What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in South Dakota
South Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by South Dakota Division of Banking
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
South Dakota-Specific
None
License Fee
$150
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. South Dakota designates none of them to state law.
South Dakota designates none of the 20 hours to state law, so the federal SAFE course is the whole pre-licensing requirement here. That is not true in most states, and a course bought for South Dakota will not necessarily satisfy a neighboring one.
South Dakota requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond, but an originator who is an employee or exclusive agent of a licensed company is covered by that company's bond rather than buying their own. The amount tracks the loans the licensee and its staff originate.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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Provider profiles
How to become a mortgage loan officer in South Dakota
Originating mortgage loans in South Dakota takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. South Dakota Division of Banking issues the license and calls it the South Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License.
South Dakota Division of Banking charges $150 to apply for the South Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for South Dakota, priced from $249 to $599. The lowest price on a provider's site is sometimes an add-on rather than a full pre-licensing course, so the table marks which packages cover the national hours.
South Dakota mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in South Dakota? ▾
20 hours, none of which South Dakota designates to state law. The course has to come from an NMLS-approved provider.
What exam do I have to pass in South Dakota? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate South Dakota exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in South Dakota? ▾
$150 to South Dakota Division of Banking, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in South Dakota? ▾
Yes. South Dakota requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond, but an originator who is an employee or exclusive agent of a licensed company is covered by that company's bond rather than buying their own. The amount tracks the loans the licensee and its staff originate.
What does a South Dakota mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.