Do you need a license to be a property manager in South Dakota?
South Dakota has a separate property manager license: managing property for others needs the property manager license, issued by the South Dakota Real Estate Commission. Leasing apartments for others generally needs a license too. The exact wording, with any exceptions, is below.
| Managing property for others | "For the purposes of this chapter, a property manager is any person who for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration or with the intent or expectation of receiving a fee, commission or consideration negotiates or attempts to negotiate the rental, exchange or leasing or any real estate or of the improvements on it; lists real estate exchanges, rentals or leases; collects rents or attempts to collect rents for real estate;" official source |
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| On-site and employee exemptions | "(1) Any person who as a bona fide owner or lessor, performs any of the acts described in §§ 36-21A-6 and 36-21A-12 with reference to property owned, or leased by the person, or to any regular employees thereof, if the acts are performed in the regular course of, or as an incident to the management of the property or investment in the property;" "(5) Any custodian, janitor, or employee of the owner or manager of a residential building who exhibits a residential unit therein to prospective tenants, accepts applications for leases and furnishes prospective tenants with information relative to the rental of the unit, terms and conditions of leases required by the owner or manager, and similar information;" "(11) Any employee of any person enumerated in this section whose principal duties are other than those duties described in §§ 36-21A-6 and 36-21A-12 , if engaged in the specific performance of the employee's duties." official source |
| Leasing agents | "For the purposes of this chapter, a residential rental agent is any person who for compensation or consideration is associated with a real estate broker or property manager to negotiate or attempt to negotiate the rental or leasing of residential property, or collect rents or attempt to collect rents." official source |
| Licensing agency | South Dakota Real Estate Commission official source |
| Credential | Property manager license official source |
Checked against official South Dakota sources on Oct 27, 2026. This is not legal advice: rules change and exemptions depend on who employs you, so confirm with the licensing agency. This page lists only what we could confirm on an official page.