Engineering License from Georgia to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) ↗
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), verify your Georgia license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maryland grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Georgia does not start over — but does file a full Maryland application. Your Georgia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Maryland's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Georgia license active and unencumbered while the Maryland application is pending, and clearing any Maryland-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Georgia → Maryland
| Georgia (current) | Maryland (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) | $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council 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) | 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days) |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) | Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (which satisfies all supporting documentation), or otherwise provide official transcripts, exam verification, license verification, an experience record, and character references.
- Meet the education/experience standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree plus 4 years of acceptable experience (or a non-ABET degree plus 8 years, or 12 years of experience), with the FE exam passed.
- Pay the fees ($56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland accept a Georgia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), verify your Georgia license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Georgia to Maryland?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
What does the Georgia-to-Maryland comity application cost?
$56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council 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 Maryland?
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.
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Reciprocal License Application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Licensing FAQs (reciprocity timing, education/experience) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]