Plumbers in South Dakota earn $26.70 an hour, compared with $34.70 across the US, so a repipe here costs less than it does nearly everywhere else in the country. That works out to roughly 23% under the national figure and the second lowest rate among all 50 states plus DC. Labor makes up around 70% of a repipe bill, so the cheaper hourly rate lands right in your final cost. When you call, you reach a repipe company serving your area. They look at the house and quote a fixed price, and the call itself costs you nothing through this site.
The old pipes you're likely to find in a South Dakota home
The median South Dakota home dates from 1982, and 26.3% were built before 1960, when galvanized steel was the standard water pipe. Another 19.3% were built between 1980 and 1999. Those years line up with the polybutylene era (1978 to 1995) and the first years of Kitec (1995 to 2007). So behind the walls of an older home here you might find steel, polybutylene, or Kitec.
The newest third of the state's homes, some 32.5%, came along from 2000 onward. According to a national guide called Fuse Service, a house is usually ready for a repipe once low pressure, discolored water, or leaks start showing up in more than one part of it.
Do you know what's in your walls? This site's pipe identifier tells you the type by the pipe's color and how it feels. It covers eight kinds, from polybutylene and Kitec to galvanized steel, copper, PEX, CPVC, cast iron, and Orangeburg.
What a repipe costs by house size
These figures are rough numbers from this site's calculator, based on South Dakota's plumber wage. PEX is bendable plastic pipe, usually red on hot lines and blue on cold ones. A crawl space is that shallow open gap beneath a raised floor.
| House | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 1 bath, 1,200 sq ft | about $3,400 to $6,500 |
| 2 baths, 1,800 sq ft | about $5,400 to $9,900 |
| 3 baths and 2 floors, 2,400 sq ft | about $6,800 to $13,500 |
Size and bathroom count drive the price, not bedrooms. If your 3-bedroom home has 2 bathrooms and is around 1,800 sq ft, start with the middle row.
Slab, copper, or CPVC
A slab means a concrete floor poured right on the ground, with pipes running under or inside it. Getting at those pipes takes extra work, so a 2-bath home on a slab costs about $7,000 to $13,700.
Pipe material moves the price as well, for a 1,800 sq ft home with a crawl space underneath:
| Pipe | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| PEX | about $5,400 to $9,900 |
| CPVC, a hard cream or tan plastic | about $6,200 to $10,700 |
| Copper, metal pipe sealed with solder | about $7,900 to $15,800 |
Extra costs worth asking about
The ranges cover the new pipe and the plumbers' hours. Check whether the quote also covers the final inspection, the permit, and patching the walls. A national guide from Geek Powered Studios lists permit fees at $50 to $800.
That same guide notes quotes for the same job can vary by $2,000 to $5,000. A fixed price given after someone has seen your house is the easiest way to compare offers.
Can you live at home while the work is done?
Most families do, staying put from start to finish, according to Repipe Solutions. In our calculator's example, a 2-bath house on a single level needs roughly two to three days of work. Call now and a local repipe company will look at your house, name one set price for the job, and you won't pay a cent for the call through this site.
Is your plumber licensed?
Plumbers in the state are licensed by the South Dakota Plumbing Commission. Check the plumber on the Commission's site before signing anything, so you know the person working inside your walls holds a license.
Plumbing rules that South Dakota sets at the state level
The plumbing program in South Dakota is run by the state itself. The state has adopted the Uniform Plumbing Code, 2024 edition, with its own changes on top. A repipe is affected by one change: water pipes aren't allowed in outside walls or unheated attics. Unless your city runs its own program, a state plumbing inspector reviews the job. These cities do: Aberdeen, Brandon, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Spearfish. Owners who hold a $130 homeowner certificate can do their own plumbing in the single-family home where they live, with state inspections.
Roughly 14.6 percent of South Dakotans get their water from a private well, not from a city supply. The national share is about 15 percent, so that's close to it.
