South Dakota
PMHNP Practice Requirements In South Dakota: Scope, Prescribing & Collaboration
Short answer: AANP lists South Dakota as full practice, so a PMHNP practices and prescribes under the South Dakota Board of Nursing with no career long physician agreement; a collaborative agreement is required only until the Board holds a Practice Verification Form showing 1,040 CNP hours (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice). After that you collaborate and refer as cases call for it (SDCL 36-9A-13.1), and you may prescribe controlled substances, Schedule II included (SDCL 36-9A-12(4)(b)).
South Dakota PMHNP Rules At A Glance
| Topic | South Dakota Rule |
|---|---|
| Practice authority | Full practice on the AANP map. A CNP’s scope includes advanced assessment, differential diagnosis, ordering and interpreting diagnostics, and prescribing within the CNP role and population focus (SDCL 36-9A-12). |
| Physician agreement | A collaborative agreement is required until a Practice Verification Form showing at least 1,040 licensed CNP practice hours is on file with the Board; after that, none (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice). |
| Transition period | 1,040 hours in the CNP role, then independent practice. The statute asks only that you collaborate with other health care providers and refer or transfer patients as appropriate (SDCL 36-9A-13.1; SDCL 36-9A-1(6)). |
| Controlled substances | A CNP may prescribe, procure, administer and furnish over the counter, legend and controlled drugs, Schedule II included, within role and population focus (SDCL 36-9A-12(4)(b)); the Board lists Schedules II through IV and requires DEA plus state controlled substance registration. |
| PDMP | Register with the South Dakota Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, the DEA and the South Dakota Controlled Substance Registration before ordering controlled substances (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice). |
| Regulator | South Dakota Board of Nursing, Sioux Falls. It licenses CNPs, holds the Practice Verification Form that ends the collaborative agreement requirement, and administers SDCL Chapter 36-9A. |
Updated October 5, 2026
Practice Authority
South Dakota Practice-Authority Category (Full Practice)
AANP currently classifies South Dakota as a full practice state on its State Practice Environment map. A PMHNP in South Dakota can evaluate and diagnose patients, order and interpret tests, and start and manage treatment, including prescribing, under the exclusive licensure authority of the South Dakota Board of Nursing. There’s no state-mandated career-long collaborative or supervisory agreement. An initial period of collaborative practice hours may apply before independent practice.
For the national comparison, the AANP State Practice Environment map and AANP’s practice information by state show where South Dakota sits. The binding rules come from the South Dakota Board of Nursing.
Collaboration
Is A Collaborative Or Supervisory Agreement Required?
Once you’re licensed, South Dakota doesn’t make you keep a career-long collaborative or supervisory agreement. The question for a new NP is the first stretch of practice. Some full practice states require a defined transition-to-practice period of supervised or collaborative practice before fully independent practice, and whether one applies to you in South Dakota, how long it lasts and how it’s documented all come from state rule.
Our guide to PMHNP collaborative practice agreements covers what these agreements usually contain, and the PMHNP scope of practice by state overview puts South Dakota side by side with every other state.
Prescriptive Authority
Prescriptive Authority And Controlled Substances
Meet the requirements in South Dakota and you can be granted prescriptive authority, which can reach controlled substances once the conditions are met. To prescribe those, you’ll need your own federal DEA registration, and some substances carry additional federal or state conditions. Federal registration goes through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. On the state side, state law and the rules of the South Dakota Board of Nursing set the scope, any limits and the documentation.
Next Step
Credentialing Is A Separate Track
Practice authority decides what you can do in South Dakota. It doesn’t get you paid. Payer enrollment runs on its own track, with its own payer rules, Medicaid program and timelines, and our South Dakota credentialing and payer enrollment guide covers it. For the national picture, read the PMHNP credentialing guide.
If you’re opening your own practice, order matters. Our guide on how to start a PMHNP practice and the 90-day launch checklist walk through licensure, collaboration and enrollment in sequence. Then put numbers to it with what PMHNP credentialing costs and what it costs to start a PMHNP practice.
When you’d rather not chase payer applications yourself, New Provider Credentialing covers five commercial payers for $2,750 per provider, or $550 per payer if you start smaller. For a first practice, First Practice Launch covers the payers plus the EHR, portals and billing for $6,000, or four monthly payments of $1,500.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can A PMHNP Practice Independently In South Dakota?
Yes, once you have 1,040 licensed practice hours in the CNP role on file with the Board through a Practice Verification Form (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice). Before that you work under a collaborative agreement. After that, the only standing duty is the one every CNP has: collaborate with other providers and refer or transfer patients as appropriate (SDCL 36-9A-13.1).
Do I Need A Collaborating Physician In South Dakota?
It depends on your hours. A CNP with fewer than 1,040 licensed practice hours in the role needs a collaborative agreement; file the Practice Verification Form once you cross that line and the requirement ends (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice). The statute defines collaboration as communicating pertinent information or consulting with a licensed physician or other licensed health care provider, each contributing their own expertise (SDCL 36-9A-1(6)).
Can A PMHNP Prescribe Adderall In South Dakota?
Yes. The CNP scope covers prescribing, procuring, administering and furnishing controlled drugs, Schedule II included, within your role and population focus (SDCL 36-9A-12(4)(b)). Before you order controlled substances you need a DEA registration, a South Dakota Controlled Substance Registration and a PDMP account (SD Board of Nursing, CNP Practice).
This is general information, not legal advice. It applies the general nurse practitioner rules in South Dakota to PMHNPs, and those rules aren’t the same for every role. Rules change, so check with the South Dakota Board of Nursing and the AANP State Practice Environment map before you act on it. Last reviewed: September 26, 2026.
Keep Reading
Related PMHNP Resources
Scope By State
Compare requirements across states on our PMHNP scope of practice by state overview.
Start A Practice
See the full sequence in how to start a PMHNP practice.
Credentialing
Learn what we handle on our PMHNP credentialing page, or visit the PMHNP services hub.
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