Driving Tests

South Dakota Driver's Ed: 180-Day Permit Wait Instead of 275 Days

informational·how to guide·Published June 13, 2026

Does driver's ed shorten the permit wait in South Dakota?

Yes. In South Dakota, a teen who passes an approved driver education course must hold the instruction permit for at least 180 continuous days before the restricted minor's permit, not 275 days. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) also says the course certificate waives the permit knowledge test and the restricted permit drive test for one year after the course.

Where the South Dakota driver's ed facts come from

The permit times, the approved-course rule, the 50 hours and the permit hours come from South Dakota Codified Laws (SDCL), including SDCL 32-12-12. The test waivers, the booking days and the upgrade steps come from the DPS teen drivers page, the DPS Teen Driver Pamphlet (effective July 1, 2025) and the DPS appointments and fees pages. The 80 percent course score comes from the current South Dakota Driver License Manual. The test waivers are DPS guidance; the law text gives only the shorter permit time. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety (dps.sd.gov) before you drive.

South Dakota permit rules with and without driver's ed

South Dakota permit rules with and without driver's ed
Step	No driver's ed	Approved course
Time to hold the instruction permit	At least 275 days	At least 180 continuous days
First day to book the next appointment	Day 276	Day 181
Tests for the instruction permit	Knowledge and vision tests	Vision test; DPS waives the knowledge test
Drive test for the restricted minor's permit	Pass it at a driver exam station	Not required, DPS says
Supervised driving	50 hours	50 hours

Which driver's ed courses count in South Dakota?

The shorter permit time applies to a driver education course approved by the South Dakota Department of Education. It also applies to a course from another state when the DPS secretary finds that a state government agency there approved it.
The Driver License Manual sets the pass mark for the 180-day route: a score of 80 percent or better on both the written and the driving parts of the course. Keep the certificate. You show it at the permit visit, the upgrade visit or both.

How to use driver's ed to get the restricted minor's permit sooner

1
Get the instruction permit at 14 or older
A parent or guardian must sign the application of a teen under 18. The teen takes the vision test. If the teen passed an approved course within the last year, DPS waives the knowledge test when the teen shows the certificate.
2
Pass an approved course with 80 percent or better
DPS says a certificate can waive testing for one year from the date of course completion. Plan the upgrade inside that year.
3
Log 50 hours of supervised driving
The law sets at least 50 hours with a parent, legal guardian or licensed driver over 18 with at least one year of driving experience. At least 10 hours must be at night and 10 hours in bad weather. A parent signs the Supervised Driving Affidavit. Our free question on a log with no bad-weather hours tests this rule.
4
Count 180 days and book the upgrade
DPS says you can book from day 181, and it recommends an upgrade appointment after a passed course. Any visit with a knowledge or drive test needs an appointment. The examiner may cancel a drive test for unsafe weather or road conditions.
5
Bring your papers and the fee
Bring the instruction permit, the driver's ed certificate and two pieces of mail that prove your address. The teen must have no traffic conviction in the past six months. The restricted permit fee is $38 (since July 1, 2025), and the fee covers up to three attempts at the tests in six months.

What driver's ed does not change

A course does not change the minimum age of 14, the 50 hours or the six months with no traffic conviction. The 180 days is a minimum. A teen who gets the permit at 14 and passes a course can qualify after 180 days, at about 14 and a half (our calculation from the day counts). Our free question on the shortest permit time after a course shows the 180-day rule.
The later steps stay the same. Anyone under 18 must hold the restricted minor's permit for 6 months, with no traffic conviction in the 6 months before the upgrade. The operator's license comes at 16 at the earliest.

Should your teen take driver's ed in South Dakota?

Your teen wants the restricted minor's permit as early as possible

Take an approved course. It cuts the permit time from 275 days to 180 days. DPS also does not require the drive test if the teen passed the course within the last year.

Your teen skips driver's ed

The teen gets the permit with the knowledge and vision tests, holds it for at least 275 days and passes the drive test at a driver exam station. You can book that test from day 276.

Your teen took a course in another state

DPS says an approved equivalent out-of-state course can waive the knowledge test. DPS lists an Out-of-State Driver Education Form with its teen driver documents. Ask DPS if the course counts before you book.

Rules to follow on each permit while you wait

Instruction permit: from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., drive with a licensed driver who is at least 18, has one year of driving experience and sits beside you. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., a parent or guardian must sit beside you. More in our guide to South Dakota instruction permit rules.
Restricted minor's permit: drive alone from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a parent's permission. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., a parent or guardian must sit beside you, except on the most direct route to or from school, a school event, a religious service, work or farm work. See what the restricted minor's permit allows.
Passengers on the restricted permit: only immediate family or household members for the first six months. After that, no more than one passenger under 18 who is not family or household.
Both permits: no wireless communication device of any type while you drive.

Key takeaways

An approved driver education course cuts the instruction permit time from 275 days to 180 continuous days.
DPS says the course certificate waives the permit knowledge test and the restricted permit drive test for one year after the course.
A course does not change the minimum age of 14, the 50 supervised hours or the six months with no traffic conviction.
Bring the certificate, the instruction permit and two pieces of mail to the upgrade appointment.
Next step: practice on the free South Dakota operator license practice test (in English).

South Dakota driver's ed: common questions

Do you have to take driver's ed in South Dakota?

DPS gives two routes. A teen gets the instruction permit with a knowledge test or a completed state-approved course. Without a course, the teen holds the permit for at least 275 days and passes a drive test at a driver exam station to get the restricted minor's permit. The course is the faster route: 180 days and, DPS says, no drive test.

How long is a driver's ed certificate good for in South Dakota?

DPS says a driver education certificate can waive testing for one year from the date of course completion. Plan the permit visit and the upgrade appointment inside that year, and bring the certificate to both. At a test appointment, a teen under 18 also needs parental consent.

Can my teen drive in a driver's ed class without a permit?

Yes, in a class approved by the South Dakota Department of Education. The law lets an enrolled student drive without a license on a designated highway or in a designated area, when an approved driver education instructor sits in the seat beside the student. Practice outside the class needs an instruction permit and a qualified supervisor.

Does driver's ed lower the 50 hours of supervised driving?

No. The law sets the 50 hours for each minor with an instruction permit issued after July 1, 2020, and the course rule in the law changes only the permit time. A parent signs the Supervised Driving Affidavit at the upgrade visit to confirm the hours. DPS gives a student driving log to record the hours driven.