Engineering License from California to Hawaii: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Hawaii by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL), verify your California license, and meet Hawaii's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Council Record (or a state exam/license verification) and are not retaken; the FE may be waived for endorsement with 15 years of experience in responsible charge, but the PE exam requirement cannot be waived; structural licensure requires the 16-hour NCEES Structural exam; Hawaii has no separate state law exam.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Hawaii grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Hawaii application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Hawaii's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Council Record (or a state exam/license verification) and are not retaken; the FE may be waived for endorsement with 15 years of experience in responsible charge, but the PE exam requirement cannot be waived; structural licensure requires the 16-hour NCEES Structural exam; Hawaii has no separate state law exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Hawaii application is pending, and clearing any Hawaii-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Hawaii
| California (current) | Hawaii (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $175–$250 (Board PE application fee was $175 and rose to $250 effective July 1, 2026 (amended 16 CCR sec. 407); because the 2026-07-21 data date is after that effective date, $250 is the operative amount, though the official fee page still labeled $175 as 'current' at access — confirm the operative amount. Civil applicants also pay the Board's Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exam fees ($175 each, rising to $250 each on 7/1/2026). NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES; biennial renewal is $180 (rising to $250 on 7/1/2026)) | $150 ($150 non-refundable endorsement application fee (payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs), per the board's official application form. A separate license-issuance fee is assessed after approval and prorated to the biennium (engineer licenses expire April 30 of even-numbered years): license $64, Compliance Resolution Fund $50 or $100, plus up to a $52 half-period renewal. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | No board-published comity turnaround; the application undergoes technical review and the applicant becomes eligible for any required state-specific exams (offered in limited quarterly windows) only after that review is approved, so total time varies widely | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; an application is deemed abandoned if not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9) |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Hawaii sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Hawaii's current requirements on the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold and verify at least one current PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction (via NCEES Council Record or a Verification of Exam/License form sent directly from the original state board).
- Apply in a specific discipline — Hawaii licenses by discipline, and civil and structural engineering are separate and distinct.
- Meet Hawaii's education-and-experience standard (e.g., an approved/ABET bachelor's degree plus 4 years of experience), or document 15 years in responsible charge to waive the FE exam.
- Disclose any disciplinary action or convictions and provide a Social Security Number.
- Pay the fees ($150 ($150 non-refundable endorsement application fee (payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs), per the board's official application form. A separate license-issuance fee is assessed after approval and prorated to the biennium (engineer licenses expire April 30 of even-numbered years): license $64, Compliance Resolution Fund $50 or $100, plus up to a $52 half-period renewal. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES)) and allow The board does not publish a comity turnaround; an application is deemed abandoned if not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Hawaii accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Hawaii by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL), verify your California license, and meet Hawaii's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Council Record (or a state exam/license verification) and are not retaken; the FE may be waived for endorsement with 15 years of experience in responsible charge, but the PE exam requirement cannot be waived; structural licensure requires the 16-hour NCEES Structural exam; Hawaii has no separate state law exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Hawaii?
FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Council Record (or a state exam/license verification) and are not retaken; the FE may be waived for endorsement with 15 years of experience in responsible charge, but the PE exam requirement cannot be waived; structural licensure requires the 16-hour NCEES Structural exam; Hawaii has no separate state law exam.
What does the California-to-Hawaii comity application cost?
$150 ($150 non-refundable endorsement application fee (payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs), per the board's official application form. A separate license-issuance fee is assessed after approval and prorated to the biennium (engineer licenses expire April 30 of even-numbered years): license $64, Compliance Resolution Fund $50 or $100, plus up to a $52 half-period renewal. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Hawaii?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the California license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Requirements & Application for Licensure, Engineer (EAS-00(b)/EAS-01, rev. 12/2024): endorsement pathway, $150 endorsement fee, exam transfer, FE waiver ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Hawaii DCCA — Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors & Landscape Architects (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Application Forms and Publications (Engineer) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Application Fees (PE $175, rising to $250 on 7/1/2026; state exam fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Licensee Fee Schedule (renewal $180 -> $250 on 7/1/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — PE Application Instructions (Laws & Rules exam; comity NCEES Record option) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Professional Engineer Application overview (comity applicants) ↗ (accessed 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]