South Dakota DMV Handbook 2025

In South Dakota, if you’re under 18, you must obtain an instruction permit before you may apply for a Restricted Minor’s Permit (the next step in graduated licensing). To obtain the instruction permit, you must be at least 14 years old, and your parent or guardian must give their consent by signing your application for the instruction permit. You must also pass a vision test and (with one possible exception) a knowledge (permit) test on driving theory. The knowledge test is only available at a (state-name} DMV office, not online.

South Dakota doesn’t require drivers of any age to pass a driver’s education course, but they encourage it with several incentives. If you pass a driver’s ed course before you apply for an instruction permit, you won’t be required to take the official knowledge test. Once you obtain the instruction permit, you must hold it for 275 days but only 180 days if you passed driver’s ed. Best of all, when you apply for a Restricted Minor’s Permit, you can skip the drive (road) test if you passed driver’s ed within the past year.

If you’re at least 18 years old, you must pass the vision test and the knowledge (permit) test to obtain a license, but an instruction permit is optional. You may take the drive (road) test immediately after passing the vision and knowledge tests if you feel ready for it. If not, you should obtain an instruction permit to get more supervised driving practice.

All questions on the official knowledge test are based on the official South Dakota DMV driver’s 2025 handbook (South Dakota DMV Handbook (SD Driver's Manual) 2025). The DMV has published editions in English and Spanish, which you can easily download from this webpage.

We have created an audiobook of the English version of the official driver’s handbook. It’s formatted as a series of MP3 files, one for each chapter of the manual: The Driver’s License, Be in Shape to Drive, Before You Drive, and so on. You can download each chapter file individually. The longest file is Chapter 1: The Driver’s License, whose running time is 41 minutes and 12 seconds. The audiobook has a total running time of 3 hours, 25 minutes, and 58 seconds, so you should be able to go through it in a few days.

Finally, we also offer our own permit test study guide (available elsewhere on this website) to lower the chance of an unpleasant surprise on the big exam day. It offers last-minute tips on which documents to take, fees you may have to pay, how to stay relaxed yet alert for the test, and which test questions are most often missed.