South Dakota Barber License Requirements

South Dakota barbers are licensed by the Board of Barber Examiners at dlr.sd.gov/barber, within the Department of Labor and Regulation. It is a separate body from the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission, and the separation is enforced more strictly here than in almost any other state.

Barbers and Cosmetologists Stay in Their Own Premises

The Board puts it plainly: a cosmetologist is not licensed to work in a barbershop. Not "may need additional registration" — not licensed.

And the rule runs both ways with equal force: if a barber requests to work in a cosmetology salon, the station must be inspected by the Board of Barber Examiners and a barbershop licence issued. A barber's chair inside a salon becomes, in effect, a licensed barbershop.

Compare Vermont, where OPR answers the question "may a cosmetology shop employ a barber?" with a single word: Yes. South Dakota takes the opposite position.

You Do Not Have to Be a Barber to Own a Barbershop

South Dakota separates ownership from practice: it is not required to be a licensed barber to own a barbershop; however, a barbershop must at all times be under the direct supervision and management of a registered barber.

Note at all times. This is a continuing condition on the shop's licence, not merely a requirement at the point of application.

Training Hours

The Board sets out its training requirement through its Education and Barber Schools pages rather than on the Licensing page. We have left the figure unstated here rather than repeat one from an unofficial source — check the Board's Education page or call 605.773.6193.

Testing Accommodations

The Board publishes an ADA Policy for Testing and asks anyone who anticipates needing accommodations to read it and contact the Board in advance. That is worth doing early rather than on exam day.

The Board of Barber Examiners maintains separate Education and Barber Schools pages setting out its training requirements and its list of approved schools.

Why the Hour Figure Is Not Stated Here

South Dakota publishes its licensing information across several pages, and the Licensing page we sourced this guide from covers barbershops, transfers, renewal and replacement rather than entry requirements. Rather than carry an hour figure from a third-party summary, we have left it unstated. The Board's Education page and its South Dakota Laws & Rules page are the places to confirm it.

Transferring a Licence From Another State

South Dakota does publish this route in full. If you hold a valid barber's licence or certificate of registration from another state or country, you may apply to transfer it. You need:

• The Licence Application;
• A Verification of All Past/Present Licensure;
• A 3 inch by 5 inch current photograph; and
• The licence transfer fee of $150.00.

Both forms are available on the Board's Forms page in PDF, and the Board stresses that you must read and follow the Application Instructions.

Note the wording of the verification: all past and present licensure, not just your current licence. If you have held barber licences in several states, all of them must be verified.

The Photograph Requirement

A 3 inch by 5 inch current photograph is specified to the inch, as Louisiana specifies five-by-three and North Carolina and New York have their own formats. Worth getting right before posting the application.

The Board of Barber Examiners conducts its own written and practical examinations, and publishes an Exams page alongside its Licensing page.

Testing Accommodations Come First

The Board leads its Licensing page with its ADA Policy for Testing: if you anticipate needing testing accommodations, please read the Board's ADA Policy and contact us at 605.773.6193 for more information.

Placing it first suggests the Board wants these arranged well in advance rather than raised on the day.

Re-Examination After a Long Lapse

The examinations reappear if you let a licence go. South Dakota sets a clear three-year line:

• Lapsed less than three years — you may reinstate by paying the lapsed licence fees.
• Lapsed three or more years — you must re-take the practical and written exams.

Because South Dakota renews annually, three lapsed years is three missed renewals. The reinstatement route is simply paying what you owe; past that point, you are testing again.

Transferring In Instead

Holders of a valid barber licence from another state or country apply through the transfer route with the $150 fee rather than through examination — provided the licence is valid.

All barber and barbershop licences must be renewed each year by 31 May. South Dakota is one of a minority of states still running an annual cycle, and the deadline is a single fixed date rather than an anniversary.

Renewal Forms Come From the Board's Website

The Board directs licensees to the appropriate renewal form on its Forms page.

The Three-Year Line

• Lapsed under three years — reinstate by paying the lapsed licence fees. Straightforward, if cumulative.
• Lapsed three or more years — re-take the practical and written exams.

Moving Your Shop Means a New Licence

This is the operational trap worth knowing. Barbershop licences are not transferable. If you change your shop location you must:

1. Obtain a new barbershop licence;
2. Have the new shop inspected by a Board member; and
3. Pay both the application and inspection fees.

A move is treated as a new shop, not an amendment to an existing licence.

The Supervision Condition Is Continuous

A barbershop must be at all times under the direct supervision and management of a registered barber. If your designated barber leaves, that condition is not being met — it is not a box ticked once at application.

Fees

The Board publishes the $150 licence transfer fee on its Licensing page but not the initial licence, examination or renewal fees. We have left those unstated rather than repeat figures from an unofficial source — call 605.773.6193.

Verifying a Licence

The Board publishes a Roster of Barbers & Barbershops through the state licence verification system, alongside pages for Disciplinary Actions and Consumer Complaints.

The South Dakota Board of Barber Examiners regulates barbers and barbershops, and publishes Health, Safety & Sanitary Rules, Consumer Information, Disciplinary Actions and South Dakota Laws & Rules alongside its licensing pages.

The Strictest Barber/Cosmetology Separation in the Country

South Dakota's position is unusually firm, and it is stated on the Board's own Licensing page:

• A cosmetologist is not licensed to work in a barbershop. The Board refers such enquiries to the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission.
• If a barber requests to work in a cosmetology salon, the station must be inspected by the Board of Barber Examiners and a barbershop licence issued.

The second point is the striking one. A single barber's station inside a cosmetology salon requires its own inspection by the barber board and its own barbershop licence. The premises category follows the practitioner, not the building.

For comparison, Vermont permits a cosmetology shop to employ a barber outright, and Rhode Island licenses a single "hair design shop" category covering both trades. South Dakota does neither.

Ownership and Supervision Are Separate Questions

It is not required to be a licensed barber to own a barbershop — but the shop must be at all times under the direct supervision and management of a registered barber. An investor can own; a licensee must run.

Both Boards Share a Phone Number

A practical curiosity worth knowing: the Board of Barber Examiners and the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission are both reached on 605.773.6193. Separate boards, separate scopes, one switchboard — so make clear which one you need.

Licences Are Tied to Premises and to People

Barbershop licences are not transferable, and a change of location requires a fresh licence, a fresh inspection and fresh fees. South Dakota treats the licence as attaching to a specific shop at a specific address.