Engineering License from North Carolina to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) ↗
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Delaware grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in North Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Delaware application. Your North Carolina license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Delaware's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your North Carolina license active and unencumbered while the Delaware application is pending, and clearing any Delaware-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, North Carolina → Delaware
| North Carolina (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 (NC comity application fee (non-refundable); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) | $150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | NCBELS publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are administratively approved by the Executive Director once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) | DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) | Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Select the Comity application and hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to the Delaware board (Record holders complete an abbreviated application).
- Provide at least three professional references who are PEs in good standing (separate reference forms are waived when references are in your NCEES Record).
- Complete Delaware's Ethics & Regulations questionnaire covering the DE Professional Engineers Act, Code of Ethics, and DAPE Bylaws.
- Pay the fees ($150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware accept a North Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from North Carolina to Delaware?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
What does the North Carolina-to-Delaware comity application cost?
$150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my North Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Delaware?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the North Carolina 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.
- DAPE - PE Applicants (comity path and NCEES Record) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DAPE - Application & Renewal Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCBELS — Initial or Comity PE Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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