Transfer Your Engineering License to Iowa: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) ↗
Yes — Iowa issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Iowa's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam). Application fee: $150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Iowa's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Iowa's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Iowa, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.
Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Iowa requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Iowa grants licensure by comity, without further examination, to a PE licensed elsewhere whose qualifications are substantially equivalent to Iowa's. Underlying standard is a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program plus qualifying (commonly four years) progressive experience. All applications are electronic through the My Iowa PLB portal. The comity fee was confirmed against the 193C IAC ch. 2 fee table; the engineering rules were administratively recodified from chapter 193C to chapter 481 effective 6/24/26 (comity requirements now at 481-1048.2, fees under 481-1046) and the $150 comity fee is unchanged.
Iowa requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam) |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | The board publishes no comity turnaround; applications are reviewed against the same education/experience criteria used for PE exam eligibility (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) |
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active license to practice engineering issued by another U.S. jurisdiction based on standards substantially equivalent to Iowa's.
- Submit an NCEES Record (accepted in lieu of references, transcripts, employment history, and exam verification) or provide those documents directly.
- Complete the notarized comity application and ethics questionnaire through the My Iowa PLB online portal.
- Show no disciplinary action; the board applies the same education/experience criteria used to judge PE exam eligibility.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow The board publishes no comity turnaround; applications are reviewed against the same education/experience criteria used for PE exam eligibility (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Iowa:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Iowa?
Yes — Iowa issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Iowa's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam). Application fee: $150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Iowa?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam).
What does PE licensure in Iowa cost an out-of-state applicant?
$150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
How long does the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) take to act on a comity application?
The board publishes no comity turnaround; applications are reviewed against the same education/experience criteria used for PE exam eligibility (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Iowa DIAL — Engineers & Land Surveyors: Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa Admin. Code 193C ch. 2 — Fees and Charges (comity $150; initial certificate $15) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa Admin. Code 481-1048.2 — Requirements for licensure by comity (recodified from 193C-4.2 eff. 6/24/26) ↗ (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
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