Engineering License from Georgia to Alabama: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS), verify your Georgia license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Alabama grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Georgia does not start over — but does file a full Alabama application. Your Georgia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Alabama's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Georgia license active and unencumbered while the Alabama application is pending, and clearing any Alabama-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Georgia → Alabama
| Georgia (current) | Alabama (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) | $125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | ~4 weeks (The Georgia SOS How-To Guide states comity applications are generally processed within about 20 business days (~4 weeks) of a complete application, evaluated in order received; a deficiency notice restarts the 20-day count) | 3–4 weeks (Board FAQ states a complete comity application with no anomalies or felonies is processed in roughly 3-4 weeks after it is complete and approved; disclosures or discrepancies extend this) |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) | Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alabama sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alabama's current requirements on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license in another U.S. state (comity).
- Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the board's experience, education, and reference sections directly.
- Provide proof of U.S. citizenship or qualifying alien status.
- Underlying standard: EAC/ABET-accredited engineering degree plus four years of progressive engineering experience.
- Pay the fees ($125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 3–4 weeks (Board FAQ states a complete comity application with no anomalies or felonies is processed in roughly 3-4 weeks after it is complete and approved; disclosures or discrepancies extend this).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama accept a Georgia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS), verify your Georgia license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Georgia to Alabama?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
What does the Georgia-to-Alabama comity application cost?
$125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Georgia PE license after I'm licensed in Alabama?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Georgia 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.
- Alabama BELS — Frequently Asked Questions (comity fee, NCEES Record, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 — Fees (Appendix A; PE application fee $125, eff. 2025-02-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama BELS — Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia PELS Board — Fee Schedule (Rev. 3-4-2024): PE/SE Application by Comity $100 + $5 online processing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — How-To Guide: Professional Engineer Licensure ($100 comity fee; ~20 business days) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Georgia now requires NCEES Record for comity licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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