South Dakota Esthetician License Requirements

South Dakota licenses estheticians through the Cosmetology Commission, part of the Department of Labor and Regulation. You must complete 600 hours of esthetics training, pass the required exams, and apply for your license.

1. Meet the basic eligibility rules. You must be at least 18 years old, shown by a driver's license, birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, state-issued ID, or U.S. passport.
2. Complete 600 hours of esthetics education at a South Dakota school (out-of-state students must provide certification from their home state board or esthetics school).
3. Submit your Exam or Reciprocity Application along with the $120 examination or reciprocity fee, which covers your first license.
4. Pay for your exam and wait for confirmation. After paying, the Commission emails you a coupon code (allow up to 72 hours) before you can register with Prov.
5. Pass both required exams: the NIC national written theory exam through Prov and the South Dakota Cosmetology State Laws and Rules exam.
6. Receive your license. Once you pass and the Commission receives your Student Education Record from your school, your license is mailed within 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays).

South Dakota requires 600 hours of esthetics education under SDCL 36-15-2.2, documented by a transcript from a South Dakota school. Out-of-state students must submit certification of their hours from their home state board or esthetics school; the Commission will audit that transcript and issue a report showing how many hours transfer toward South Dakota's requirement.

This is separate from South Dakota's 1,500-hour cosmetologist curriculum (hair, nail, and skin services) and 400-hour nail technician curriculum.

South Dakota requires two separate exams for esthetician licensure: the NIC national written theory exam, administered by Prov, and a South Dakota Cosmetology State Laws and Rules exam that every applicant must pass, including reciprocity candidates.

Registration

Pay your examination fee to the Cosmetology Commission first — do not attempt to register with Prov before this. You'll receive a confirmation email with a coupon code within about 72 hours (excluding weekends and holidays), which you then use to register and schedule with Prov.

Reciprocity and Out-of-State Applicants

If you're applying by reciprocity, you may be eligible for a waiver of the written theory exam, but you must still pass the South Dakota Laws and Rules exam. If you graduated from a cosmetology school in another state, you are not eligible to sit for South Dakota's theory exam directly — you must either become licensed in your home state and apply for reciprocity, or transfer into a South Dakota school to complete any remaining required hours.

Cancellations

Exams must be canceled or rescheduled at least 3 business days before your scheduled date. Emergency cancellations (medical emergency or death in the immediate family) require satisfactory evidence submitted to the Commission.

South Dakota esthetician licenses renew annually, due on or before your birth date. The renewal fee is $45. A $30 late penalty applies if your renewal is postmarked or paid after your birth date, and a license lapsed more than 60 days is subject to disciplinary action.

Continuing Education

South Dakota does not require continuing education to renew a standard esthetician license. CE is only required if you wish to provide microdermabrasion, eyelash extensions, or electric nail filing services, or if you hold an instructor license (12 clock hours annually).

How to Renew

Renew online at apps.sd.gov/LD19Cosmetology/Renewals, or by mail with the Payment Form if paying by check or money order. If your license expired less than five years ago, you must pay the renewal fee plus a $30 penalty for each year it was expired. If it expired more than five years ago, you must also retake the theory and state laws/rules exams.

South Dakota defines the licensed practice of esthetics in SDCL § 36-15-2.2. No person may practice esthetics without a Commission license. A licensed South Dakota esthetician may, for compensation, use hands, chemicals, or mechanical or electrical apparatus for:

• Noninvasive skin care: Beautifying, massaging, cleansing, exfoliating, stimulating, or applying oils, creams, cosmetic preparations, make-up, facial treatments, body treatments, body wraps, antiseptics, scrubs, clays, lotions, masks, waxes, or other preparations — confined to the nonliving cells of the stratum corneum of the epidermis, in a superficial mode, never altering, cutting, or damaging living cells
• Eyebrow and eyelash grooming: Grooming or applying eyebrows or eyelashes, including arching and tinting
• Non-permanent hair removal: Tweezing and waxing

South Dakota law explicitly excludes scalp treatments or scalp massage from the esthetics scope of practice. Additional CE is required before offering microdermabrasion, eyelash extensions, or electric nail filing. You can verify any license through the South Dakota License Verification tool.