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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Engineering License to Arkansas: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) ↗

Yes — Arkansas issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Arkansas's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; there is no state-specific engineering exam for PE comity applicants (the $100 Arkansas state-specific exam applies to professional surveyors, not engineers). Application fee: $200 (Arkansas comity (PE-C) application fee $200 (an original non-comity PE application is $75); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES).

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Comity is Arkansas's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Arkansas's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Arkansas, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.

Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Arkansas requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

The board is administered by the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing; the former pels.arkansas.gov domain 301-redirects to the labor.arkansas.gov board page. Comity applicants with an NCEES Record skip most forms; those without complete the full application. The Arkansas state-specific examination ($100) is a surveying requirement and does not apply to PE comity applicants. The $200 comity fee (vs. $75 original) was reconfirmed this pass.

Arkansas requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Arkansas, verified 2026-07-21
ExamFE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; there is no state-specific engineering exam for PE comity applicants (the $100 Arkansas state-specific exam applies to professional surveyors, not engineers)
Additional requirements
  • Hold a current PE license in another state (comity license, designated 'PE-C')
  • Submit an NCEES Record (then complete only application Forms 1, 6, and 7) or complete the full application with references and experience
  • Provide five professional references less than one year old (satisfied by a recent NCEES Record)
  • Underlying standard: EAC/ABET-approved (or equivalent) four-year engineering degree plus four years of progressive engineering experience
Fees$200 (Arkansas comity (PE-C) application fee $200 (an original non-comity PE application is $75); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)
Processing timeNo published turnaround; comity applications that meet the Board's rules are approved by the Executive Director under an expedited process and later ratified by the Board

Step by step

  1. Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current PE license in another state (comity license, designated 'PE-C').
  5. Submit an NCEES Record (then complete only application Forms 1, 6, and 7) or complete the full application with references and experience.
  6. Provide five professional references less than one year old (satisfied by a recent NCEES Record).
  7. Underlying standard: EAC/ABET-approved (or equivalent) four-year engineering degree plus four years of progressive engineering experience.
  8. Pay the fees ($200 (Arkansas comity (PE-C) application fee $200 (an original non-comity PE application is $75); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow No published turnaround; comity applications that meet the Board's rules are approved by the Executive Director under an expedited process and later ratified by the Board.

Official links

Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) ↗Arkansas application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Arkansas:

California → ArkansasFlorida → ArkansasGeorgia → ArkansasIllinois → ArkansasMichigan → ArkansasNew York → ArkansasNorth Carolina → ArkansasOhio → ArkansasPennsylvania → ArkansasTexas → Arkansas

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Arkansas?

Yes — Arkansas issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Arkansas's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; there is no state-specific engineering exam for PE comity applicants (the $100 Arkansas state-specific exam applies to professional surveyors, not engineers). Application fee: $200 (Arkansas comity (PE-C) application fee $200 (an original non-comity PE application is $75); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES).

Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Arkansas?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; there is no state-specific engineering exam for PE comity applicants (the $100 Arkansas state-specific exam applies to professional surveyors, not engineers).

What does PE licensure in Arkansas cost an out-of-state applicant?

$200 (Arkansas comity (PE-C) application fee $200 (an original non-comity PE application is $75); transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES).

How long does the Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors (PELS) take to act on a comity application?

No published turnaround; comity applications that meet the Board's rules are approved by the Executive Director under an expedited process and later ratified by the Board.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]