Engineering License from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire does not start over — but does file a full Pennsylvania application. Your New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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, New Hampshire → Pennsylvania
| New Hampshire (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $165 (New Hampshire PE application fee per the OPLC engineers' fee schedule (renewal is also $165). 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 | OPLC publishes no PE endorsement turnaround; HB 594 reciprocity is designed as a streamlined pathway but no time figure is stated on an official page | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Professional Engineers (NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, OPLC) | 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 New Hampshire PE license?
A PE license transfers from New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire-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 New Hampshire PE license after I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the New Hampshire 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)
- NH OPLC — Reciprocity Licensing (HB 594 endorsement pathway) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC Board of Professional Engineers — Engineers' License Fees ($165 application) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC Board of Professional Engineers — Engineers' Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity transmittal fees) ↗ (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]