Engineering License from Idaho to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) ↗
A PE license transfers from Idaho to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Idaho license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Georgia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Idaho does not start over — but does file a full Georgia application. Your Idaho license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Georgia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Idaho license active and unencumbered while the Georgia application is pending, and clearing any Georgia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Idaho → Georgia
| Idaho (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | Idaho Code 54-1219 caps the comity application fee at a maximum of $150 (examination applicants are capped at $100 under 54-1213); the specific fee is set by DOPL within that cap. DOPL reduced all board fees by ~60% effective July 1, 2025 (Idaho Code 67-2608(3)), and the current DOPL fee schedule could not be loaded from a reachable official page at verification, so the exact current comity fee is left null rather than guessed. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES | $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) |
| Processing time | DOPL does not publish a comity processing time; each comity application is considered by the board for substantial compliance with Idaho's licensure requirements | ~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) |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS), Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications (NCEES Model Law Engineer status expedites review).
- Have NCEES transmit a completed NCEES Record to the Georgia PELS Board (Georgia requires the NCEES Record for comity licensure).
- Provide a secure and verifiable document establishing lawful presence (Georgia SAVE requirement).
- Show no record of disciplinary action against any license held.
- Pay the fees ($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)) and allow ~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).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a Idaho PE license?
A PE license transfers from Idaho to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Idaho license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Idaho to Georgia?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
What does the Idaho-to-Georgia comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Idaho PE license after I'm licensed in Georgia?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Idaho 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.
- 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)
- Idaho Code 54-1219 — Comity Licensure; Fee (comity fee not to exceed $150) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho Admin. Code IDAPA 24.32.01.019 — Licensees or Certificate Holders of Other States, Boards, and Countries (comity requirements + 8-year waiver) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (IPELS home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — press release: statewide ~60% board fee reduction effective July 1, 2025 ↗ (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]