Engineering License from Kansas to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from Kansas to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS), verify your Kansas license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
North Carolina grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Kansas does not start over — but does file a full North Carolina application. Your Kansas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet North Carolina's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Kansas license active and unencumbered while the North Carolina application is pending, and clearing any North Carolina-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Kansas → North Carolina
| Kansas (current) | North Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) | $100 (NC comity application fee (non-refundable); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | KSBTP publishes no comity turnaround; the long-form reciprocity review requires full board evaluation of education, experience, and references | NCBELS publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are administratively approved by the Executive Director once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) |
| Licensing authority | Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) (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 Record (or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly).
- Provide professional reference forms and show no record of disciplinary action.
- Pay the fees ($100 (NC comity application fee (non-refundable); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow NCBELS publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are administratively approved by the Executive Director once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina accept a Kansas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Kansas to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS), verify your Kansas license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Kansas to North Carolina?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
What does the Kansas-to-North Carolina comity application cost?
$100 (NC comity application fee (non-refundable); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Kansas PE license after I'm licensed in North Carolina?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Kansas 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.
- NCBELS — Initial or Comity PE Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- KSBTP — Engineers (licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- KSBTP News — PE Reciprocity Requires Long Form (MLE no longer recognized) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-15-1 — Fees (reciprocity $250; original $60; biennial renewal $70) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-9-7 — Education standard for reciprocity applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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