South Dakota Massage License: Cost & Requirements (2026)

Last updated: August 24, 2026

South Dakota will not license you without an insurance certificate — and it is fussy about whose certificate it is. The statute requires $250,000 per occurrence in malpractice or professional liability cover from a carrier holding a certificate of authority from the South Dakota Division of Insurance. Beyond that the requirements are moderate: 500 hours, a national exam, $100 to apply and $65 a year to stay licensed, and the lightest continuing education load in this guide. The thing that trips people is the calendar — every license in the state expires on September 30.

What South Dakota Actually Requires

• Be at least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalent.
• 500 hours of training from a facility or instructor recognized by the board.
• Pass a board-approved national competency examination. The board accepts the MBLEx ($265), the NCETM and NCETMB ($225 each), and the NBCA massage therapy certification exam ($275). All are computer-based.
• Carry $250,000 per occurrence in malpractice or professional liability insurance from a South Dakota-authorized carrier.
• Absence of unprofessional conduct.

How the 500 hours must break down

Subject	Minimum hours
The body’s systems, and anatomy, physiology and kinesiology	125
Massage and bodywork assessment, theory and application	200
Pathology	40
Business and ethics	10 — of which at least 6 must be ethics
Additional training in a related field completing the program	125
Total	500, of which at least 200 hours must be hands-on

Check that your school is recognized before you enroll. The board names specific South Dakota facilities in rule, and separately recognizes out-of-state training where the facility is licensed or approved by a state massage therapy board in its own state, or accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education — COMTA, NACCAS, ACCET, ACCSCT, DEAC, HLC and others qualify.

If your school has closed, you are not stuck. The board will consider other proof of education from a closed institution — transcripts, curriculum information, or other evidence of attendance.

Budget the wait. Once a completed application is submitted, the board has up to six months to act on it. Straightforward applications go much faster and can be issued without full board action, but an application needing board review takes longer. Do not book a start date against the short end of that range.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Application processing	$100	Nonrefundable, even if the application is denied
Annual license fee	$65	Refunded if your application is denied. You may send it with the application to speed issuance
Annual renewal	$65	Online only since 2025 — no paper renewals
Temporary permit	Up to $75	See below — issuable no more than twice
National examination	$225–$275	MBLEx $265, NCETM and NCETMB $225, NBCA $275
Duplicate license	Free	Request it from the board
Professional liability insurance	Required	$250,000 per occurrence, South Dakota-authorized carrier
Massage school (500 hrs)	Tuition varies widely	The dominant cost
South Dakota LLC	$150	Articles of organization filed online; $165 on paper
South Dakota annual report	$55	Online; $70 on paper

At $65 a year, South Dakota is one of the cheaper licenses to maintain — but note it is annual, so over two years it costs about what Connecticut charges for one biennial renewal.

The September 30 Rule

Every South Dakota massage license expires on September 30, regardless of when it was issued. The state reset all licenses to a universal date in 2013, so a license granted in July runs for about ten weeks before its first renewal.

• Renewal opens August 1 and must be completed by September 30. It is online only — paper renewals stopped being accepted in 2025, and no forms are mailed.
• There is a 30-day grace period, October 1 to 30 — but it is not a license to keep working. The board is explicit: if you renew during the grace period, your license remains expired until you renew it. You cannot practice in that window.
• If the board has not received your renewal by the expiration date, it must notify you within five days that it has not arrived and that you may not practice until it is renewed.

Set a reminder for early August, not late September. The board emails a renewal notice on August 1 to whatever address it has on file — which is a good reason to keep your contact details current with the board.

Before You Open a Practice: Premises, Background Checks and Out-of-State Licenses

Does South Dakota license massage establishments?

No. There is no state massage establishment, premises or facility license — chapter 36-35 licenses individual therapists and says nothing about registering a location.

What it does instead is put the employer on the hook. Under SDCL 36-35-10, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor both to practice massage without a license and to own, operate or manage a business that knowingly employs or contracts with any unlicensed person to offer or provide massage therapy. The board may also bring a civil action to enjoin a violation. If you hire or contract therapists, verify the license before the first shift and again at each September renewal.

Inspections are complaint-driven. The board may inspect the place of business of a licensee named in a complaint, during normal business hours or upon written notice. There is no routine premises inspection regime of the kind Alabama or Louisiana run.

Two display rules apply to the space itself. You must conspicuously display your license at your regular place of business; and when working away from it, you must produce photo identification and proof of licensure on request. Failing either is a petty offense.

Does South Dakota require a background check?

There is no fingerprint-based criminal background check in the massage chapter. What the statute has instead is a conduct standard with an unusually explicit second chance.

Conviction of, or a guilty plea to, a felony, a crime involving or relating to the practice of massage, or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude counts as unprofessional conduct. But SDCL 36-35-12 then says the board may grant a license anyway if it determines the plea or conviction is of a nature, or is sufficiently remote in time, that the applicant does not constitute a risk to public safety. A denial can be appealed under the administrative procedure chapter.

If a license is canceled, suspended or revoked, you may not reapply for one year unless the board sets a different period.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to South Dakota?

There is a route, but there is no reciprocity form — and the board says so directly. You file the ordinary Application for Licensure, and SDCL 36-35-15 lets the board license an applicant already licensed elsewhere who shows:

• Age 18 or older, and absence of unprofessional conduct;
• The $250,000 professional liability insurance;
• Verification from the issuing authority that you are currently licensed and in good standing — sent by that state, not by you; and
• Either education that substantially complies with the 500-hour standard, or verification of an active massage therapy practice in your licensing state over the two years immediately preceding your application.

That second option is the useful one, and it has a number attached. “Active massage therapy practice” means at least 200 hours of patient contact in the preceding two-year period. If you trained under an older or shorter curriculum but have been working steadily, the practice route may be far easier to evidence than reconstructing a transcript — particularly if your school has closed.

You will still need a Verification of Education form from your school and a passing national exam score. And the obvious point the board makes anyway: you must hold a valid South Dakota license before practicing here, however good your license elsewhere is.

A temporary permit can bridge the exam wait — twice, at most

If you meet every requirement except the examination, the board may issue a temporary permit for a fee of up to $75, provided you intend to practice in South Dakota while it is valid. It runs for no more than 90 days and may be issued no more than twice. It expires automatically on the earliest of: your regular license being issued, failing the licensing examination, or the end of its term.

Who Does Not Need a License

South Dakota’s exemptions are broader than most, and two of them matter commercially. Reflexology, acupuncture and aesthetics are not subject to regulation or licensure by the Board of Massage Therapy at all. And a person whose manipulation of soft tissue is restricted to the hands, feet or ears is exempt, provided they do not hold themselves out as a massage therapist or as practicing massage therapy.

Also exempt: other licensed health professionals working within their own scope; cosmetologists and barbers within their licensed scope who do not hold themselves out as massage therapists; federal employees performing their duties; students in a board-recognized course of study; and an out-of-state licensed massage therapist teaching instruction or continuing education on a temporary basis not exceeding ten days per calendar year.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Confirm the school is board-recognized — named in rule, approved by another state’s massage board, or accredited by a USDE-recognized accreditor.
2. Complete the 500 hours, watching the 200-hour hands-on minimum and the 6-hour ethics floor.
3. Pass a board-approved national examination.
4. Bind $250,000 professional liability cover from a carrier authorized in South Dakota.
5. Have the school complete the Verification of Education form and send transcripts.
6. Apply with the $100 processing fee — and consider sending the $65 license fee with it, since the board refunds it if you are denied and it speeds issuance if you are not.
7. Allow up to six months, and ask about a temporary permit if you need to work while waiting on exam results.
8. Diary August 1 for renewal, every year.

Staying Licensed

Renewal is $65, online, between August 1 and September 30.

Continuing education is the lightest in this guide. SDCL 36-35-19 requires eight hours of continuing education relating to competence in the practice of massage, on a biennial basis, of a type and from a facility or instructor approved by the board. The board’s current instruction is that eight board-approved hours are required to renew in 2026 — so check which side of the cycle you are on rather than assuming you owe nothing this year.

Two things make it easier than most states’: the hours may be obtained by electronic means, with no in-person minimum, and the board may waive the requirement entirely on proof of illness or hardship.

If you are stepping away, the board can place a license on inactive status on application and payment of the fee, with a separate application to reactivate later — a cleaner option than simply letting it lapse.

One ongoing duty that is easy to forget: if you change insurance carriers after your license or renewal is granted, you must notify the board. It is a one-line email that prevents a compliance problem later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do South Dakota massage therapists have to carry insurance?

Yes. Under SDCL 36-35-21, anyone holding a South Dakota license and practicing massage therapy must carry malpractice or professional liability insurance with limits of no less than $250,000 per occurrence, and proof of it is part of the initial application. Two details are easy to miss: the carrier must hold a certificate of authority from the South Dakota Division of Insurance, so a policy from an unauthorized insurer does not satisfy the statute, and you must notify the board of any change of carrier after your license or renewal is granted.

How many hours does South Dakota require for a massage license?

500 hours from a board-recognized facility or instructor, split by rule: 125 hours on the body’s systems and anatomy, physiology and kinesiology; 200 hours on massage and bodywork assessment, theory and application; 40 hours of pathology; 10 hours of business and ethics with a minimum of 6 hours in ethics; and 125 further hours in a related area that completes the program. At least 200 of the 500 hours must be hands-on training.

When does a South Dakota massage license expire?

September 30, for everyone. South Dakota moved to a universal expiration date in 2013, so your license runs to the September 30 following the date it was issued rather than to an anniversary of your own. Renewal is online only and opens August 1. There is a 30-day grace period from October 1 to 30, but it does not let you keep working: if you renew during the grace period, your license remains expired until the renewal goes through, and you cannot practice in the meantime.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to South Dakota?

There is a statutory route, but no separate reciprocity form. The board says plainly that South Dakota does not have a reciprocity application, so you file the standard Application for Licensure. SDCL 36-35-15 then lets the board license an out-of-state therapist who is 18 or older, free of unprofessional conduct, carrying the $250,000 insurance, and verified as currently licensed and in good standing where they practice. For the education piece you can either show training that substantially complies with the 500-hour standard, or verify an active practice in your licensing state over the two years immediately before you apply — defined as at least 200 hours of patient contact in that two-year period.

Do you need a license to open a massage business in South Dakota?

There is no state massage establishment or premises license — South Dakota licenses therapists only. What the statute does instead is reach the employer: under SDCL 36-35-10 it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to own, operate or manage a business that knowingly employs or contracts with an unlicensed person to offer or provide massage therapy, and the board can sue to enjoin violations. Board inspections are complaint-driven rather than routine: the board may inspect the place of business of a licensee named in a complaint, during normal business hours or on written notice.

Forming the company, taxes, insurance, and hiring are covered in our full guide to starting a business in South Dakota.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy	The licensing authority, application forms, renewal portal and board contact
SD DOH — Licensing Requirements	The $100 application fee and $65 annual license fee, the online-only renewal window, the October grace period during which the license remains expired, the six-month board review period, and the board’s statement that South Dakota has no reciprocity application
SD DOH — Education, Training and Examination Requirements	The ARSD 20:76:01:06 hour breakdown, the 200-hour hands-on minimum, the recognized facilities and accrediting bodies, and the approved national examinations with their fees
SDCL Chapter 36-35 — Massage Therapists	Display and proof-of-licensure duties at 36-35-8, the Class 1 misdemeanor reaching employers at 36-35-10, qualifications and discretionary conviction relief at 36-35-12, the temporary permit at 36-35-12.1, the September 30 expiration at 36-35-12.3, the out-of-state route and 200-hour patient contact definition at 36-35-15, continuing education at 36-35-19, complaint-based inspection at 36-35-20, and the $250,000 insurance requirement at 36-35-21
South Dakota Secretary of State — Filing Fees	The $150 online and $165 paper articles of organization fee, and the $55 online and $70 paper annual report fee