Transfer Your Engineering License to Louisiana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) ↗
Yes — Louisiana issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Louisiana's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants. Application fee: $200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; 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 Louisiana's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Louisiana'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 Louisiana, 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 Louisiana requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Louisiana grants licensure by comity to an out-of-state PE. It offers a Model Law Engineer (MLE) comity path (EAC/ABET degree, four years' experience, FE and PE passed) plus non-MLE variants for non-ABET degrees (8 years) or a qualifying master's (4 years). Applications are filed online through LOLA (lola.lapels.com). Five personal references are required, at least three from active PEs.
Louisiana requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | LAPELS publishes no comity turnaround; applications are filed and reviewed through the LOLA online portal (lola.lapels.com) once the NCEES Record and references are received |
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction and have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to LAPELS.
- Hold an EAC/ABET-accredited bachelor's degree with four years of progressive experience (non-ABET degrees require an NCEES Credentials Evaluation and 8 years, or 4 years after a qualifying master's).
- Provide five personal references, at least three from individuals holding an active PE license.
- Maintain a disciplinary record free of violations in any jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees ($200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow LAPELS publishes no comity turnaround; applications are filed and reviewed through the LOLA online portal (lola.lapels.com) once the NCEES Record and references are received.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Louisiana:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Louisiana?
Yes — Louisiana issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Louisiana's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants. Application fee: $200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; 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 Louisiana?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants.
What does PE licensure in Louisiana cost an out-of-state applicant?
$200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
How long does the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) take to act on a comity application?
LAPELS publishes no comity turnaround; applications are filed and reviewed through the LOLA online portal (lola.lapels.com) once the NCEES Record and references are received.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- LAPELS — Individual Applications (PE by comity paths) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LAPELS — Fee Schedule (Professional Engineer by Comity $200; PE renewal $140) ↗ (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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