Transfer Your Engineering License to Maryland: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) ↗
Yes — Maryland issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Maryland's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. Application fee: $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Moving to Maryland from a specific state?
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Maryland's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Maryland'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 Maryland, 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 Maryland requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Comity/reciprocity is a full application; Maryland issues a new PE license after confirming comparable qualifications. An NCEES Council Record can be submitted in lieu of all supporting documents. Applicants holding an NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) record are approved administratively without waiting for the monthly board meeting. Underlying standard is a bachelor's degree from an ABET-accredited program plus four years of progressive experience
Maryland requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days) |
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) (application linked on this page).
- 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 Council Record (which satisfies all supporting documentation), or otherwise provide official transcripts, exam verification, license verification, an experience record, and character references.
- Meet the education/experience standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree plus 4 years of acceptable experience (or a non-ABET degree plus 8 years, or 12 years of experience), with the FE exam passed.
- Pay the fees ($56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maryland:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Maryland?
Yes — Maryland issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Maryland's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. Application fee: $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Maryland?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
What does PE licensure in Maryland cost an out-of-state applicant?
$56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
How long does the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) take to act on a comity application?
4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Reciprocal License Application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Licensing FAQs (reciprocity timing, education/experience) ↗ (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]