Engineering License from Minnesota to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists ↗
A PE license transfers from Minnesota to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, verify your Minnesota license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Pennsylvania grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Minnesota does not start over — but does file a full Pennsylvania application. Your Minnesota license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Pennsylvania's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Minnesota license active and unencumbered while the Pennsylvania application is pending, and clearing any Pennsylvania-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Minnesota → Pennsylvania
| Minnesota (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $75–$195 (Comity/EEE application fee is $75; upon approval the license fee is $120 (= $195 total). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) |
| Processing time | The Board does not publish a specific comity turnaround; completed comity applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). EEE applicants have three years from the original application date to complete experience documentation or must reapply | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) |
| Licensing authority | Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience and Interior Design (AELSLAGID) | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's (49 Pa. Code 37.20; 63 Pa.C.S. 3111).
- Submit a copy of the current law/regulation governing licensure and scope of practice in the jurisdiction that issued the license.
- Demonstrate competency by active practice for at least 2 of the last 5 years OR completion of 24 professional development hours in the prior 24 months.
- Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history; the board may require a personal interview (video permitted for good cause).
- Pay the fees ($50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania accept a Minnesota PE license?
A PE license transfers from Minnesota to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, verify your Minnesota license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Minnesota to Pennsylvania?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
What does the Minnesota-to-Pennsylvania comity application cost?
$50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.).
Can I keep my Minnesota PE license after I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Minnesota 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.
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Minnesota Board of AELSLAGID — Professional Engineering (comity/EEE, fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Minnesota Board of AELSLAGID — Professional Engineering Application by Comity or EEE (instructions PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Minnesota Rules ch. 1800 (Board of AELSLAGID) ↗ (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]