What This License Is
A South Dakota Personal Lines license lets you sell property and casualty coverage to individuals and families — homeowners, renters, personal auto, and similar non-commercial risks in South Dakota. It is issued by the South Dakota Division of Insurance, Department of Labor and Regulation.
Licensing runs through the same process as every South Dakota producer line — the difference is the focused Personal Lines exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Personal Lines exam is Personal Lines Producer (InsSD_Pers53): 106 total (101 scored + 5 pretest) questions, 2 hr, $85 per attempt. Passing standard: 70.
South Dakota also offers the combined exam (Property & Casualty Producer (InsSD_PropCas46): 155 total (145 scored) questions, 2 hr 30 min, $95), which licenses both lines in one sitting. If there is any chance you will sell commercial products later, the combined exam is usually the better value.
Applying for the license after you pass
Passing the exam is not the license - it qualifies you to apply. South Dakota gives you 180 days from passing your major-line exam to submit your application, so don't sit on it.
Wait at least 48 hours after passing before you apply; that window lets your results upload to SBS and NIPR so your application can be matched to your score.
File the resident producer application online through NIPR (www.nipr.com). The licensing fee is $25 plus a small service fee, paid when you submit. There is no separate fingerprinting step or fee - the Division runs your background check from the application.
Issuance is not automatic. The Division reviews your application and background results before the license is granted, and you must be appointed by each carrier whose products you intend to sell.
South Dakota law tested on the P&C state portion
The property and casualty state portion centers on the same all-lines regulatory core - the Director's powers, licensing, marketing/unfair-practice rules, and insurance fraud (SDCL 58-4A) - plus a focused set of P&C statutes.
Property-side topics include binders as evidence of insurance (SDCL 58-11-29 through 31), the South Dakota Valued Policy Law (SDCL 58-10-10), marine and transportation insurance, surplus lines (SDCL 58-32), rating rules, and cancellation/nonrenewal requirements (SDCL 58-1-14, 15; ARSD 20:06:29).
Flood coverage and the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) appear on the property content; the Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (SDCL 58-29A) covers the insolvency-protection questions.
Casualty-side state law brings in the South Dakota Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk, SDCL 58-11-57), private-passenger auto rules, and workers' compensation (SDCL Title 62) including exclusive remedy, covered injuries, occupational disease, and the second-injury fund.
South Dakota mandatory auto coverage
South Dakota requires every driver to carry minimum liability limits of 25/50/25: $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 property damage per accident.
On top of liability, South Dakota mandates BOTH uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, each at minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident - matching the bodily-injury liability floor.
South Dakota is an at-fault (tort) state. It does not mandate personal injury protection (PIP), so don't confuse it with the no-fault states; the required first-party-style protection here is the UM/UIM coverage, not PIP.
Knowing the three liability numbers and the mandatory UM/UIM pairing cold is worth several reliable points on the casualty content.
Flood insurance training gate
If you intend to sell flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, FEMA requires a one-time 3-hour NFIP flood training course, and South Dakota enforces that requirement.
Like the LTC and annuity gates on the life-and-health side, this is a product-specific prerequisite rather than part of the base 10-hour CE total, though approved credit can count toward your CE hours.
Continuing education and renewal
South Dakota's CE requirement is lighter than most states. A producer holding the Property & Casualty line alone completes 10 hours of approved CE every two-year term.
If you hold BOTH the Life/Health line and the Property/Casualty line, the requirement is 20 hours per term - at least 10 credits in each line, with a minimum of 8 in each. No carryover credits, and you cannot repeat the same course within a term for credit.
Licenses renew on the last day of your birth month, every two years, on a cycle tied to whether your birth year is odd or even. Complete all CE before you submit the renewal - you cannot renew until CE is satisfied.
There is no late-renewal grace period in South Dakota, so build a calendar reminder a couple of months ahead of your birth-month deadline.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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