Engineering License from Illinois to Wisconsin: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services), verify your Illinois license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or state Verification of Examination/Registration form #475) and are not retaken; Wisconsin has no state-specific exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Wisconsin grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Wisconsin application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Wisconsin's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or state Verification of Examination/Registration form #475) and are not retaken; Wisconsin has no state-specific exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Wisconsin application is pending, and clearing any Wisconsin-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Wisconsin
| Illinois (current) | Wisconsin (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) | $55 (Wisconsin PE reciprocity/credential application fee is $55 (paid via the online LicensE portal). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid to NCEES. The biennial renewal fee is billed separately.) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | DSPS presents a completed reciprocity application to the Professional Engineers Section for review at its next scheduled meeting; no fixed turnaround is published, so timing depends on the board's meeting schedule. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Wisconsin sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Wisconsin's current requirements on the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an unexpired PE registration in another state whose registration requirements are not lower than Wisconsin's.
- Have passed the NCEES FE and PE examinations and document 8 years of engineering experience (education included).
- Submit proof of 30 PDHs of continuing education within the 2 years before applying (exempt if first licensed as a PE within the last 2 years).
- Provide references from five registered Professional Engineers, one of whom served as supervisor in responsible charge of your work.
- Pay the fees ($55 (Wisconsin PE reciprocity/credential application fee is $55 (paid via the online LicensE portal). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid to NCEES. The biennial renewal fee is billed separately.)) and allow DSPS presents a completed reciprocity application to the Professional Engineers Section for review at its next scheduled meeting; no fixed turnaround is published, so timing depends on the board's meeting schedule..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Wisconsin accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Wisconsin by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Registered Interior Designers — Professional Engineers Section (Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services), verify your Illinois license, and meet Wisconsin's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or state Verification of Examination/Registration form #475) and are not retaken; Wisconsin has no state-specific exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Wisconsin?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or state Verification of Examination/Registration form #475) and are not retaken; Wisconsin has no state-specific exam.
What does the Illinois-to-Wisconsin comity application cost?
$55 (Wisconsin PE reciprocity/credential application fee is $55 (paid via the online LicensE portal). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid to NCEES. The biennial renewal fee is billed separately.).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Wisconsin?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Illinois 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.
- Wisconsin DSPS — Professional Engineer Registration Application Information (#1736; reciprocity fee $55, 8 yrs experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Wisconsin DSPS — PE Reciprocity Application PDH Table (#3084; Wis. Admin. Code A-E 13.09) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Wisconsin DSPS — Professional Engineer profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (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]