Transfer Your Engineering License to Maine: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers ↗

Maine grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam. Application fee: $170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; 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 Maine's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Maine'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 Maine, 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 Maine requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

Maine offers two comity/endorsement paths under 32 M.R.S. sec. 1352-A: (1) ABET-approved curriculum + at least four years of experience after graduation + FE and PE passed, licensed without further examination; and (2) a PE licensed in good standing for at least eight years whose qualifications are substantially equivalent, where the board may waive additional requirements. An NCEES Record is accepted but not strictly required (a separate documents path exists). Cost is $50 application + $120 licensure = $170.

Maine requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Maine, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam
Additional requirements	Hold a PE license in good standing in another U.S. state, territory, D.C., or foreign country Provide a current NCEES Record (accepted for comity) or equivalent transcripts, FE/PE exam results, experience, and references Meet the standard comity path (ABET-approved curriculum, at least four years of experience after graduation, FE and PE passed) OR the eight-year path (licensed in good standing 8+ years with substantially equivalent qualifications, where the board may waive additional requirements) Submit Engineering Employment Verification Forms if not relying solely on a complete NCEES Record
Fees	$170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; 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; the Maine and NCEES databases are separate, so the applicant must have NCEES transmit the Record before the application can be reviewed

Step by step

Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers (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. state, territory, D.C., or foreign country.
Provide a current NCEES Record (accepted for comity) or equivalent transcripts, FE/PE exam results, experience, and references.
Meet the standard comity path (ABET-approved curriculum, at least four years of experience after graduation, FE and PE passed) OR the eight-year path (licensed in good standing 8+ years with substantially equivalent qualifications, where the board may waive additional requirements).
Submit Engineering Employment Verification Forms if not relying solely on a complete NCEES Record.
Pay the fees ($170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; 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; the Maine and NCEES databases are separate, so the applicant must have NCEES transmit the Record before the application can be reviewed.

Official links

Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers ↗Maine application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maine:

California → Maine Florida → Maine Georgia → Maine Illinois → Maine Michigan → Maine New York → Maine North Carolina → Maine Ohio → Maine Pennsylvania → Maine Texas → Maine

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Maine?

Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Maine?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.

What does PE licensure in Maine cost an out-of-state applicant?

$170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).

How long does the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers take to act on a comity application?

The board publishes no comity turnaround; the Maine and NCEES databases are separate, so the applicant must have NCEES transmit the Record before the application can be reviewed.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Maine Board of Licensure for PEs — Professional Engineer Licensing (comity fees & pathway) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 sec. 1352-A — Qualifications (comity subsections 1.A and 1.A-1) ↗ (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]