Engineering License from Michigan to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) ↗
A PE license transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; a Model Law Engineer may be licensed directly on the Record without further written examination, and South Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
South Carolina grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Michigan does not start over — but does file a full South Carolina application. Your Michigan license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet South Carolina's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; a Model Law Engineer may be licensed directly on the Record without further written examination, and South Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Michigan license active and unencumbered while the South Carolina application is pending, and clearing any South Carolina-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Michigan → South Carolina
| Michigan (current) | South Carolina (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) | $60 (SC Board PE-by-comity application fee per the LLR fee schedule; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Biennial renewal is separate.) |
| 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 | LLR publishes no comity processing time; comity applications are reviewed once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) | South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, unencumbered PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable requirements.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (Model Law Engineers are licensed on the Record; others are subject to board review).
- File the board's PE Individual Licensure by Comity application; applicant must not have previously held an SC license.
- Pay the fees ($60 (SC Board PE-by-comity application fee per the LLR fee schedule; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Biennial renewal is separate.)) and allow LLR publishes no comity processing time; comity applications are reviewed once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina accept a Michigan PE license?
A PE license transfers from Michigan to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation), verify your Michigan license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; a Model Law Engineer may be licensed directly on the Record without further written examination, and South Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Michigan to South Carolina?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; a Model Law Engineer may be licensed directly on the Record without further written examination, and South Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
What does the Michigan-to-South Carolina comity application cost?
$60 (SC Board PE-by-comity application fee per the LLR fee schedule; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Biennial renewal is separate.).
Can I keep my Michigan PE license after I'm licensed in South Carolina?
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.
- S.C. Code Regs. 49-203 — Licensure by Comity (verbatim SC Code of Regulations via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC LLR Board of Registration for PEs & Surveyors — PE Individual Licensure by Comity ↗ (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]