Engineering License from Michigan to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from Michigan to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers, verify your Michigan license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maine grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Michigan does not start over — but does file a full Maine application. Your Michigan license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Maine's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Michigan license active and unencumbered while the Maine application is pending, and clearing any Maine-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Michigan → Maine
| Michigan (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $75–$115 (Per the Michigan State License Fee Act (MCL 338.2213): a $35 application processing fee plus a license fee of $40 per year, prorated for the time remaining in the biennial cycle (up to $80), so the amount due at initial licensure by endorsement runs roughly $75-$115. Biennial renewal is $80. (Statute lowers these to a $30 application processing fee and $20/year license fee after Sept 30, 2027.) Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES) | $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 | LARA/Board publishes no comity turnaround; out-of-state (endorsement) applications are reviewed by the Board of Professional Engineers. NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks | 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 |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers (application linked below).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Michigan PE license?
A PE license transfers from Michigan to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers, verify your Michigan license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Michigan to Maine?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
What does the Michigan-to-Maine comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Michigan PE license after I'm licensed in Maine?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Michigan 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.
- 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)
- Michigan LARA — Engineers, Professional (Board page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan MCL 338.2213 — Architect, Professional Engineer, or Land Surveyor; Fees (State License Fee Act) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Professional Engineer Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (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]