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Is a South Dakota APRN license a compact license?

The compact covers RNs and LPNs/LVNs — but not advanced practice. Here is exactly how APRN authority works in South Dakota and why it is handled state by state.

Is a South Dakota APRN license a compact license?

No. The Nurse Licensure Compact does not cover APRN roles — nurse practitioners (NPs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs). This is true everywhere, including South Dakota. Even though South Dakota is a compact state and your underlying RN license can be multistate, your APRN authorization is separate and does not travel with it — you generally need APRN authorization in each state where you practice as an APRN. A separate APRN Compact exists but is not yet operational.

Last reviewed 2026-06-17

The act that defines APRN practice in South Dakota

The compact decides whether you may practice in South Dakota. What APRN practice actually means here — scope, titles, what you may do and delegate — is set by South Dakota’s own nurse practice act, South Dakota nursing licensure law (Board of Nursing, DOH), and interpreted by the South Dakota Board of Nursing. Two states can both recognize your license and still differ on what you may do with it.

Where South Dakota stands on the APRN Compact

South Dakota has already legislated for it. The APRN Compact is enacted into South Dakota’s own code at S.D. Codified Laws ch. 36-9D (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Compact), § 36-9D-1. One section carrying the whole compact, the same shape North Dakota uses — and unlike South Dakota’s NLC, which got no chapter at all and sits as two sections at the end of ch. 36-9. So the state gave the APRN compact its own chapter and the compact actually in force a pair of trailing sections. That is enactment, not activation — the compact needs enough states before any APRN practices on it, so it changes nothing for you today beyond telling you where this state stands.

The compact does not cover APRN roles

The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It does not cover APRN authorization — NPs, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs. That has been the case since the compact began and applies in every state.

What that means in South Dakota

South Dakota is a compact state, so your underlying RN license can be a multistate license. But your APRN authority sits on top of that RN license and is not part of the compact — to practice as an APRN in another state, you generally need that state’s APRN authorization, granted by its board. Confirm specifics with the South Dakota Board of Nursing.

The separate APRN Compact

A distinct APRN Compact has been drafted to do for advanced practice what the NLC does for RNs and LPNs/LVNs, but it is not yet operational. Until enough states join and it is implemented, APRN privileges do not cross state lines automatically.

Next-step checklist

  • Confirm your RN license type (single-state or multistate) on Nursys (nursys.com).
  • Treat your APRN authorization as separate from your RN license.
  • For APRN practice in another state, obtain that state's APRN authorization.
  • Confirm current APRN requirements with the South Dakota Board of Nursing.

What to do with that answer

Frequently asked questions

No. The NLC covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only. APRN roles (NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM) are not covered, so an APRN needs separate authorization in each state where they practice — and that is true in South Dakota regardless of its compact status.

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