South Dakota Registered Nurse license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

South Dakota does not require continuing education for RN license renewal, which happens every two years. An initial license expires on the licensee's birth date in the second calendar year following issuance, and biennially on the licensee's birth date after that. The board sends a renewal notice at least 90 days before the expiration date, and the fee and evidence of employment status must reach the board before that date or the license lapses. Renewal is filed online through the SDBON Nurse Portal.

South Dakota Registered Nurse renewal and continuing education rules

"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.

South Dakota does not require continuing education hours for RN license renewal. The board's continuing education chapter, ARSD 20:48:12, was repealed effective November 3, 1980 and has not been replaced. What the board requires instead is current practice: under ARSD 20:48:03:16, registered nurses must have been employed in nursing for a minimum of 140 hours in any 12 month period over the preceding 6 years to be eligible for active status licensure. A nurse who cannot show that must submit evidence of compliance with reentry standards, which can be met by at least 480 hours of nursing employment accumulated during the preceding 6 years or by successfully completing a board-approved nursing refresher course. A refresher course must run at least 160 course hours including at least 80 hours of theory. Verification of hours employed must come from the employer. ARSD 20:48:03:09 requires evidence of employment status to be filed with the renewal fee.

Required CE topics for South Dakota registered nurses

The South Dakota Board of Nursing pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a South Dakota RN need to renew?

South Dakota does not require continuing education for RN license renewal, which happens every two years. South Dakota does not require continuing education hours for RN license renewal. The board's continuing education chapter, ARSD 20:48:12, was repealed effective November 3, 1980 and has not been replaced. What the board requires instead is current practice: under ARSD 20:48:03:16, registered nurses must have been employed in nursing for a minimum of 140 hours in any 12 month period over the preceding 6 years to be eligible for active status licensure. A nurse who cannot show that must submit evidence of compliance with reentry standards, which can be met by at least 480 hours of nursing employment accumulated during the preceding 6 years or by successfully completing a board-approved nursing refresher course. A refresher course must run at least 160 course hours including at least 80 hours of theory. Verification of hours employed must come from the employer. ARSD 20:48:03:09 requires evidence of employment status to be filed with the renewal fee.

How often does a South Dakota RN license need to be renewed?

Registered Nurse licenses in South Dakota renew every two years. An initial license expires on the licensee's birth date in the second calendar year following issuance, and biennially on the licensee's birth date after that. The board sends a renewal notice at least 90 days before the expiration date, and the fee and evidence of employment status must reach the board before that date or the license lapses. Renewal is filed online through the SDBON Nurse Portal.

Do South Dakota registered nurses have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal.

Sources

Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• South Dakota Administrative Rules Article 20:48, Nurses (Board of Nursing)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• SDCL 36-9-45 Biennial renewal of license, expiration date, notice by board, fee, period of renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• Renewal Applications LPN/RN/APRN, South Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
• South Dakota Board of Nursing home pageState board page, accessed September 7, 2026

South Dakota is a no continuing education state for nurses. That is recorded from the administrative rules themselves: Article 20:48's chapter list shows chapter 20:48:12, Continuing Education, as repealed effective November 3, 1980, and nothing in the renewal rules (20:48:03:09, 20:48:03:10) or SDCL 36-9-45 substitutes an hours requirement. The 140 hour and 480 hour practice requirements and the refresher course alternative come from ARSD 20:48:03:16, which names registered nurses and licensed practical nurses together, so the same rule is the source for both records. The renewal cycle and birth date basis come from ARSD 20:48:03:10 as amended effective August 3, 2026, and from SDCL 36-9-45. The board's own website moved from doh.sd.gov to sdbon.org; the old doh.sd.gov nursing board pages now return 404, and the sdbon.org renewal page is a short pointer to the Nurse Portal rather than a statement of requirements, which is why the rules carry the substance here. proof_at_renewal is true in the sense that ARSD 20:48:03:09 requires evidence of employment status to be filed with the renewal fee; there is no continuing education documentation to submit. Record retention and audit practice for that employment evidence were not stated in the sources read, so those fields are null. mandatory_topics is empty because the board mandates no continuing education subject.