Electrical Contractor Permit Requirements in Aberdeen, SD

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. South Dakota Department of Revenue - Sales Tax License

   Any business with a physical presence in South Dakota must be licensed for sales tax collection, and South Dakota taxes services as well as tangible personal property and products transferred electronically. The state sales and use tax rate is 4.2 percent (reduced from 4.5 percent), and municipal sales and use tax of generally 1 to 2 percent applies where the purchaser receives the product or service. Remote sellers and marketplace providers with more than $100,000 in gross sales into South Dakota in the previous or current calendar year must also license and remit. Register using the Department of Revenue's online Tax License Application.

   Official government source

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license·Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

   Free - there is no fee for a South Dakota sales tax license

   Apply online through the Tax License Application; the license is typically issued within a few business days

1. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Electrical Contractor License

   Electrical contractors in South Dakota must be licensed by the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation, 217 W. Missouri Ave., Pierre, 605-773-3573), which administers state electrical law, licenses all electricians in the state, and inspects wiring installations. South Dakota does not use a 'Master Electrician' title: the license tiers on the Commission's application are Electrical Inspector, Electrical Contractor, Inactive EC, Reciprocal EC, Class B Electrician, Inactive CBE, Journeyman, Inactive JM, and Reciprocal JM. An exam is required, and application and license fees are non-refundable and not pro-rated. Since November 12, 2024 all permits are inspected under the 2023 National Electrical Code. In Aberdeen, wiring permits and electrical inspections also run through the Commission - the city's adopted code list does not include the National Electrical Code, and City Building Inspection refers electrical work to the Commission.

   Official government source

   Electrical Contractor: $60 application fee plus a $200 license fee - $260 total. For comparison, Class B Electrician is $60 + $100, Journeyman $60 + $80, and Electrical Inspector $60 + $100. Separate wiring permits cost $20 each (or a book of 20 for $400), with inspection fees per the Commission's schedule (for example $208 new house wiring, $78 plus circuits for a new service) and a $150 minimum for requested inspections.·The application fee must accompany the application and the license fee must be a separate check; incomplete or unsigned applications are returned. Contact the Commission at 605-773-3573 for current processing times.

   Electrical Contractor: $60 application fee plus a $200 license fee - $260 total. For comparison, Class B Electrician is $60 + $100, Journeyman $60 + $80, and Electrical Inspector $60 + $100. Separate wiring permits cost $20 each (or a book of 20 for $400), with inspection fees per the Commission's schedule (for example $208 new house wiring, $78 plus circuits for a new service) and a $150 minimum for requested inspections.

   The application fee must accompany the application and the license fee must be a separate check; incomplete or unsigned applications are returned. Contact the Commission at 605-773-3573 for current processing times.

2. No Aberdeen General Business License Required

   Aberdeen does not issue a general business license. The City Finance Office (Auditor Division, 605-626-7023) issues licenses only for a specific enumerated list of activities: ambulance driver, ambulance service, garbage hauler, community event, day care, junk dealer, lottery notice, mobile home park, pawn broker, street use, shooting gallery, special event alcohol, taxi/motorbus company, taxi/motorbus driver, transient merchant/solicitor, and alcohol. Trades such as plumbing, HVAC, and pest control are not on that list and need no city business license. Their state-level licensing applies instead: plumbing through the SD Plumbing Commission, pesticide application through SD DANR, and there is no statewide HVAC or mechanical contractor license. A South Dakota sales tax license from the Department of Revenue is still required.

   Official government source

   $0 - no general business license exists·N/A - no application

   $0 - no general business license exists

   N/A - no application

3. South Dakota Electrical Commission - Wiring Permit and Inspection (Aberdeen)

   Electrical wiring permits and inspections in Aberdeen are handled by the South Dakota Electrical Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation, 605-773-3573), not by the city. The Commission administers state electrical law, inspects wiring installations, and licenses all electricians in South Dakota; only Rapid City and Sioux Falls run their own municipal electrical inspection programs. Aberdeen's Building Inspection Department (123 S. Lincoln St., 3rd floor, 605-626-7017) enforces the building, mechanical, residential, property maintenance, and plumbing codes it has adopted - its adopted-code list does not include the National Electrical Code - and its own resources page refers electrical work to the SD Electrical Commission. Brown County has no role inside city limits. All permits received on or after November 12, 2024 are inspected under the 2023 NEC. A separate City of Aberdeen building permit may still be required for the underlying construction.

   Official government source

   Wiring permits are $20 each, or a book of 20 for $400. Inspection fees follow the Commission's schedule - for example $208 for new house wiring and $78 plus circuits for a new service - with a $150 minimum for requested inspections and $150 per hour for inspections beyond the allotted number.·Permits are purchased from the Commission and inspections requested as work reaches each stage; contact the Commission at 605-773-3573 to schedule

   Wiring permits are $20 each, or a book of 20 for $400. Inspection fees follow the Commission's schedule - for example $208 for new house wiring and $78 plus circuits for a new service - with a $150 minimum for requested inspections and $150 per hour for inspections beyond the allotted number.

   Permits are purchased from the Commission and inspections requested as work reaches each stage; contact the Commission at 605-773-3573 to schedule

Official Sources

• South Dakota Electrical Commission — Electrical Contractor License
• City of Aberdeen City Finance Office

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