Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Engineering License from California to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors ↗

A PE license transfers from California to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your California license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Mississippi grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Mississippi application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Mississippi's practice act, not to re-test you. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Mississippi application is pending, and clearing any Mississippi-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.

What changes, California → Mississippi

Side-by-side: California vs Mississippi (Engineering (PE)), verified 2026-07-21
California (current)Mississippi (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))$75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)
Processing timeNo 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 widelyNo published turnaround; an application review committee usually meets at the end of each month to approve completed comity applications, and licensure is issued at that time. Mississippi does not issue temporary permits and does not allow any unlicensed practice while an application is pending
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG)Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold current PE licensure in another U.S. jurisdiction.
  5. Submit an NCEES Record; after review the Board may request experience-verification forms (at least 4 years) and character references (5 total, at least 3 from PEs, with one reference dated within the last 12 months).
  6. Hold an ABET-accredited BS engineering degree (or a CEAB/NCEES-evaluated equivalent); an engineering technology degree alone is not eligible.
  7. Have passed the FE exam (with EI enrollment) and the PE exam.
  8. Pay the fees ($75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow No published turnaround; an application review committee usually meets at the end of each month to approve completed comity applications, and licensure is issued at that time. Mississippi does not issue temporary permits and does not allow any unlicensed practice while an application is pending.

Official links

Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors ↗Mississippi application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Mississippi → CaliforniaEngineering in CaliforniaEngineering in MississippiAll engineering states

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi accept a California PE license?

A PE license transfers from California to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your California license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).

Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Mississippi?

Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).

What does the California-to-Mississippi comity application cost?

$75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES).

Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Mississippi?

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.

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

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