South Dakota Board of Technical Professions
Amy Click
2040 W. Main, Suite 304
Rapid City, SD 57702
605 394-2510
605 394-2509 FAX
amy. click@state.sd.us

Completion Requirements
30 PDH biennially.

At least 20 PDH must be in technical subjects that deal directly with the practice of land surveying and which directly safeguard the public’s health, safety and welfare. A maximum of 10 PDH may be in professional management subjects such as total quality process or ethics.

Dual License: Dual licensees must earn a minimum of 1/3, or 10 PDH, in each profession with a total of 30 PDH every two years. A dual licensee is not required to obtain more than 30 PDH because of dual licenses.

The board is the final authority on approval of courses, credit, PDH value for courses, and other methods of earning credit. The board may not pre-approve courses for PDH credit.

Renewal Date
Renewal occurs biennially based upon original licensure.

A renewal form will be mailed to the address on file with this office at least one month prior to expiration date of license.

Statutes
South Dakota Codified Laws, Administrative Rules Chapter 20:38:23

Special Designations or Stipulations
A former licensee who lacks the required PDH units may reinstate an expired license within 3 years after expiration by obtaining all delinquent PDH units for the inactive years up to a maximum of 30 PDH units.

A former dual licensee who lacks the required PDH units may reinstate an expired registration for a second profession by obtaining 15 PDH units in technical subjects in the second profession. The expiration date of registration for the second profession for reinstatement purposes is the same expiration date as the registration for the first profession.

If licensees who are retired and no longer receiving any remuneration for providing professional services elect to return to active practice, they must earn 15 PDH units for each year exempted before returning to active practice, up to a maximum of 30 PDH units.

Comity: A licensee seeking comity shall certify to being licensed in and to meeting the continuing education requirements of another state that has mandatory continuing education requirements to satisfy the requirements set forth in the rules of the board. Requirements in the other state must be met within 13 months immediately preceding renewal in the state of South Dakota.

Audit Potential
random

Allowable Carryover Hours
15 PDH per renewal period

Applicable Course of Study
Qualifying activities:
(1) Presentations and activities must be structured for groups with feedback.
(2) Self-study activities include Internet courses, reading books or articles, or video/audio tapes are not allowed unless testing or examination with formal, recorded passing scores are obtained.
(3) A PDH must be obtained in the qualifying activities related to the licensee’s profession. A qualifying activity is any course or activity with a clear purpose and objective which maintains, improves, or expands the skills and knowledge relevant to the licensee’s filed of practice.
(4) Qualifying activities may be earned in any jurisdiction.
(5) The board may accept a maximum of 10 PDH units in professional management subjects such as total quality process, computer courses, or ethics.
(6) At least 20 PDH units must be in technical subjects that directly safeguard the public’s life, health, safety, and welfare. Technical subjects include design; environmental analysis; programming and planning; structural systems; lateral forces; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and acoustical systems; construction methods; construction methods; construction observation; site and soils analyses and design; accessibility; building codes; selection of building materials; and surveying methods and techniques.

The licensee is given flexibility in selecting among a broad range of subjects that are intended to strengthen or maintain competency in technical, managerial (business) or ethical fields. Licensees are encouraged to select meaningful activities which will be of benefit in the pursuit of their chosen fields.

Sources of PDH units are as follows:
(1) Successful completion of college courses;
(2) Successful completion of continuing education courses;
(3) Successful completion of correspondence, televised, videotaped, audio-taped, Internet, and other short courses or tutorials with verifiable passing scores from examinations;
(4) Presenting or attending qualifying seminars, in-house courses, workshops, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions, or conferences;
(5) Teaching or instructing in qualifying activities listed in (1) – (4);
(6) Writing published papers, articles, or books;
(7) Active participation in professional or technical societies; and
(8) Patents.

Credit for college or community college course is based on course credit established by the college. To qualify for this credit, a course must be regularly offered and participants tested with a passing grade required. Monitoring a course does not require a test, and therefore only the actual class contact hours are allowed.

Credit for qualifying seminars and workshops is based on 1 PDH unit for each hour of attendance. Attendance at qualifying programs presented at professional or technical society meetings earns PDH units for the actual time of each program. Fractions of a contact hour are to be rounded and reported to the nearest half-hour, but no activity of under a half-hour shall be accepted as qualifying for PDH credit. A qualifying activity of 50 minutes shall be reported as 1 PDH and an activity of 30 to 49 minutes shall be reported as ½ PDH.

Credit determined for published papers, articles, books, active participation in each professional organization in professional and technical societies and patents is the responsibility of the licensee, to review by the board.

Typical Qualifying Activities:
(1) Completing or attending courses, seminars, instruction, in-house programs or training which relates to the licensee’s professional practice.
(2) Attending technical or professional society meetings when a topic related to the licensee’s professional practice is presented as a principal part of the program.
(3) Teaching a course for the first time or if substantial time has been spent in updating material if previously taught.
(4) Attending satellite downlink video courses where attendance is verified and material meets requirements.
(5) Computer software instructional courses which relate to the improvement of the licensee’s business or profession.
(6) Language course which relates to the improvement of one’s business or profession.
(7) Management or ethical courses which relate to the improvement of one’s business or profession.
(8) Correspondence courses on topics related to licensee’s professional practice where lessons are prepared, returned for correction and/or grading and testing at the end of the course is required.

Typical Non-qualifying Activities:
(1) Regular employment
(2) Real Estate licensing courses
(3) Personal, estate or financial planning
(4) Self study
(5) Personal self-improvement
(6) Service club meeting or activities
(7) Equipment demonstrations or trade show displays
(8) Topics not relevant to licensee’s profession
(9) Enrollment without attendance at courses, seminars, etc.
(10) Repetitive attendance or teaching of the same course
(11) Attending committee meetings or general business meetings of any organization
(12) Conversational language courses for personal use
(13) Tours of buildings, structures, schools, museums and such unless there is a clear objective to maintain and strengthen competency in technical field

Round off PDH to the nearest half hour. No activity under a half hour will be accepted for credit.

The conversion of other units of continuing education credit to PDH's is as follows:
(a) 1 college semester hour = 45 PDH
(b) 1 college quarter hour = 30 PDH
(ac) 1 continuing education unit (CEU) = 10 PDH
(d) 1 contact hour of professional development in course work, seminars or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions or conferences = 1 PDH
(e) 1 contact hour of teaching for first time (Teaching credit is valid for teaching a course or seminar for the first time only. Teaching credit does not apply to full-time faculty.) = 2 PDH
(lf) Each published paper, article or book = 10 PDH
(g) Each patent = 10 PDH
(oh) Active participation in each professional organization or technical society = 2 PDH (each renewal period, up to a maximum of 6 PDH)

Proof of Compliance
All licensed persons will be required to submit a list of activities they attended and sign a statement that they have met this requirement before renewing. If the licensee is audited, they will be asked to submit proof of attendance at these activities

The board may select a random number of forms to audit for compliance. Each licensee selected for audit must respond with detailed information and documentation about the PDH activities claimed. The board may also audit based on complaints or charges against a licensee. Audits can be made for three years after renewal is submitted to insure compliance with requirements. If selected for audit, you will be contacted to provide necessary documentation.

Record keeping is the responsibility of the licensee. Adequate records must be maintained for a minimum of three years for auditing purposes. The licensee shall maintain records to support professional development credits claimed. These records must be maintained for 2 years after the date of renewal. The board may request copies for audit verification purposes. A licensee shall keep the following records:
(1) A log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor’s or speaker’s name, and PDH credits earned. This permits the proper completion of PDH activities at renewal time. Specific information on each activity is required. Simply stating "attending education activities at ABC Company" is not acceptable.
(2) Attendance verification records in the form of certificates or other documents supporting evidence of attendance. All activities of over an hour should have verification. On occasion, short activities such as a meeting with a 30-minute speaker may not provide verification such as a certificate. This should be an unlikely exception. The general rule is that the licensee must have sufficient verification for credits claimed.
(3) Records as maintained by a professional registry, such as the Professional Development Registry for Engineers and Surveyors (PDRES), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board (CLARB), or the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Participants can furnish information to the registry and have those courses recorded and stored on their behalf. Often there are fees associated with the recording and for receiving a summary form. Records maintained by such a registry does not necessarily mean approval of these courses by the board.

Renewal applications require the completion of a PDH log outlining PDH credit claimed. The licensee must supply sufficient detail on the form to permit audit verification, sign the certification, and submit it with the renewal fee.

Non-Compliance Penalties
If renewal is not received in this office by the expiration date, the individual or business may not practice, offer to practice or use any title to imply licensure.

If the audit indicates a failure to comply with professional development requirements, the licensee has 90 calendar days after receipt of written notice to further reinforce the claim of PDH credits or to acquire sufficient PDH credit to meet the requirements. The board may take into consideration hardship or extenuating circumstances in allowing correction of deficiencies, but the deadline may not be extended more than 1 year.

Disallowed Credits
The board is the final authority on approval of courses, credit, PDH value for courses, and other methods of earning credit. The board may not pre-approve courses for PDH credit.

With the broad range of opportunities to earn PDH, it is up to licensee to determine whether activity qualifies under Board’s requirements. Programs presented on topics that are not relevant to your profession or by presenters that are not well prepared should not be claimed for PDH credit.

Exceptions and Exemptions
A licensee may be exempt from the professional development educational requirements for one of the following reasons:
(1) A licensee serving on temporary active duty in the armed forces of the United States for more than 120 consecutive days a year is exempt from obtaining the professional development hours required during that year. Supporting documentation must be furnished to the board;
(2) Licensees experiencing physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances as reviewed and approved by the board may be exempt. Supporting documentation must be furnished to the board;
(3) Licensees who are retired and no longer receiving any remuneration for providing professional services are exempt from the requirements for professional development hours.

Did you find outdated or incorrect information? Let us know by sending an email to cent@csinet.org

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