Harrisburg & the Sioux Empire
A licensed general contractor — and how to check that yourself
South Dakota has no state general contractor license. The City of Sioux Falls does have one, and it takes an exam, a bond, and insurance. Here is what we hold and where to verify it.
- 5.0 · 19 Google reviews
- Licensed & insured
- BBB rating A
Most people assume a contractor's license works the way a driver's license does: one government office, one test, one card that means somebody checked. In South Dakota that assumption is wrong, and it costs homeowners real money every year. The state licenses electricians and plumbers through their own commissions. It does not license general contractors at all. There is no state exam to build a deck, finish a basement, or put an addition on your house.
What people are usually picturing is the South Dakota contractor's excise tax license, and it is worth knowing exactly what that is: a tax registration. It tells the state where to send the 2% excise bill on construction receipts. Any person entering into a construction contract is required to have one. It measures nothing about whether the holder can frame a wall. The meaningful credentials here are issued by the city, not the state — and unlike the state, the City of Sioux Falls publishes who holds them.
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Pick a time for your estimateWhat the City of Sioux Falls actually requires
Inside Sioux Falls city limits, a residential building contractor has to be licensed by the city, and that license is not a form you mail in. The Construction Supervisor has to pass a city examination — a timed, open-book test on the city's residential code, scored at 80% or better — and then produce a $20,000 compliance bond naming the City and a certificate of general liability insurance of at least $300,000, all within 90 days of passing. The city is blunt that a state credential does not substitute. Its own FAQ answers the question "I have a state contractor's license, isn't this good enough?" like this: "No, you probably have a South Dakota Contractor's Excise Tax License. This license is for your excise tax." That is the gate, and it is the closest thing to one that exists in this market.
What we hold, and where to see it
Hols & Co appears on two separate City of Sioux Falls lists, and you do not have to take our word for either one. We hold city residential building contractor license #15868, issued to Jace Jones as the license holder — you can find the company on the city's list of currently licensed contractors. We are also an approved bonded right-of-way contractor, which is a separate approval with its own bond and insurance review, and the company is listed by name on the city's bonded right-of-way contractor list. Both lists are maintained by the City of Sioux Falls, not by us. If a contractor tells you they are licensed, these are the pages that settle it in about thirty seconds.
Right-of-way work, and why most contractors can't touch it
The strip of ground between the street and your property line is public right-of-way, and the sidewalk and driveway approach crossing it belong to that public space, not to your lot. Work there requires a separate city right-of-way contractor approval on top of everything else. To get on the approved list, a contractor submits bond and insurance documentation to the City Engineering Division, which reviews it for compliance with city ordinance before the business is added. That is why a driveway replacement stops being a simple concrete job the moment it reaches the approach: the crew doing it either holds that approval or is not allowed to be there. We hold it, which is also why we can carry a project all the way to the street instead of handing off the last ten feet.
What the license actually buys you
A license is not a trophy on a wall; it changes who carries the risk on your project. It also has limits the city takes seriously: a residential building contractor may not perform electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work without separately holding those licenses, which is why that work goes to the licensed partner trades we have used for over a decade rather than to whoever is on site. It is what lets one company pull the building permit in its own name, schedule inspections, bring the licensed plumbing and electrical trades in under one contract, and answer for the finished result — instead of leaving you as the general contractor of your own house, coordinating trades you have never met and signing for work you cannot evaluate. The bond and the insurance are the part nobody thinks about until they matter: they exist precisely for the day something goes wrong. And a permitted, inspected job leaves a record with the building department, which is what an appraiser and a buyer's inspector will look for years from now when you sell.
Not a pop-up LLC
Storm season and boom years bring companies that form in the spring and are unreachable by the following spring, which is a problem that shows up only when you need warranty work or a callback. There is a free way to check anyone, including us: the South Dakota Secretary of State business search is public, and it shows when a business was actually formed and whether it is currently in good standing. It takes about a minute. The City of Sioux Falls publishes its own guide to hiring a contractor for the same reason. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming you, ask who is pulling the permit, and look the company up before you write a deposit check. A contractor who is annoyed by those three questions has told you something useful.
In their words
Nineteen reviews. Every one of them five stars.
Highly recommend Hols & Co. if you are looking for someone to build your deck. The whole team was excellent to work with. They were professional, respectful and communicative. They were very efficient when they were on site and kept out property clean while they worked. Solid craftmanship and the finished product is exactly what we were envisioning. We would definitely hire this crew again for future projects.
The team was great. The quality of work is fantastic. I saw their ad on social media and took a chance and contacted them. So glad I did! Wanted my back deck replaced and they did a beautiful job. Even worked Saturday because the wood for the deck didn't show up on time. Looking forward to having them back for my next project!
Hols and Co. replaced our deck with a covered and screened in deck. We are extremely pleased with the workmanship and attention to detail they put into the deck. They were a pleasure to work with and would definitely recommend them for your home construction needs. Myron H.
FAQ
Fair questions, straight answers.
Does South Dakota require a general contractor license?
No. South Dakota does not issue a state general contractor or home improvement contractor license. The state licenses specific trades — electrical and plumbing — through their own commissions. The credential most people are thinking of is the state contractor's excise tax license, which is a tax registration required of anyone contracting for construction services, not a test of skill. Where real contractor licensing exists here, it is issued by the city.
How do I check whether a contractor is licensed in Sioux Falls?
The City of Sioux Falls publishes a list of currently licensed contractors, maintained by its Building Services division, and a separate list of approved bonded right-of-way contractors. Both are public. Search for the company name on the list that matches the work you are hiring for. Hols & Co appears on both, under city residential building contractor license #15868.
What is a right-of-way contractor approval and do I need one for my driveway?
The right-of-way is the public strip between the street and your property line, and your sidewalk and driveway approach cross it. Work in that space requires a contractor approved by the City of Sioux Falls Engineering Division, which reviews bond and insurance documentation before adding a business to the approved list. You do not hold the approval — your contractor does. If the job touches the approach or the sidewalk, ask whether they are on the city's bonded list before work starts.
Do I need a license if I live outside Sioux Falls?
City licensing applies inside city limits, so a project in Harrisburg, Tea, Brandon, Lennox, Canton, Worthing, or rural Lincoln and Minnehaha counties answers to that jurisdiction's rules rather than Sioux Falls'. Permits still apply — which office issues them depends on your address. We handle permitting either way as part of the job, and the licensing and insurance we carry do not change based on which side of a city line your house sits on.
Why does it matter if the contractor pulls the permit instead of me?
Inside Sioux Falls city limits, any contractor doing permit-requiring residential work has to hold the city license regardless of who pulls the permit — so a contractor asking you to pull it does not shift the licensing requirement off them. The City's own hiring guide tells homeowners to be cautious when a contractor asks them to get the permit. We pull it in our name, schedule the inspections, and leave a clean permit record on the property, which is what an appraiser or a buyer's inspector looks for when you eventually sell.
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