How to Get a PE License by Comity, Reciprocity, or Endorsement in All 50 States

If you are a licensed Professional Engineer you can get licensed in other states with a simple application and a few other steps. It’s kind of like transferring your PE license to other states but not exactly. It’s known as getting a “comity PE license” or “reciprocity PE license” and this article is a guide for how to get yours in all 50 states.

The good news about a comity PE license is that you usually don’t have to do anything other than fill out an application, pay a fee, and in some states complete a fairly simple ethics exam.

What’s even better, many states will let you fast-track some of the steps by transmitting your NCEES record to the state’s board. Your NCEES record includes everything that is on a typical application, such as verified education information, experience, exams, references, and more. You can find instructions and more details on it here.

By making sure your NCEES record is up to date and using it in the application process, you may not have to resend transcripts, reverify exams, reverify your existing license(s), or re-do references and work experience verification every time you apply.

This is all different for each state, however, which is why I created this guide as a reference so you can easily find the information you need to get your comity PE license in any state.

How to Use This Guide

To find your state just use CMD+F on a Mac or CTRL+F if you’re on a Windows computer and search for your state.

For each state I’ve included the following information:

The application link where you can go to apply for your comity PE license. Most of these are links to a site where you’ll need to create an account and login to access the application. I will also indicate which are online and which are mail-in only. For states that are mail-in only I will include the link to the states website where you can find the application. Applications are usually updated frequently and I don’t want you to accidentally get an older version of the application.
The requirements to apply*, including the link to the state board’s website so you can verify requirements and any special requirements of that state.
How long it takes* to complete the entire application process and get your comity PE license in that state, if provided. Not all states will have this information available.
How much the application fee* is.

Note that this is a general reference and is not meant to replace information from NCEES or each state’s board requirements. It is up to the reader to verify all application requirements prior to applying.

*If information is missing it means that I just haven’t got to adding it but all the links should be there. I’m going to work on adding the information a little at a time because the first few took me way longer than expected! I should be done soon though. Thanks for your patience.

Alabama

Application Link (online)

Requirements– To get your comity PE License in Alabama you will need to have a 4-year ABET-accredited degree, have 4 years of experience, have passed the FE and PE Exams, fill out the online application, and transmit your NCEES record to the Alabama board. Also note that to practice in Alabama you have to obtain a Certificate of Authorization (CA) to register your business with the Alabama Board. Use the application link above and create a new account for your company.

How Long It Takes– 1-3 months. The board meets every 2 months and the application takes about a month to process as long as you have no anomalies or felonies. If you apply right before the board meets it can take just a month, but if you apply right after it could take 3 months.

Fee– No information provided before applying (+$75 NCEES Record Transmittal Fee)

Alaska

Application Link (mail-in only). To view the application click on Application for Engineer by Comity. These are revised often so I added the link to the site that will have the most updated version of the application.

Requirements– To get your comity PE License in Alaska you will need to have a 4-year ABET-accredited degree, have 4 years of experience, have passed the FE and PE Exams, fill out and mail the application to the board, and transmit your NCEES record to the Alabama board. You will also need to complete a board-approved Arctic Engineering course. Additionally note that you’ll need to have your work experience verified again and you’ll need a notary on your signature.

How Long It Takes– Up to 3 months, depending on when the board meets. The board meetings are every 3 months in February, May, August, and November, and you must have your application in the Juneau office at least 30 days before a board meeting if you want it considered at that meeting. You’ll hear back on your application within three weeks of the board meeting in which your application is considered.

Fee– $300 (+$75 NCEES Record Transmittal Fee)

How to Use This Guide

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Recent Posts