Engineering License from Georgia to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) ↗
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance), verify your Georgia license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken (references under two years old, transcripts, and verifications in the Record are accepted); Tennessee requires no separate state jurisprudence exam.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Tennessee grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Georgia does not start over — but does file a full Tennessee application. Your Georgia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Tennessee's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken (references under two years old, transcripts, and verifications in the Record are accepted); Tennessee requires no separate state jurisprudence exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Georgia license active and unencumbered while the Tennessee application is pending, and clearing any Tennessee-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Georgia → Tennessee
| Georgia (current) | Tennessee (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) | $55 (Tennessee 'application by comity' fee; a separate $140 biennial registration fee is collected upon licensure. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, 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) | No comity turnaround published; complete applications are reviewed by the board (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) | Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Meet Tennessee's minimum registration requirements (Tennessee grants comity, not automatic reciprocity).
- Hold an active license in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction (or submit an NCEES Record).
- Submit an NCEES Record, or provide transcripts, license verifications, and employment references.
- Have passed the NCEES PE examination (and the FE where required for the qualifying pathway).
- Pay the fees ($55 (Tennessee 'application by comity' fee; a separate $140 biennial registration fee is collected upon licensure. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow No comity turnaround published; complete applications are reviewed by the board (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee accept a Georgia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Georgia to Tennessee by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (TN Dept. of Commerce and Insurance), verify your Georgia license, and meet Tennessee's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken (references under two years old, transcripts, and verifications in the Record are accepted); Tennessee requires no separate state jurisprudence exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Georgia to Tennessee?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken (references under two years old, transcripts, and verifications in the Record are accepted); Tennessee requires no separate state jurisprudence exam.
What does the Georgia-to-Tennessee comity application cost?
$55 (Tennessee 'application by comity' fee; a separate $140 biennial registration fee is collected upon licensure. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES.).
Can I keep my Georgia PE license after I'm licensed in Tennessee?
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.
- TN Board of Architectural & Engineering Examiners — Engineers (how to get licensed / comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TN Board of Architectural & Engineering Examiners — Fees ↗ (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)
- NCEES — Records Program (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]