Massage Therapy 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 Board of Massage Therapy - Massage Therapist License

   Massage therapy licensure is mandatory in South Dakota under SDCL ch. 36-35 and ARSD 20:76, administered by the South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy (a professional licensing board under the Department of Health; Executive Secretary Kate Boyd, 1601 N Harrison Ave Ste. 6, Pierre, 605-295-8590). An applicant must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, complete at least 500 hours of specified education and training at a board-recognized facility, pass an examination from an approved national certification board (such as the MBLEx), and provide proof of at least $250,000 in malpractice insurance with no history of professional misconduct (SDCL 36-35-12). The 500 hours must include 125 hours of body systems/anatomy/physiology/kinesiology, 200 hours of massage and bodywork assessment/theory/application, 40 hours of pathology, 10 hours of business and ethics (at least 6 in ethics), and 125 additional hours, with at least 200 hours hands-on (ARSD 20:76:01:06). All licenses expire September 30 and renew online August 1 - October 30, with a 30-day grace period; eight hours of board-approved continuing education are required to renew.

   Official government source

   $100 non-refundable initial application processing fee plus a $65 annual licensure fee (submit both together; the $65 is refunded if the application is denied) - $165 in total to start. Renewal is $65 per year.·The Board has up to six months to act on a completed application (ARSD 20:76:01:03); complete applications meeting every requirement are typically issued much faster without full Board review

   $100 non-refundable initial application processing fee plus a $65 annual licensure fee (submit both together; the $65 is refunded if the application is denied) - $165 in total to start. Renewal is $65 per year.

   The Board has up to six months to act on a completed application (ARSD 20:76:01:03); complete applications meeting every requirement are typically issued much faster without full Board review

2. 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. 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

2. Aberdeen Zoning Certificate of Occupancy

   Aberdeen City Code Sec. 60-220 requires a zoning certificate of occupancy before any building, structure, or land is occupied or changed in use. After the work is complete you apply to the city zoning inspector, who makes a final inspection and issues the certificate if the property conforms to the zoning permit and Chapter 60. Confirm that the location is zoned for a personal-service use with the City of Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Department (605-626-7025) - not the Finance Office, which issues only the city's enumerated business licenses (ambulance, taxi, pawnbroker, day care and similar).

   Official government source

   Zoning permit fees are set by the city fee schedule on file with the finance officer (Code Sec. 60-221). Associated building permit fees are valuation-based under the city's published 2026 Building Fee Schedule, starting at $35 for work valued at $500 or less.·The certificate is issued within ten days after the final inspection (City Code Sec. 60-220)

   Zoning permit fees are set by the city fee schedule on file with the finance officer (Code Sec. 60-221). Associated building permit fees are valuation-based under the city's published 2026 Building Fee Schedule, starting at $35 for work valued at $500 or less.

   The certificate is issued within ten days after the final inspection (City Code Sec. 60-220)

Official Sources

• City of Aberdeen City Finance Office

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