South Dakota2026Active
HB1194
Work Experience Credit for Out-of-State Cosmetology Applicants
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 3:29 AM
In one sentence
This law lets the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission count past work experience toward school hour requirements for some people getting licensed from other states.
What it does
- Clarifies that the commission can give credit for relevant work experience instead of classroom hours for out-of-state applicants whose licenses are not equivalent to South Dakota standards.
- Sets a rule where two hours of work experience equal one hour of required school education.
- Requires the commission to write and file new rules about this process by September 1, 2026.
- Allows up to 750 school hours for cosmetologists to be replaced by work experience.
- Allows up to 300 school hours for estheticians to be replaced by work experience.
- Allows up to 200 school hours for nail technicians to be replaced by work experience.
- Requires applicants with work experience older than five years to take a safety and infection control course approved by the commission.
Who it affects
- People holding licenses from other states, districts, territories, or foreign countries who want a South Dakota cosmetology, nail technician, or esthetician license.
- Applicants whose out-of-state licenses are not exactly equal to South Dakota standards but have relevant work experience.
Limits and unknowns
- Work experience older than five years only counts if the applicant takes a specific safety course.
- This change applies only to cosmetology, nail technology, and esthetics licenses.
- The law sets maximum hours for credit but relies on commission rules for details on how to prove work history.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Licensure by reciprocity
- A process where a state grants a license based on an existing license from another place, often with fewer requirements than starting over.
- Promulgate rules
- The official act of creating and publishing new regulations that people must follow.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
clarify authority for the Cosmetology Commission to credit work experience for educational hours for certain out-of-state licensure applicants, and to require the commission to promulgate rules therefor.
Official activity
Bill history
- Signed by the Governor