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State Cert Guide

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How many continuing education hours do I need to renew my South Dakota real estate license?

Unless you are an exempt attorney or time-share agent, a South Dakota real estate licensee shows the commission approved CE for the past two years. Brokers, broker associates, salespersons, auctioneers and property managers need at least twenty-four hours, twelve of them in the required subject areas. Residential rental agents need at least twelve. New broker associates do postlicensing first.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
Not less than twenty-four hours of approved CE in the preceding two-year periodThat figure is for responsible brokers, broker associates, salespersons, auctioneers and property managers.
Verified. sdlegislature.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Rental agents
Residential rental agents need not less than twelve hours insteadThe statute counts the same preceding two-year period.
Same source and date as above
Rule
36-21A-62, biennial proof by licensees of continuing educationThe same statute lists who is exempt.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Find your license type. Brokers, broker associates, salespersons, auctioneers and property managers owe not less than twenty-four hours, and residential rental agents not less than twelve. Attorneys licensed in South Dakota and time-share agents are exempt.

  2. Step 2. Pick CE that counts as approved. Ask the commission which courses count before you pay.

  3. Step 3. Complete your hours inside the preceding two-year period, the one the commission will count. At least twelve of the twenty-four must be in the required subject areas.

  4. Step 4. Give the commission your proof. Keep your course certificates until then.

Before you pay

This page rests on the South Dakota statutes on biennial proof of CE and on postlicensing, and the commission's rules on CE subject areas and postlicensing. We haven't confirmed course prices, course providers or whether an online course counts.

Before you pay, ask the commission whether the course counts as approved.

Questions

How many hours is postlicensing education?

Sixty. All sixty hours must include study in the required CE subject areas that rule 20:69:11:01.05 lists.

When is postlicensing due?

By the second active renewal deadline. Anyone first licensed as a broker associate after June 30, 2009, completes thirty class hours in the initial active licensing period and thirty in the second. Those hours apply toward the CE required for renewal.

Do older hours count toward postlicensing?

Some do. Hours you completed in negotiation, business planning, technology or marketing before July 1, 2015, count toward postlicensing.

What to do next

Start with the South Dakota statute on biennial proof of CE. Then look for the commission's own pages on CE.

sdlegislature.gov

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