43-23-10. Nonresident brokers - Reciprocity - Consent to service

43-23-10. Nonresident brokers - Reciprocity - Consent to service A nonresident broker regularly engaged in the real estate business as a vocation and who maintains a definite place of business and is licensed in another state may not be required to maintain a place of business within this state. The commission shall recognize the license issued to a real estate broker by another state as satisfactorily qualifying the nonresident broker for license as a broker; provided, the nonresident broker has qualified for license in the broker's own state. Every nonresident applicant shall file an irrevocable consent that suits and actions may be commenced against the applicant in the proper court of any county of the state in which a claim for relief may arise, in which the plaintiff may reside, by the service of any process or pleading authorized by the laws of this state, on any member of the commission, or the executive director, the consent stipulating and agreeing service of the process or pleading is taken and held in all courts to be as valid and binding as if due service had been made upon the applicant in this state. The consent must be duly acknowledged. Any service of process or pleading must be by duplicate copies, one of which must be filed in the office of the commission and the other immediately forwarded by registered mail to the last-known main office of the applicant against whom the process or pleading is directed, and no default in the proceedings or action may be taken except upon affidavit or certificate of the commission or the executive director, that a copy of the process or pleading was mailed to the defendant as required under this section, and judgment by default may not be taken in any such action or proceeding until after thirty days from the date of mailing of the process or pleading to the nonresident defendant.