South Dakota PT License Renewal: Fees, CE & Forfeiture Rules (2026)
Editorial Note: This page is editorially reviewed by an ARDMS-credentialed sonographer as part of AlliedLicenseGuide.com’s allied health licensing database. Data verified directly against the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy.
Who This Guide Is For
- South Dakota-licensed physical therapists approaching their biennial January 1 renewal deadline
- PTs tracking South Dakota’s 30-hour CE requirement and its Category 1/Category 2 structure
- Travel physical therapists maintaining a South Dakota license to support active PT Compact privileges
At a Glance: South Dakota PT Renewal
| Renewal Cycle | Biennial (every 2 years) |
| Expiration Date | Fixed date — January 1 (forfeiture if not renewed by July 1, per SDCL 36-10-33) |
| Renewal Fee | $120.00 biennial |
| Reinstatement Fee | $50.00 for a forfeited license |
| CE Requirement | 30 hours per 2-year cycle; no carryover between cycles |
| Renewal Method | Online via the Board’s renewal portal |
| Forfeited License | Not renewed by July 1: forfeited. Restorable by written application plus current renewal fee and $50.00 reinstatement fee |
South Dakota Renewal Overview
South Dakota physical therapist licenses renew every two years for $120.00, on a fixed schedule expiring January 1. The underlying statute uses older “annual renewal” language, but the current administrative rule explicitly implements a biennial cycle — the Board’s own continuing education page confirms this with concrete two-year cycle examples (such as a license period running January 1, 2025 through January 1, 2027).
South Dakota doesn’t use the term “grace period,” but there’s a practical window built into the statute: a license expires January 1, but isn’t considered forfeited until you fail to renew it by July 1. Once forfeited, you can restore it by written application plus the current renewal fee and a separate $50.00 reinstatement fee.
CE Requirements
- 30 continuing education hours required per two-year license cycle; CE hours may only be credited to the cycle in which they were completed, with no carryover
- Category 1 activities (certified coursework, formally approved through a credentialing process) can cover up to 100% — all 30 hours — of the requirement
- Category 2 activities (individualized professional development, participation-based) are capped at no more than 15 hours (1.5 CEU credits) per biennial renewal
- Both categories must be approved by APTA, APTA-SD (the South Dakota chapter), or a physical therapy licensing board in another state
- There’s no limit on how many of your hours come from online courses, as long as they meet the standard approval criteria
- A CE waiver of up to 15 hours is available for first-time renewal licensees who graduated from an accredited program within the same two-year cycle; a separate hardship waiver (illness, disability, military service, or financial hardship) is also available under SDCL 36-10-51
- You don’t need to mail CE certificates unless randomly selected for audit, but you must attach a CE hour summary form to your renewal application either way
Compact Renewal Implications
Because South Dakota is an active PT Compact member, compact privileges depend on maintaining an active, unencumbered South Dakota home license. South Dakota’s own state compact privilege fee is $120.00, plus a separate $4.00 processing fee charged by the Compact Commission.
How to Renew
- Complete your required 30 CE hours (no more than 15 from Category 2 activities), and prepare your CE hour summary form
- Log in to the Board’s online renewal portal and complete your renewal
- Pay the $120.00 renewal fee
- If you’ve missed the January 1 deadline, renew before July 1 to avoid forfeiture — after that, you’ll need to restore the license via written application plus the $50.00 reinstatement fee
Practical Notes: Don’t let your Category 2 CE hours (self-directed professional development activities) exceed the 15-hour cap thinking they’ll still count — anything beyond that limit doesn’t apply toward your 30-hour requirement, so front-load Category 1 coursework if you’re not tracking closely. If you’re a recent graduate facing your first renewal, ask about the CE waiver before assuming you need the full 30 hours — South Dakota offers up to 15 hours of relief for licensees who graduated within the same cycle.
Editorial note: Practical guidance reviewed by ALG’s editorial team based on official Board sourcing.
Relevant Statutes
- SDCL Chapter 36-10 — Physical Therapists (§ 36-10-33 renewal and forfeiture; § 36-10-51 CE waiver authority)
- ARSD 20:66:01:01 — Fee Amounts (accessed via LII mirror, a documented sourcing exception — South Dakota’s own legislature portal is JavaScript-rendered)
- Board Continuing Education Page
- Board Online Renewal Portal
Related Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to renew a South Dakota PT license? $120.00 every two years. ARSD 20:66:01:01(2)
How many CE hours does South Dakota require for PT renewal? 30 hours every two years, with no more than 15 hours from Category 2 participation activities. Board Continuing Education Page
What happens if I miss my South Dakota PT renewal deadline? Your license expires January 1, but isn’t forfeited until you fail to renew by July 1. After forfeiture, you can restore it through written application plus the current renewal fee and a $50.00 reinstatement fee. SDCL 36-10-33
What’s South Dakota’s PT Compact privilege fee? $120.00 state fee plus a $4.00 processing fee. PT Compact Process & Requirements
Disclaimer: This page is provided for informational purposes and reflects data verified against official South Dakota government sources as of the Last Verified date above. Renewal payment methods (specific card types accepted) were not independently confirmed this session. Always confirm current requirements directly with the South Dakota Board of Physical Therapy before renewing.
2026-07-09: Page created following direct verification against official South Dakota government sources. Resolved multiple conflicts by fetching the current fee rule (ARSD 20:66:01:01) and the Board’s own continuing education page directly: confirmed the $120 biennial renewal fee, the $50 reinstatement fee, and the 15-hour Category 2 CE cap. A separate CE category-limit claim (4.0/5.0-hour conversion caps for specific activity types) from one data collection response was not found in the current primary source and was not used on this page. Noted a genuine discrepancy between the base statute’s “annual renewal” language and the administrative rule’s explicit “biennial” framing — the rule and current Board practice govern, and both are disclosed rather than silently reconciled.
2026-07-09: Editorial review round confirmed the full mailing address directly via the Board’s own Continuing Education page, alongside phone and email already on the page. Updated the statute citation to a URL confirmed to work via direct fetch, replacing one that had returned a JavaScript-rendering error. PT Compact privilege fee sourcing ($120 + $4 processing fee) was independently verified directly against ptcompact.org’s own process-and-requirements page earlier in this state’s research and is retained as confirmed.