and State 52 at 75% (120 min)

   Combo is still $98 on the 10/1/2023 bulletin. Commission fee table also prints $294 / three portions — pay the live PSI catalog.

3. 3

   File within 60 days: $225, DCI/FBI $43.25, E&O, responsible-broker hang

   SDCL 36-21A-36.1: miss 60 days from written passing notice and the score is canceled. Separate check to DCI; do not mix it with the $225.

4. 4

   Complete 30 + 30 postlicense hours by the second active renewal

   SDCL 36-21A-30.2 / Commission CE page. Those 60 hours count toward the 24-hour CE requirement. Going inactive during a postlicense period does not waive it — you complete that period's 30 hours to reactivate.

5. 5

   Renew by November 30: $125 / two years, 24 hours CE (12 required subjects)

   Late fee $20 per month after the deadline. After July 1 following the renewal year, an incomplete file means re-application with prelicense and exams. Keep E&O current to stay active.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

U.S. citizen or resident of South Dakota (PSI bulletin; license-types page). Currently licensed in another state: proof of the 116 hours is not required. SDCL 36-21A-43: an applicant who holds an active license in another state and who passed that state's exam may obtain a similar level of licensure in South Dakota by passing the South Dakota state portion. Reciprocal salesperson is a separate $225 form, not an original South Dakota salesperson license. Nonresident licensees whose home state offers the same privileges need not maintain a South Dakota place of business (SDCL 36-21A-54).

Qualifying education

SDCL 36-21A-30.1: one hundred sixteen class hours of education in a course of study approved by the Commission, given by Commission-approved instructors or in an approved independent-study or distance-education course. The license-types table restates "116-Hour Prelicensing Course" for broker associate (and for auctioneer and as the base for responsible broker). This is not a 90-hour North Dakota salesperson package and not Wyoming Salesperson I+II+Law. Currently licensed in another state: the PSI bulletin waives proof of education. Approved providers package the 116 as a single Broker Associate Pre-Licensing Course.

Education or filing deadline

File the license application within 60 days of written notice of passing (SDCL 36-21A-36.1) or the score is canceled. Separately, new broker associates complete 60 postlicense class hours by the second active renewal deadline (30 + 30) under § 36-21A-30.2.

Character review

Competent to transact so as to safeguard the public. The Commission may deny for NSF checks within the calendar year (or an NSF application check), felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor, sister-agency discipline (real estate, appraisal, mortgage, auctioneer, insurance, securities, law, commodities), failed prelicense school exam, unmet education, deliberate misstatements or omissions, or a current unpaid judgment (PSI bulletin; SDCL 36-21A-33). Disclose.

Background process

State and federal criminal background check through the Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI (SDCL). Request DCI and FBI cards from the Commission, sign the DCI card, return with a separate $43.25 check payable to DCI, or complete electronic Livescan after the office has received the application. Failure to submit or cooperate is grounds for denial. The applicant pays fingerprinting and investigation costs.

Experience

No licensed experience for original broker associate. Responsible broker is a different filing: two years active as a salesperson or broker associate (or combination) plus a 24-hour Responsible Broker course (SDCL 36-21A-31). Hang under a responsible broker to activate (SDCL 36-21A-44).

Broker affiliation

A responsible broker must accept responsibility on the application to activate (SDCL 36-21A-44). Inactive issuance is possible; active practice requires that hang plus current E&O. Change of association is $15 per license on the fee table. A broker associate may not be the responsible broker of a firm — that is the upgrade file.

PSI Services (test-takers.psiexams.com/sdre). Bulletin 10/1/2023: $98 combo, $98 per portion. Phone (855) 557-0623. · Fee: $98

Retake only the failed portion. Fee remains $98 whether one portion or combo. Must test within one year of PSI receiving the fee. File the Commission application within 60 days of written passing notice or the score is void (SDCL 36-21A-36.1). The Commission fee table also lists $294 / three portions; the 10/1/2023 bulletin lists two. Pay the live PSI catalog. Cancel per PSI rules or forfeit.

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

PSI bulletin 10/1/2023: $98 combo or per portion. Commission fee table: $294 total ($98 × 3 portions) for broker or broker associate — pay the catalog you book. Application / associate broker $225. DCI $43.25 with the cards. Renewal broker associate $125 every two years. Change of association $15. Additional license $30. Certificate of licensure $15. Late renewal $20 per month. Reciprocal salesperson (not original) $225.

• !

  Shopping for a salesperson prelicense course

  Original South Dakota entry is broker associate after 116 hours. Reciprocal salesperson is a different $225 form for people already licensed elsewhere. A 90-hour North Dakota salesperson certificate is not this 116.

• !

  Treating the $98 combo as covering a third sitting the fee table mentions

  Bulletin 10/1/2023 lists two portions and a $98 combo. The Commission fee table lists $294 / three portions. Pay the live PSI catalog before you assume you are done. The numbered bulletin requirement is still both State and National.

• !

  Filing on day 61

  SDCL 36-21A-36.1: fail to file the application and proof of required education within 60 days of written passing notice and the registration and all rights from the passing score are canceled. The cover letter says the same thing.

• !

  One check that mixes $225 and $43.25 DCI

  Separate $43.25 payable to DCI with the fingerprint cards, or Livescan paid after the application is in. Mixing the checks is how the file comes back.

• !

  Activating without E&O, or skipping the 30+30 postlicense

  E&O is required for active brokers and broker associates. Missing the group certificate inactivates. Going inactive during Postlicense Period 1 or 2 does not waive those 30 hours — you complete them to reactivate. After that, 24 hours / 2 years with 12 in required subjects, due November 30.

• !

  Calling the 116-hour associate credential a responsible-broker license

  Responsible broker is two years active plus a 24-hour Responsible Broker course (SDCL 36-21A-31) and a separate $225 broker application. Firm license is another $100. A broker associate cannot be the responsible broker of a firm.

Not a named-partner chart. Currently licensed in another state: bulletin waives proof of the 116 hours. SDCL 36-21A-43: pass the South Dakota state portion to obtain a similar level of licensure if you hold an active license and passed that state's exam. A separate "salesperson (reciprocal only)" $225 application exists on the fee table — that is not an original South Dakota salesperson license. Nonresident brokers whose home state offers the same privileges need not keep a South Dakota office (SDCL 36-21A-54); licensees from states that do not grant full reciprocity must meet whatever that state requires of South Dakota licensees. Still fingerprint, still carry E&O, still file within 60 days.

Does South Dakota issue a salesperson license?

Not as an original credential. Entry is broker associate after 116 class hours (SDCL 36-21A-30.1). The fee table's salesperson line is reciprocal only, for people already licensed elsewhere. Responsible broker is the supervising upgrade, not the entry title.

Exam fee, items, and cut?

PSI bulletin 10/1/2023: $98 combo or per portion. National 90 items (100 points) 75% in 150 minutes. State 52 items 75% in 120 minutes. Commission fee table also lists $294 / three portions. Pay the live PSI catalog. File within 60 days of written passing notice.

How long after the exam to file?

Sixty days from written notice that you passed (SDCL 36-21A-36.1). After that the registration and all rights from the passing score are canceled. The application cover letter restates the same fuse.

Fingerprints?

DCI and FBI. $43.25 payable to DCI with the cards on the resident broker-associate application, or Livescan after the office has the application. Separate from the $225 application check.

Is E&O required?

Yes, for active practice (SDCL 36-21A-119 to -122). Group policy the Commission bids, or independent coverage meeting Commission minimums with an annual certificate of coverage. Inactive licensees are not in the CE system until they activate, but activation still wants current education and, for active status, E&O.

What CE and postlicense does a new broker associate owe?

60 postlicense class hours by the second active renewal deadline, 30 + 30 (SDCL 36-21A-30.2), which count toward CE. After that, 24 hours every two years with at least 12 in required subject areas (contracts, license law, fair housing, ethics, environmental issues, antitrust, ADA, brokerage services, property management). Renewals due November 30. $125.

Can I use a North Dakota or Minnesota salesperson license instead of the 116 hours?

If you currently hold an active license in another state, the PSI bulletin waives proof of the 116 hours. SDCL 36-21A-43 still has you pass the South Dakota state portion for a similar level of licensure. That similar level here is broker associate, not a South Dakota salesperson original. Reciprocal salesperson is a different $225 form.