South Dakota Licensed Professional Counselor License Requirements
Requirements, fees, and renewal timing for this license, sourced from state board records.
Provides mental health counseling and therapy services.
What the South Dakota data shows for Licensed Professional Counselors
Becoming a licensed licensed professional counselor in South Dakota means clearing a defined set of hurdles: 2,581 training hours, a passing score on NCE (National Counselor Exam) or NCMHCE, and 2 years of supervised work experience, plus a background history check once the applicant turns 18. South Dakota regulators place this credential inside their licensing framework, which classifies the training track as "Masters Degree in Counseling".
The initial price tag is $75, and renewal costs $71 every 2 years. Maintaining the license requires 30 hours of continuing education per 2-year cycle, an ongoing cost applicants often underestimate when budgeting the career.
For licensed professional counselors, the reciprocity picture is: Counseling Compact: 40+ states.
Licensing Ease Score
A higher score means this specific license is LESS burdensome to obtain and maintain here than the national requirement corpus, based on education hours, fees, continuing education, and experience requirements, not an overall judgment of the profession or the state.
Licensing Requirements in South Dakota
Frequently Asked Questions
What license do I need for Licensed Professional Counselor in South Dakota? ▼
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Can I transfer my Licensed Professional Counselor license to South Dakota from another state? ▼
Does South Dakota require a background check for Licensed Professional Counselor licensing? ▼
What are the continuing education requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor in South Dakota? ▼
Related Guides
What to do with this licensed professional counselor license
Licensed Professional Counselor in South Dakota, with a documented reciprocity path, is one requirement row in a licensed professional counselor-wide, 50-state comparison.
- See how South Dakota's licensed professional counselor requirements compare to every other state before relocating. Licensed Professional Counselor in every state
- Confirm whether your out-of-state licensed professional counselor license transfers under an interstate compact before starting a new application. Reciprocity guide
- See how South Dakota's overall licensing burden compares to other states, not just this one profession. South Dakota overview
Requirements shown are compiled from NCSL and Institute for Justice research; verify current rules with the South Dakota licensing board before making career decisions.
Source: NCSL Occupational Licensing Database, Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Ed.), state licensing board websites
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice, the PlainCredential comparison corpus (current as of May 15, 2026) maps 4,947 state licensing requirement records; see the methodology.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.