State lawmakers in South Dakota have proposed creating a second esthetician license, KELOLAND reports, a move that would add a new credential tier to a state currently offering a single esthetician pathway.

The proposal, still in its legislative stage, would split the existing license structure so that practitioners could hold either the current credential or a new, second license. For salon owners, spa operators and esthetics educators in the state, the immediate question is what separates the two licenses — scope of practice, training hours, or both.

Why does a second license matter to practitioners?

State licensing boards define what estheticians may legally do: facial treatments, chemical exfoliation, machine-based services and, in a growing number of states, advanced procedures such as microneedling or laser-adjacent work under medical oversight. When a legislature introduces a second tier, it typically signals one of two directions.

The first is an advanced-practice license, letting experienced estheticians perform services the base license does not cover. The second is a reduced-scope or specialty credential, lowering the entry barrier for a narrower set of services.

Either direction changes the business math for South Dakota spas and salons. An advanced tier would let treatment menus expand without moving procedures into medical-spa territory. A reduced tier would widen the hiring pool but could sharpen the compliance line between what each class of licensee may perform on clients.

What happens next in the legislature?

As a state-level bill, the proposal now moves through committee review, floor votes in both chambers and, if passed, signature by the governor before any new license would take effect. Practitioners should watch three checkpoints:

• The bill text, once assigned a number and posted by the legislature, will specify training hour requirements for the new license.
• Committee testimony from the state cosmetology board will clarify scope-of-service boundaries between the two credentials.
• An enactment date in the final bill will set the timeline for schools to build curricula and for current licensees to learn whether a transition or grandfathering path exists.

What should South Dakota estheticians do now?

Current license holders face no immediate change; the proposal is not yet law. But the filing is a signal worth tracking. Schools and continuing-education providers should assess whether their programs could support an additional credential. Salon and spa owners should consider how a two-tier system affects job postings, service pricing and liability coverage.

The next concrete data point to watch is the bill's formal introduction and first committee hearing, where the training-hour requirement and permitted services under the proposed second license will be spelled out.

This report is based on limited source material; specifics on scope, hours and timelines will be covered as the bill advances.