# S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-5: Criminal background check--Denial of license for conviction--Licensure exemption > South Dakota · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-5 ## Section - **Citation:** S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-5 - **Heading:** Criminal background check--Denial of license for conviction--Licensure exemption - **Jurisdiction:** South Dakota - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** SD Code / Title 38 / Chapter 35 / Section 38-35-5 ## Text Each applicant for any license under this chapter, key participant, and landowner, if the applicant is the lessee, shall submit to a state and federal criminal background investigation by means of fingerprint checks by the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A licensed applicant must only submit to a background criminal investigation pursuant to this section once every three years, unless requested by the secretary. Upon application for a license, the department shall submit fingerprints to the division. Upon completion of the criminal background check, the division shall forward to the department all information obtained as a result of the criminal background check. This information must be obtained prior to the licensure of the applicant. All costs or fees associated with the criminal background checks are the responsibility of the applicant. Information provided to the department under this section is confidential, is not public record, and is exempt from the provisions of chapter 1-27 . However, the department may share this information with law enforcement and the Department of Public Safety. Failure to submit to or cooperate with a criminal background check is grounds for denial or revocation of a license. The secretary may deny licensure if any applicant, key participant, or landowner has been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony relating to a controlled substance or marijuana under state or federal law within the previous ten years. Licensure under this chapter is not required for employees of the state of South Dakota if performing official duties. Any person who has previously submitted fingerprints to the Division of Criminal Investigation as part of an application under the hemp program is not required to resubmit fingerprints but shall authorize the use of the previously submitted fingerprints for an updated state and federal background check. All costs or fees associated with the criminal background checks are the responsibility of the applicant. The secretary may waive the requirement that landowners submit fingerprints for a state and federal background check if the applicant is unable to have a fingerprint card completed. Other types of background checks may be required in lieu of submitting fingerprints on cards or online. Source: SL 2020, ch 176, § 5, eff. Mar. 27, 2020; SL 2021, ch 182, § 3, eff. Mar. 25, 2021; SL 2022, ch 155, § 6, eff. Mar. 18, 2022; SL 2024, ch 168, § 3. ## Nearby sections - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-1 Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-1.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-2 Purchasing, receiving, or obtaining industrial hemp--License required--Violation as misdemeanor](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-2.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-3 Application for grower license--Location and size requirements](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-3.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-3.1 Application for a research license](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-3.1.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-4 Application for processor license--Fee--Location notice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-4.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-5 Criminal background check--Denial of license for conviction--Licensure exemption](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-5.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-7 License issuance--Denial, revocation, or suspension--Contested case](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-7.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-8 Planting verification--Documentation to be filed--Contents](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-8.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-9 Entrance by department--Consent--Fee--Inspection, confiscation, and disposal--Costs--Liability for destruction--Records](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-9.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-10 Inspection timing and procedure](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-10.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-11 Promulgation of rules--Fees](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-11.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-12 Department of Health--Promulgation of rules](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-12.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-14 Testing samples--Exceeding concentration--Destruction or remediation of lot](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-14.md) - [S.D. Codified Laws § 38-35-16 Transportation--Consent to search and seizure--Inspection by law enforcement--Penalty](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-16.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_SD_T38_C35_S38-35-5. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.