A new South Dakota law expands the pool of licensable workers by letting out-of-state professionals substitute relevant work experience for missing education hours.
Most salon and personal care business owners in South Dakota don't realize a recent change to state law has quietly expanded who they can legally hire and license. If you've ever lost a talented stylist or esthetician to relocation, or struggled to fill a chair with someone who holds an out-of-state license, this matters to you.
What Changed
South Dakota HB1194 gives the Cosmetology Commission authority to credit work experience toward education hour requirements for out-of-state applicants seeking South Dakota licensure. In plain terms: if a licensed cosmetologist, nail technician, or esthetician moves to South Dakota but lacks the exact number of education hours South Dakota requires, they can now substitute documented work experience instead—at a 2-to-1 ratio.
The substitution caps vary by license type. Applicants can credit up to 750 hours of work experience for cosmetology, 200 hours for nail technology, and 300 hours for esthetics. This means a stylist with 500 hours of out-of-state work experience could count 250 of those hours toward South Dakota's education requirement, significantly reducing the gap they'd otherwise need to close through additional schooling.
Why This Matters for Your Business
For small salons and nail or esthetics studios, this is a practical hiring tool. You're no longer limited to applicants who happen to have completed education in a state with hour requirements identical to South Dakota's. A licensed professional with solid work history—even if their home state required fewer classroom hours—can now become licensable in South Dakota without starting over at cosmetology school.
This expands your talent pool without lowering standards. The applicant still holds an active, out-of-state license (meaning they passed that state's exam and met that state's requirements). The work experience credit simply bridges the gap between what South Dakota requires and what they've already completed.
Timeline and Next Steps
The Cosmetology Commission must file amended rules implementing this provision by September 1, 2026. Until those rules are finalized and published, the law is on the books but not yet operational. Once rules are in place, applicants and salon owners can begin using the work experience substitution process.
The legal authority for this change is found in HB1194, Section 2, § 36-15-19.2, on page 2 of the bill.
What to Do Now
If you're considering hiring an out-of-state licensed professional, keep this change in mind as rules develop over the next year. The Cosmetology Commission will publish details on how to document and submit work experience for credit. Your state trade association or the Commission itself will have guidance on the application process once rules are final.
Source: HB1194, South Dakota Legislature; Section 2, § 36-15-19.2