How to become a vet tech in South Dakota

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

South Dakota vet techs hold Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) registration from the South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a state board. The law says a technician must be registered before a licensed veterinarian employs them, and the registration is tied to each employing veterinarian and to the services the Board approves. To register, you finish a Board-approved vet tech course, pass the VTNE with a score of at least 425, and your employing South Dakota veterinarian files the application.

South Dakota vet tech credential at a glance

Item	South Dakota
Title	Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
Issued by	South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a state board
Type	State registration. The certificate names your employing veterinarian, and the Board registers you for specific services.
Required to work as a tech	Yes The law says technicians must be registered by the Board before a licensed veterinarian employs them. Each employing veterinarian, even part time, must register you.
Education	High school diploma or equivalent, plus a veterinary technician course of study at an accredited school approved by the Board. No experience-only route found.
Exams	VTNE with a score of 425 or higher. No separate state exam found.
Renewal and CE	Every year, on or before July 1. 12 CE hours in the 24 months before you submit the renewal.
Moving from another state	No reciprocity or endorsement route found. Meet the standard requirements, have AAVSB transfer your VTNE score, and have each South Dakota employer register you.

How to get your RVT in South Dakota

Finish high school or an equivalent.
Complete a veterinary technician course of study at an accredited school approved by the Board.
Pass the VTNE, which is run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), with a score of 425 or higher. Have AAVSB transfer your score to the Board.
Find a job with a South Dakota licensed veterinarian. The law says the veterinarian you will work under files the application for registry, on the Board's form.
Send the completed form, a certificate signed by your program director confirming you graduated, and a recent photo. The form lists the services the veterinarian believes you are qualified to perform. As listed by the Board as of October 2026, the registration fee is $20.
Wait for the Board's decision. The Board reviews the application, decides which services you are qualified to perform, and notifies you and your employer. It then issues a certificate that names your employer and the year. The certificate must be posted in the veterinarian's office.

Each veterinarian who employs you, even part time, must register you with the Board.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

South Dakota does not give every RVT the same scope. The application and renewal form list services, the employing veterinarian checks the ones the technician is qualified to perform, and the Board registers the technician for the services it approves (ARSD 20:57:03:03 to 20:57:03:05). An RVT may only work under the direction or supervision of the veterinarian who employs them, and for the first three months of employment may not perform any service that veterinarian does not personally supervise. The rules do not further define direction or supervision. An RVT may not run an office separate from the employer's office. The rules do not list tasks for veterinary assistants.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Draw blood and collect urine, feces and other specimens	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form, if the Board registers you for it. Under the employer's direction or supervision.	Not addressed The rules do not list assistant tasks.
Assist at surgery	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form, if the Board registers you for it. Under the employer's direction or supervision.	Not addressed The rules do not list assistant tasks.
Take X-rays	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form as X-rays to be read by a veterinarian, if the Board registers you for it.	Not addressed The rules do not list assistant tasks.
Place an IV catheter and give IV fluids	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form, if the Board registers you for it. Under the employer's direction or supervision.	Not addressed The rules do not list assistant tasks.
Induce and maintain anesthesia	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form, if the Board registers you for it. Under the employer's direction or supervision.	Not addressed The rules do not list assistant tasks.
Castrate, dehorn or vaccinate calves	Yes, with conditions: listed on the Board form, if the Board registers you for it. Under the employer's direction or supervision.	Not addressed for clinic assistants. A registered veterinary livestock assistant may give biologics and pharmaceuticals on a supervising veterinarian's order; the law does not list castration or dehorning for that role.

At renewal, an RVT may send the Board proof of added training and ask to be registered for more services. The Board may grant them and notify both the technician and the employer. The Board form also lists taking histories, physical exams, injections, immunizations, suture removal, equine dental procedures as directed by the veterinarian, and other tasks. A veterinarian who knowingly lets a technician act outside the law, and a technician who does so, commit unprofessional conduct.

Veterinary assistants in South Dakota

South Dakota has no general license or registration for veterinary assistants, and the practice act does not mention them. The law does say that registered technicians employed by a veterinarian are "not considered to be engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine," and it gives no matching rule for unregistered clinic staff. Ask the Board if you are unsure what an unregistered employee may do.

The state does have a separate registration for veterinary livestock assistants. A registered livestock assistant works under a South Dakota licensed veterinarian to spay cattle and give biologics and pharmaceuticals on that veterinarian's order. The veterinarian and the assistant sign the application, file a practice agreement with the Board that sets the supervision terms and the activities allowed, and renew the registration before July 1 each year. The certificate names the supervising veterinarian. This is a livestock role, not a general small-animal assistant credential.

Renewal and continuing education

RVT registration renews every year, on or before July 1. The law says failing to renew by July 1 forfeits the registration certificate.
As listed by the Board as of October 2026, the renewal fee is $5.
Renewal is on the Board's form, signed by you and your supervising South Dakota veterinarian, with proof of continuing education.
You need at least 12 CE hours in the 24 months before you submit the renewal. CE may include South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association courses and other courses in veterinary science and technology approved by the Board.
The Board may waive all or part of the CE requirement for illness or undue hardship.

Recent changes

No new law or rule changing vet tech registration, education, exams, scope, renewal or CE was found for 2024 through 2026. The Board's requirements sheet was updated January 3, 2025, and its current renewal form is due July 1, 2026. An earlier bill, 2023 Senate Bill 142, would have barred unregistered people from using the title veterinary technician. A House committee deferred it to the 41st legislative day on February 21, 2023, so it did not become law.

FAQ

Can I work as a vet tech in South Dakota without registering?

No. The law says veterinary technicians must be registered by the Board before a licensed veterinarian employs them.

Can I call myself a vet tech if I am not registered?

The practice act has no separate section on the title, and no rule on "veterinary nurse" or "technologist" was found. The 2023 bill that would have restricted the title did not pass. Because the law requires registration before employment as a technician, check with the Board before using the title.

Does every employer need to register me?

Yes. The Board's form says each veterinarian who employs a technician, even part time, must register the technician. The certificate names the employing veterinarian.

What supervision applies to a new RVT?

For the first three months of employment, you may not perform any service your employing veterinarian does not personally supervise. After that, you still work only under that veterinarian's direction or supervision.

Can I transfer my credential from another state?

No reciprocity or endorsement route was found. You apply the standard way, have AAVSB transfer your VTNE score, and have your South Dakota employer file the application.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the South Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners directly.

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