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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗

Yes — Michigan issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Michigan's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. 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).

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Comity is Michigan's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Michigan'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 Michigan, 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 Michigan requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

Licensure by endorsement: an engineer holding a license in another state with equivalent qualifications may obtain a Michigan license, and Michigan accepts a transmitted NCEES Record. LARA's Bureau of Professional Licensing administers the Board of Professional Engineers. No state-specific exam. Aggregator sites reporting $500-$755 total costs are not supported by the statutory fee schedule and were rejected

Michigan requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Michigan, verified 2026-07-21
ExamFE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers
Additional requirements
  • Hold a PE license in another state with qualifications equivalent to Michigan's licensure requirements
  • Submit an NCEES Record (or NCEES certification) transmitted to LARA
  • Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree, the FE and PE exams, and 4 years of qualifying experience
Fees$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)
Processing timeLARA/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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a PE license in another state with qualifications equivalent to Michigan's licensure requirements.
  5. Submit an NCEES Record (or NCEES certification) transmitted to LARA.
  6. Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree, the FE and PE exams, and 4 years of qualifying experience.
  7. Pay the fees ($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)) and allow 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.

Official links

Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) ↗Michigan application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → MichiganAlaska → MichiganArizona → MichiganArkansas → MichiganCalifornia → MichiganColorado → MichiganConnecticut → MichiganDelaware → MichiganDistrict of Columbia → MichiganFlorida → MichiganGeorgia → MichiganHawaii → MichiganIdaho → MichiganIllinois → MichiganIndiana → MichiganIowa → MichiganKansas → MichiganKentucky → MichiganLouisiana → MichiganMaine → Michigan
All 50 origin states
Maryland → MichiganMassachusetts → MichiganMinnesota → MichiganMississippi → MichiganMissouri → MichiganMontana → MichiganNebraska → MichiganNevada → MichiganNew Hampshire → MichiganNew Jersey → MichiganNew Mexico → MichiganNew York → MichiganNorth Carolina → MichiganNorth Dakota → MichiganOhio → MichiganOklahoma → MichiganOregon → MichiganPennsylvania → MichiganRhode Island → MichiganSouth Carolina → MichiganSouth Dakota → MichiganTennessee → MichiganTexas → MichiganUtah → MichiganVermont → MichiganVirginia → MichiganWashington → MichiganWest Virginia → MichiganWisconsin → MichiganWyoming → Michigan

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Michigan?

Yes — Michigan issues a new Professional Engineer license by comity to an engineer already licensed in another state. You apply to the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), which verifies your ABET-accredited degree, experience, exam record, and good standing against Michigan's own statute rather than re-testing you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. 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).

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

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.

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

$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).

How long does the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) take to act on a comity application?

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.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]