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South Dakota: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in South Dakota, what needs a license, and why closing and financing questions belong to your agent.

Last reviewed October 2026 from South Dakota Real Estate Commission. South Dakota contract deadlines →

Yes, you can work as a TC in South Dakota without a real estate license.Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them. Here's where the line is.

What you can do without a license

The South Dakota Real Estate Commission's guidance is written for the brokers and salespeople who hire unlicensed assistants. Forms you type and ads you write go to the licensee and the supervising broker for approval.

You can do (no license needed)

  • Deliver documents and pick up keys.
  • Answer the telephone and forward calls.
  • Get public information from courthouses, utility districts and similar offices.
  • Provide courier services.
  • Schedule appointments with other offices, existing clients or customers.
  • Place signs on property.
  • Type forms for approval by the licensee and supervising broker.
  • Write ads for approval by the licensee and supervising broker, and place classified ads.
  • Assemble documents for closing.
  • Hand out objective, written information on a listing.

Needs a license

  • Show property to prospective buyers.
  • Solicit potential sellers, buyers, tenants or landlords by phone or in person.
  • Answer questions on title insurance, financing or closings.
  • Host open houses, or staff booths at home shows or fairs.
  • Give information that isn't in the written promotional material already given to the public.
  • Present yourself as an agent for a broker or for the owner or seller.
  • Negotiate or discuss the terms of a sale.
  • Act as a go-between for the seller and buyer.
  • Answer questions about the firm's listings, beyond confirming a property is listed and who the listing agent is.
  • Be paid on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or an amount based on listings or sales.
  • Solicit bidders for real estate sold at auction.
Closing questions go to your agentTCs spend much of their day near the closing, but the Commission lists "Answer questions on title insurance, financing or closings" among the things an unlicensed assistant may not do. You may "Assemble documents for closing". When a buyer or seller asks what something at closing means, send it to your agent.

A practical example

You can:
Your agent gives you the price, earnest money and closing date. You type them into the purchase agreement and send it to your agent and broker for approval.
Refer to the agent:
The buyer asks how much cash they need to bring to closing, or what the title insurance covers. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Forms need two approvals

The Commission lets an unlicensed assistant "Type forms for approval by licensee and supervising broker." The same list says an assistant may not "Negotiate or discuss the terms of a sale." You type what you are given; the licensee decides what goes in.

How you're paid matters

An unlicensed assistant may not "Be paid on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission, or any amount based on listings, sales, etc." A licensee who pays "compensation or commission in connection with a transaction to any person who is not licensed" commits unprofessional conduct (SDCL 36-21A-71(12)).

The list is not complete

The Commission says its list, "while not exhaustive, is intended to provide guidance." Anyone who, for pay, "lists, sells, exchanges, buys, rents, manages, offers or attempts to negotiate a sale" for another is a broker under SDCL 36-21A-6 and needs an active license (36-21A-28).

Penalties

Unless punishable under Title 22, a person who violates the real estate licensing chapter "is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor" (SDCL 36-21A-87).

How Closima handles it

You can fill out contract forms in Closima. Before you send one for signature, Send to agent for approval gives your agent a link to check the filled form and approve it or ask for changes, and the file records who approved it and when. If your agent signs off another way, you can still send it, and the file notes that.

Thinking about a license?

You don't need one to work as a TC in South Dakota. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

South Dakota's entry-level license is the broker associate license. You complete a 116-hour prelicensing course, then pass the two-part PSI exam (South Dakota state portion and national portion) with a score of 75%. Apply within 60 days of passing, and within two years of finishing the course. New broker associates then complete 60 hours of postlicensing education over their first two license cycles. How to apply.

Quick answers

Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in South Dakota?

No. You can work as a TC in South Dakota without a real estate license. Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them.

Can an unlicensed TC fill out a purchase agreement in South Dakota?

Yes, as typing for approval. South Dakota's Real Estate Commission lets an unlicensed assistant "type forms for approval by licensee and supervising broker."

What can an unlicensed TC do in South Dakota?

Deliver documents and pick up keys; answer the telephone and forward calls; get public information from courthouses, utility districts and similar offices; provide courier services; schedule appointments with other offices, existing clients or customers.

What needs a real estate license in South Dakota?

Show property to prospective buyers; solicit potential sellers, buyers, tenants or landlords by phone or in person; answer questions on title insurance, financing or closings; host open houses, or staff booths at home shows or fairs; give information that isn't in the written promotional material already given to the public.

How do you get a real estate license in South Dakota?

South Dakota's entry-level license is the broker associate license. You complete a 116-hour prelicensing course, then pass the two-part PSI exam (South Dakota state portion and national portion) with a score of 75%. Apply within 60 days of passing, and within two years of finishing the course. New broker associates then complete 60 hours of postlicensing education over their first two license cycles.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: South Dakota Real Estate Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation), 605-773-3600, [email protected].

Source: South Dakota Real Estate Commission, "Unlicensed Assistants" (Guidance from SDREC) (Undated; page read 2026-10-22).

Buying or selling a home yourself? These pages are for people who work in real estate. Work with a licensed agent or a real estate attorney.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your broker's policies may be stricter: confirm your duties with your supervising broker and your state's real estate regulator.

See also: South Dakota contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator

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