South Dakota Board of Technical Professions

Frequent Questions

1. How long do I have to wait to become licensed after I graduate?

You must obtain experience (internship) under a licensed professional before you are allowed to take the licensing examination. See our guidelines on our website under "Education & experience requirements.

2. I am licensed in South Dakota and the limited liability corporation I work for is interested in a project there. Does my business firm have to do anything?

Yes. Just like individuals who may not practice or offer to practice until licensed, business entities must become licensed before offering to practice. You must apply for a Certificate of Authorization (COA). Additionally, the business must have a South Dakota licensed person(s) working for the firm in responsible charge of the work. This licensed person(s) MAY be an officer, director or employee of the firm.

3. Must a licensee who works for himself have a Certificate of Authorization? If so, why?

All business entities that practice, or offer to practice, in South Dakota are required to have a Certificate of Authorization, including sole proprietors and licensees who work for themselves.

We must know who is practicing in South Dakota and for whom they are working. Sole proprietors and others may have employees working for them and we must know who is responsible for the professional work. Sometimes a sole proprietor will call his firm "ABC" (fictitious name) and we must know who the professional is in responsible charge.

4. We are a land surveying corporation and have a Certificate of Authorization with your office. Can we use the business name and number on our pins (caps) in the field?

Absolutely not! The surveyor who is in responsible charge of setting the caps must use his/her name and license number. Reason: The surveyor responsible for the work may leave the corporation but will continue to be held accountable. The corporation may be dissolved someday and no longer exist. The number assigned to a business entity is for office use only for identification purposes and should never be used for boundary caps. No seals with the name of the corporation and number are allowed either! The licensee responsible for the work must sign, seal and date the plats.

5. What and when do I use my seal?

You must seal all documents, reports, plats, plans, specifications and other technical submissions prepared by you or under your direct, personal supervision. Your seal may be embossed or a rubber stamp or a computer generated seal. Only the cover sheet for a specification book may be sealed by all licensees. However, EACH sheet of plans (drawings) must be sealed by the appropriate licensee.

See SDCL 36-18A-45(5) and see 36-18A-45.1 for more information on digital seals and signatures.

6. How often are renewals?

All individuals and business entities must renew their licenses every two years. Renewals are sent to the email address on file at the Board office approximately 2 months before expiration.

7. Is continuing education required in South Dakota?

Yes. All licensees must have 30 Professional Development Hours (PDH) every two years after they are initially licensed and before they can renew. The PDH must be obtained during the two years prior to their renewal.

8. Why should I hire a licensed professional?

Licensed professionals have shown competency in their professional field. They have obtained quality education and experience. They have shown their knowledge by passing national and state examinations, and they have become licensed in this state. If it is determined that they are incompetent or negligent, they may lose their license and can no longer practice their profession. Their license and use of their seal ensures they have liability for the projects and professional activities they perform. You go to a licensed medical doctor or Registered Nurse for your health and to an attorney who has passed the bar exam because you want professionals who have been properly trained and have met some type of standard. Our professionals are no different.

9. When must I use a licensed professional on projects?

We encourage you to always use a licensed person who will do the job right and save you time and money over the long haul. However, South Dakota requires that design professionals are used on projects where large groups of people gather. To see those projects that do not require licensed professionals, click on Exemptions.

10. I hired a licensed professional to design my new office building and I am having serious problems with the roof. What can I do?

We suggest that you first contact your licensed professional and discuss the problem. It could be a faulty product or application problem and the licensed professional may be able to help mediate with the supplier or contractor. However, if it is a design problem for which the licensed professional is responsible, you can file a complaint with this office showing incompetence or negligence. For more information, click on Complaints.

11. I built a fence using a "mortgage survey" given to me when I bought my house. My neighbor had a "boundary survey" done and a property pin was set 2’ from the fence on my property. My neighbor says the fence is on his property. Can I file a complaint against the land surveyor who performed my "mortgage survey?"

No. The drawing you are referring to as a "mortgage survey" is a misnomer. It is not a legal survey. It is a relatively inexpensive method for title companies and lending institutions to show if there are any encroachments onto your property at the time of the mortgage closing. Many landowners think a legal boundary survey was made. This is not a boundary survey! And no one should add improvements using this drawing. That fence, garage, tree or shrubbery may someday prove to be on your neighbor’s property!

12. What is a boundary survey?

A boundary survey will physically locate the boundary pins of your property in the ground. The land surveyor may have to research the area through records and plats in the courthouse to find original section corners when the land was originally surveyed. The surveyor must then carefully measure the proper distances in the field and confirm where the corners of your property should be and verify that a pin is already there or set a pin in the ground. This is time consuming and can be expensive, but it is the only proper way of locating your land. Anything less is only guess work and can perpetuate errors property owners have made over the years.

13. Frequently asked questions from examinees taking the Fundamentals exams:

  1. Where can I get more information? Please refer to www.ncees.org. Most of your questions will be answered there. This is South Dakota’s examination administrator. Information about scoring, ordering study guides and practice exams, and other information can be at www.ncees.org.

  2. What type of calculator can I use and what other things can I bring to the exam? See www.ncees.org.

  3. Must I get permission to take the FE from the South Dakota Board? Yes, if you are a graduate or graduating senior in a 4-year ABET accredited engineering curriculum or a 4-year ABET accredited technical engineering curriculum. You MUST get permission from the South Dakota Board.

  4. Must I get permission to take the FLS from the South Dakota Board? Yes, if you are a graduate or graduating senior in a 4-year ABET accredited or a 4-year ABET accredited technical engineering or surveying curriculum. . You MUST get permission from the South Dakota Board.

  5. What if I do not have an ABET accredited curriculum to take the FLS? Candidates without ABET accredited degrees must complete a more detailed application for the FLS that can be found at this website.

  6. Can I bring a drink or snack? If these are allowed in the testing rooms they need to be in a transparent, plastic bag. Most proctors will allow this if you remove your trash.

  7. How are the exams graded? Please refer to www.ncees.org or www.ncarb.org or www.clarb.org.

  8. When will I get my score results? And can I get this information over the telephone? We try to get score results out to you as soon as we get them from NCEES, usually within 3 months. We do not give scores out over the telephone.

  9. What happens if I pass? Passing a Fundamentals exam is the first step toward licensure. Within 3 months of the exam, you will receive a certificate with your name and E- number or S- number. This certificate is good forever and never expires. This office keeps a record of you passing the Fundamentals Exam and will verify this to other states upon request. States require this verification before you can take the PE or LS exams.

  10. What happens if I fail? Our office will mail to engineering failures a diagnostic report which explains the areas where you need to study. You may take the exam again upon payment of the exam fee to NCEES for 2 more times.

  11. Can I review or appeal my exam? No. In the interest of exam security, reviews and appeals are not permitted. This prevents overexposure of the examination questions.

  12. Why does the Board give me a "Pass/Fail" status on my licensing examination instead of my actual score? The South Dakota Board requires examinations to identify candidate proficiency upon entry into the professions. These credentialing examinations are not developed to serve as achievement tests. They also are not designed for job or placement decisions. Instead, these examinations are created, and proficiency cut-points on these measures are derived, to reliably ascertain pass/fail status in relation to what an entry-level practitioner should be expected to know and/or demonstrate for safe practice.

  13. Why did the Board previously give scores, and now it will not? The Board has adopted the pass/fail examination reporting policy of NCEES, NCARB and CLARB.

  14. What can I take into the exam locations? See www.ncees.org or www.ncarb.org or www.clarb.org.

  15. When are your deadlines to take the exams? South Dakota has two deadline dates, January 1st for the April examinations, and July 1st fro the October examinations.  If your application is not fully complete by the current deadline, your application will be eligible and reviewed following the exam.  If already approved by the South Dakota Board, you are allowed three (3) attempts at the exams.  Once you have failed three attempts you will need to submit a new application to the Board office.  No-shows are not considered an attempt.  The exam administrator NCEES usually opens its website in February for the April exam, and September for the October exam.

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  16. Does South Dakota recognize the Washington Accord Agreement for foreign degrees? No. Applicants who graduated from universities in countries that are Washington Accord  signatories are no longer exempted from the evaluation requirements for foreign degrees. The exception is any degree accredited by the Canadian Accreditation Board (CAB). All other foreign degrees are required to be evaluated by NCEES Credentials Evaluations.

  17. Can experience earned outside of my Masters degree coursework be used for work experience if gained during the time I am getting my Masters degree? Yes