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South Dakota · Knowledge test

The South Dakota driver’s permit (instruction permit)

South Dakota calls its learner’s permit the instruction permit, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) issues it from age 14. A South Dakota driver’s permit lets you drive with an adult beside you, and under 18 it’s the first of three steps to a full license.

  • 14Youngest age for an instruction permit
  • 5 yearsLongest an instruction permit is valid
  • 50 hoursSupervised driving to log, under 18
Read the teen driver rulesFree practice test

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a South Dakota driver’s permit?

You visit a South Dakota Driver Licensing location in person, with an appointment, and:

  • Bring the required documents
  • Pass the vision test
  • Pass the knowledge test, unless a state-approved driver education certificate waives it
  • Pay the instruction permit fee (the driver’s license page lists it)

The permit ends early if the documents that show your lawful presence in the U.S. expire first.

See what to bring →See how driver’s ed helps →

Driving on an instruction permit

At any age, you drive only when:

  • An adult sits in the seat beside you
  • That adult has a valid driver’s license and at least one year of driving experience; under 18, it can be a parent, legal guardian or other adult
  • You leave every wireless communication device alone, phones included

That rule covers any wireless device that carries voice or data between two or more people, including text messaging devices and laptops.

Under 18: the holding time and the 50 hours

Before you can move up to a Restricted Minor’s Permit, you:

  • Hold the instruction permit for 275 days in a row, or 180 days if you’ve passed an approved driver education course
  • Log at least 50 hours of driving supervised by a parent or guardian, with 10 of them at night and 10 in bad weather
  • Return to an exam station with your parent or guardian, who signs the Supervised Driving Affidavit to confirm the hours
  • Pass the driving test

The DPS teen page links a Supervised Driving Log for keeping track of the hours. The restricted permit also needs six months without a traffic conviction, which the driver’s license page covers.

Book the road test →See the restricted permit →

At 18 or older

For drivers 18 or older, the manual sets no holding time and no hours to log. To move up to an Operator’s License, you pass the driving test.

When a young driver’s permit is suspended

The manual sets out these suspensions for instruction and restricted permit holders:

  • A traffic conviction or a permit violation under 16: 30 days, or longer if the law requires
  • A second traffic conviction, a restricted permit violation, or a Class 1 misdemeanor or felony while driving on a permit: 180 days or until your 16th birthday, whichever is longer

Anyone under 18 who gets a traffic violation without a permit or license gets the same suspensions.

Sources: South Dakota Department of Public Safety and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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