You must have a plumbing inspection certificate for all plumbing installations. The only exceptions are for those cities that have their own inspection requirements. You should contact the finance or inspection office of the city where the home or commercial structure is located to learn whether an inspection is required by local ordinance. At present, the following cities perform their own inspections:
- Aberdeen
- Brandon
- Rapid City
- Sioux Falls
- Yankton
Find the state inspector for your region in the table below. Inspectors work during regular business hours Monday through Friday. You may contact them by phone (605.773.3429) or fax (605.773.5405).
All inspection requests, including any of the above phases, require advance notice to the appropriate inspector. Due to the size of the geographical area for which each inspector is responsible, five-days notice is recommended.
In extreme situations only, emergency inspections can be completed. Any emergency inspection can generally be handled within 24 hours of the request.
Region |
Inspector |
Counties in Region |
| Northwest | Gerald Johnson | Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Haakon, Lawrence, Meade, Perkins, Stanley, Ziebach |
| Southwest | James Borth | Bennett, Custer, Fall River, Jackson, Jones, Melette, Pennington, Shannon, Todd (also covers southern parts of Haakon, Lawrence, Meade and counties) |
| Northeast | Richard Steen | Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Campbell, Clark, Codington, Day, Deuel, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Kingsbury, Marshall, McPherson, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Sully, Walworth |
| South Central | Jeff Leuning |
Aurora, Buffalo, Bon Homme, Brule, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Lyman, McCook, Miner, Sanborn, Tripp, Turner, Yankton |
| Southeast | Robert Smith |
Lake, Lincoln, Minnehaha, Moody, Union |
The map below illustrates the inpectors covering each region in South Dakota.
Inspection Procedure
On the state level, inspections are made after a plumbing installation certificate has been secured. Fees are charged for plumbing inspections performed by state plumbing inspectors.
| Installation Certificate | $5.00 |
| Inspection Fee (single family dwelling) | $40.00 |
| Inspection Fee (small other 1 to 5 fixtures) | $100.00 |
| Inspection Fee (all others) | $200.00 |
A typical residential or commercial inspection occurs in three phases:
- Underground Inspection: The inspector reviews the sewer and water services coming from the city mains to the property. The inspector verifies that acceptable materials were used in the construction of the water and sewer services. The burial depth of the pipes is also measured to ensure that pipes have adequate protection from freezing. The inspection must be made while all piping is exposed; therefore, it must be completed before any plumbing trenches are backfilled.
- Rough-in Inspection: This is an inspection of the interior drainage, waste vent and water piping. Again, verification of the adequacy of the plumbing materials used in the project is made including an examination of the sizing of water, waste and vent piping, the grade of drainage piping, and the quality of connections between pipe and fittings. This inspection must be made while all piping is exposed, before walls and ceilings are built.
- Final Inspection: This is the inspection of the final setting of fixtures (bathtub, water closet, lavatory, kitchen sink, etc.). The inspector looks for proper fixture setting and alignment, proper caulking around fixtures, acceptable shower valves, etc.
For more information regarding inspections, please contact:
State Plumbing Commission
308 South Pierre Street
c/o 1320 E Sioux Avenue
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: 605.773.3429
Fax: 605.773.5405
700 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD 57501-2291
Tel. 605.773.3101
Fax. 605.773.6184
