South Dakota licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPC-MH (Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health), through the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. South Dakota has enacted the Counseling Compact but is not issuing privileges yet. Below: what South Dakota asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
South Dakota LPC-MH License Requirements
The independent clinical license in South Dakota is the LPC-MH (Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health).
South Dakota also issues the LPC (base license; required before the LPC-MH), so confirm which tier your work and your payers require.
Exams named for licensure: NCE and NCMHCE. The NCE is required for the LPC (passed before the Plan of Supervision is approved); the NCMHCE is required for the LPC-MH.
2,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
Licensed elsewhere: A counselor licensed in another state for at least three continuous years, in good standing and in active practice (at least 1,500 clinical hours) during those three years, can be licensed by endorsement with a passing NCE (LPC) or NCMHCE (LPC-MH).
How Much Does a South Dakota LPC-MH License Cost?
We have not published a South Dakota figure yet
We have not verified South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
Board: South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
We handle the South Dakota application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere South Dakota Applications Get Delayed
The endorsement route expects 3 years of licensure elsewhere. Count from the date your independent license was issued, not your associate license.
There is no associate license. Pre-licensed counselors work under a board-approved Plan of Supervision, and no hours count before the plan is approved.
The LPC-MH requires holding the LPC first, then 2,000 hours of direct client contact under postgraduate supervision within the four years before applying.
Applicants who began a counseling program on or after 2024-07-01 need a 60-credit degree (48 credits before that), a change made with the 2024 compact bill (HB 1012). South Dakota is a Compact member but says it cannot issue privileges yet.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your South Dakota LPC-MH License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and South Dakota
South Dakota has enacted the Counseling Compact (February 13, 2024), but it is not issuing or accepting privileges yet. Each member state has to finish its own setup, including FBI fingerprint authority, before it goes live. Until it does, practicing in South Dakota takes a full South Dakota license, and holding a South Dakota license does not yet give you a privilege anywhere else.
Addiction counselors in South Dakota
South Dakota credentials addiction counselors as CAC and LAC, through the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals. That credential is separate from the LPC-MH, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it.
Keeping it current
South Dakota renews the LPC-MH every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. At least 4 hours of ethics. Licenses expire November 30 of even-numbered years. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
South Dakota LPC-MH License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in South Dakota?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for South Dakota?
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I'm licensed in another state. How do I get licensed in South Dakota?
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Which exam does South Dakota accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- board name, license types — checked 2026-10-08
- NCE before Plan of Supervision, renewal even years, 40 CE with 4 ethics — checked 2026-10-08
- LPC-MH requires LPC, NCMHCE — checked 2026-10-08
- biennial renewal by November 30 of even years — checked 2026-10-08
- cannot issue privileges at this time — checked 2026-10-08
- LPC requirements, 2,000 supervised hours, 60-credit change — checked 2026-10-08
- LPC-MH requirements, NCMHCE, 2,000 direct client hours — checked 2026-10-08
- endorsement: 3 continuous years, active practice 1,500 hours — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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