Engineering License from North Carolina to Kentucky: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kentucky requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Kentucky grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in North Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Kentucky application. Your North Carolina license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Kentucky's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kentucky requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your North Carolina license active and unencumbered while the Kentucky application is pending, and clearing any Kentucky-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, North Carolina → Kentucky
| North Carolina (current) | Kentucky (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) | $300 (Kentucky endorsement/comity application fee (nonrefundable), due when the application is submitted; no separate license fee until the first biennial renewal roughly two years later; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid 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) | 2–6 weeks (Board states the review can take as little as two weeks but up to six weeks after a complete application and NCEES Record are received) |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) | Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kentucky sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kentucky's current requirements on the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction and establish an NCEES Record before applying (Kentucky requires the NCEES Record for endorsement/comity).
- Hold an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering degree (engineering-technology degrees accepted only with an accredited master's; foreign degrees need an NCEES Credentials Evaluation).
- Document at least four years of progressive engineering experience and passage of the FE and PE exams.
- Provide references and maintain a clean disciplinary record.
- Pay the fees ($300 (Kentucky endorsement/comity application fee (nonrefundable), due when the application is submitted; no separate license fee until the first biennial renewal roughly two years later; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow 2–6 weeks (Board states the review can take as little as two weeks but up to six weeks after a complete application and NCEES Record are received).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky accept a North Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Kentucky by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Kentucky's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kentucky requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from North Carolina to Kentucky?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kentucky requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
What does the North Carolina-to-Kentucky comity application cost?
$300 (Kentucky endorsement/comity application fee (nonrefundable), due when the application is submitted; no separate license fee until the first biennial renewal roughly two years later; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my North Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Kentucky?
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.
- KYBOELS — Engineering License Process (endorsement/comity) ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]