South Dakota Driver's License FAQs

You can begin the South Dakota licensing process at age 14 by obtaining an instruction permit and completing the required testing.

For permits issued after July 1, 2020, the standard period is at least 275 continuous days. An approved driver education course can reduce that period to 180 days.

No. South Dakota DPS states that commercial online programs do not qualify for the reduced permit period or the testing waivers associated with approved programs.

You need at least 50 supervised hours, including at least 10 hours at night and 10 hours in inclement weather.

With an instruction permit, the supervising driver must be at least 18 and have at least one year of driving experience. During 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., your parent or guardian must supervise.

No. A supervising driver must be seated beside you whenever you drive with an instruction permit.

It is the next licensing stage for eligible young drivers who have completed the required instruction-permit period, supervised driving, and clean-record requirements.

You can generally drive alone from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with your parent or guardian's permission. Additional statutory exceptions apply to certain nighttime travel.

Generally, you need your parent or guardian beside you between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless a statutory exception applies, such as qualifying school, religious, employment, or farm-related travel.

During the first six months, passengers generally must be members of your immediate family or household.

After the first six months, you are generally limited to one passenger under 18 who is not an immediate-family or household member, subject to the statutory exceptions.

South Dakota prohibits mobile-electronic-device use while operating a vehicle, with specific legal exceptions. The law also separately prohibits accessing, reading, or posting to social-networking sites while driving.

You must hold the Restricted Minor's Permit for at least six months and have no traffic convictions during the six months immediately preceding the operator-license application.

Yes. South Dakota's official materials state that qualifying approved driver education courses can provide benefits such as a shorter instruction-permit period and testing waivers. Commercial online programs do not qualify for those benefits.

Teendrivingcourse.com provides supplemental online study and defensive-driving preparation. It does not replace South Dakota's approved driver education requirements or provide the state's permit-period and testing benefits.