Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
To get a South Dakota instruction permit at 14, you pass a vision test and a knowledge test at a driver exam station, bring your documents and a parent, and pay $38. You need 80% to pass the knowledge test, and an approved driver’s ed certificate from the last year lets you skip it. This guide covers booking, the test, the waiver and what the permit lets you do.
Key facts (South Dakota, as of November 2026)
- Minimum age: 14.
- Tests: vision and knowledge. Knowledge test pass mark: 80%.
- Fee: $38 (SDCL 32-12-16). It covers up to three test attempts within 6 months.
- Appointment required for any test visit: online via DPS or (605) 773-6883.
- No sample tests from DPS. Study the South Dakota Driver License Manual (English or Spanish).
What to bring to the South Dakota permit appointment
- A certified birth certificate issued by the state or county where you were born, with a stamp or raised seal. Hospital certificates are not accepted. A valid US passport or another listed identity document also works.
- Your original Social Security card (or another listed SSN document such as a W-2).
- Two documents proving your South Dakota address, less than a year old, such as a utility bill, bank statement or school report card. A parent’s mail is fine, but the accompanying parent’s name must be on it.
- A completed application form, signed by hand (no digital or stamped signatures).
- Your parent or guardian, or the notarized Parental Consent Form if they cannot come.
- Your driver’s ed certificate, if you want the knowledge test waived.
Photocopies are not accepted. If you want the permit to be federally compliant for a later online upgrade, see REAL ID and your first driver’s license.
How the South Dakota knowledge test works
The test covers traffic laws, road signs and safe driving practices, all taken from the Driver License Manual. State law requires the exam to test your ability to read and understand regulatory, warning and direction signs and your knowledge of South Dakota traffic laws (SDCL 32-12-4).
Check the number of questions with DPS on (605) 773-6883 if you want to know before your appointment. What DPS publishes:
- You need 80% or higher to pass.
- If you fail, you cannot retest before the next working day.
- Your $38 covers three attempts within 6 months. After that, you pay again.
- Anyone caught cheating must wait at least two weeks before testing again.
- Children and pets are not allowed in the testing area.
The manual ends with a 10-question “Test Your Knowledge” quiz with answers. It is the only official practice material.
What to study in the South Dakota manual
The manual says you cannot pass without knowing its contents. Focus on the sections with hard facts the test can ask about:
| Topic | South Dakota facts to know |
|---|---|
| Signs | Shapes and colors: warning signs are yellow diamonds, regulatory signs are white, stop signs have eight sides |
| Signals | Right on red after a full stop unless signed; flashing red means stop; red arrow means no turn until it goes out |
| Pavement markings | A yellow dashed line on your side means passing is allowed from your side |
| Right-of-way | At a four-way stop, if you arrive together, yield to the driver on your right |
| Turning | Signal at least 100 feet before an intersection |
| Move over | Stop for red-light emergency vehicles; move over or slow 20 mph below the limit for amber, yellow or blue lights |
| Bicycles | 3 feet passing room at 35 mph or less, 6 feet above 35 mph |
| Alcohol | 0.08% BAC limit; 0.02% for under-21s; refusing a test can cost your license for a year |
| Points | 15 points in 12 months or 22 in 24 months can mean suspension |
Background guides: US road signs by shape and color, traffic signals, road lines, four-way stops.
The vision test
If you wear glasses or contacts for the vision test, you must wear them whenever you drive (restriction code B). If you fail, you need a statement from an optometrist or ophthalmologist saying you can see well enough to drive before the exam continues.
Driver’s ed waiver for the South Dakota permit test
The knowledge test is waived if you show a certificate proving you passed an approved driver education course within the last year. Courses approved by the South Dakota Department of Education count, and so can an out-of-state course once the state Driver Education Coordinator approves it on the Out-of-State Driver Education form. That form must be notarized.
“Passed” means 80% or better on both the written and driving parts of the course. The same certificate also cuts your permit holding period from 275 to 180 days and can waive the drive test later. See South Dakota drive test and when driver’s ed waives it.
What the South Dakota instruction permit allows
- Driving only with a supervisor seated beside you: a licensed driver over 18 with at least one year of driving experience.
- Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the person beside you must be your parent or guardian (SDCL 32-12-11).
- No use of any wireless communication device while driving, including phones and anything that sends or receives messages.
- The permit is valid for 5 years.
Next, start the 50 hours of practice you need before upgrading: South Dakota 50 hour practice log.
Common questions
How old do you have to be to take the permit test in South Dakota?
14. Applicants under 14 cannot be licensed.
Can I take the South Dakota permit test online?
DPS says first-time permit applicants must visit a driver licensing location in person, and every test visit needs an appointment. The Sioux Falls Express Station does not offer testing, so use the main Sioux Falls exam station.
What score do you need to pass?
80% or higher.
What if I fail the South Dakota permit test?
Retest from the next working day. Your fee covers three attempts within 6 months.
Are there official practice tests?
No. DPS says it does not provide pre-tests or sample tests. Use the manual and its 10-question quiz.
Is a parent required at the test?
A parent or guardian must consent, either in person or on the notarized Parental Consent Form.
Can I use a phone for navigation on my permit?
The rule bans “any type” of wireless communication device while driving. Set any route before you start and do not handle the phone.
Back to the full roadmap: learning to drive in South Dakota. Other states: US permit tests by state.
Sources
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Teen Driver Graduated Licensing” flyer, effective 7/1/2025 (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Driver License Manual” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Driver License Testing Information” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “Driver License/ID Card Fees” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “DPS Driver License/ID Card Appointment Information” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “Out-of-State Driver Education Program Approval” form (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Legislature, “Codified Laws 32-12-2, 32-12-4, 32-12-11 and 32-12-16” (sdlegislature.gov)