HVAC 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

2. EPA Section 608 Certification (for refrigerants)

   Technicians who purchase, recover, or handle refrigerants must hold EPA Section 608 certification. Required by federal law regardless of state.

   Official government source

   $20–$100 (exam)·1–2 days

   $20–$100 (exam)

   1–2 days

1. HVAC / Mechanical Work - No South Dakota State License

   South Dakota has no statewide HVAC or mechanical contractor license and no mechanical licensing board. The Department of Labor and Regulation's full list of occupational boards covers abstracters, accountancy, barbers, cosmetology, electrical, plumbing, real estate and others - there is no HVAC or mechanical entry. Aberdeen also issues no city HVAC contractor license: the city's Application for City License(s) covers only advertising/sign hanging, commercial garbage hauler, excavator, water and sewer contractor, and sidewalk contractor. What does apply: federal EPA Section 608 certification for anyone handling refrigerants, a City of Aberdeen mechanical permit for each installation or major repair (the city has adopted the 2018 International Mechanical Code), and separate SD Plumbing or Electrical Commission licensure for any plumbing or electrical portion of a job.

   Official government source

   $0 state license fee - none exists. Aberdeen mechanical permit fees follow the city's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, which is valuation-based starting at $35 for work valued up to $500.·N/A - no state license to apply for. Permit review and inspection scheduling: City of Aberdeen Building Inspection, 605-626-7017.

   $0 state license fee - none exists. Aberdeen mechanical permit fees follow the city's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, which is valuation-based starting at $35 for work valued up to $500.

   N/A - no state license to apply for. Permit review and inspection scheduling: City of Aberdeen Building Inspection, 605-626-7017.

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. City of Aberdeen Mechanical Permit (per project)

   A mechanical permit is required from the City of Aberdeen Building Inspection Department (123 S. Lincoln St., 3rd floor, 605-626-7017) for each HVAC installation or major repair; Brown County has no permitting role inside city limits. Aberdeen has adopted the 2018 International Mechanical Code, and inspections are required upon completion. There is no South Dakota state HVAC or mechanical contractor license and no Aberdeen city HVAC contractor license, so the permit is the operative requirement - but any electrical portion of the work is permitted and inspected by the South Dakota Electrical Commission (605-773-3573), and any plumbing portion requires SD Plumbing Commission licensure and a city plumbing permit under the 2015 South Dakota version of the Uniform Plumbing Code. Technicians handling refrigerants need federal EPA Section 608 certification.

   Official government source

   Set by Aberdeen's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, valuation-based on the project's contract price: $35 for work valued at $1-$500; $35 plus $3.50 per additional $100 to $2,000; $87.50 plus $12.41 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $372.93 plus $9.31 per $1,000 to $50,000; and continuing on the published schedule. The city notes published amounts are approximate and may vary slightly at the counter.·Permits are applied for in person at the Building Inspection office on the 3rd floor of City Hall; contact 605-626-7017 for current review and inspection scheduling

   Set by Aberdeen's 2026 Building Fee Schedule, valuation-based on the project's contract price: $35 for work valued at $1-$500; $35 plus $3.50 per additional $100 to $2,000; $87.50 plus $12.41 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $372.93 plus $9.31 per $1,000 to $50,000; and continuing on the published schedule. The city notes published amounts are approximate and may vary slightly at the counter.

   Permits are applied for in person at the Building Inspection office on the 3rd floor of City Hall; contact 605-626-7017 for current review and inspection scheduling

Official Sources

• South Dakota HVAC Contractor License
• City of Aberdeen City Finance Office

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