Engineering License from North Carolina to Mississippi: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors ↗
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your North Carolina license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Mississippi grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in North Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Mississippi application. Your North Carolina license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Mississippi's practice act, not to re-test you. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your North Carolina license active and unencumbered while the Mississippi application is pending, and clearing any Mississippi-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, North Carolina → Mississippi
| North Carolina (current) | Mississippi (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) | $75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, 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) | No published turnaround; an application review committee usually meets at the end of each month to approve completed comity applications, and licensure is issued at that time. Mississippi does not issue temporary permits and does not allow any unlicensed practice while an application is pending |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) | Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Mississippi sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold current PE licensure in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Submit an NCEES Record; after review the Board may request experience-verification forms (at least 4 years) and character references (5 total, at least 3 from PEs, with one reference dated within the last 12 months).
- Hold an ABET-accredited BS engineering degree (or a CEAB/NCEES-evaluated equivalent); an engineering technology degree alone is not eligible.
- Have passed the FE exam (with EI enrollment) and the PE exam.
- Pay the fees ($75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow No published turnaround; an application review committee usually meets at the end of each month to approve completed comity applications, and licensure is issued at that time. Mississippi does not issue temporary permits and does not allow any unlicensed practice while an application is pending.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Mississippi accept a North Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Mississippi by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your North Carolina license, and meet Mississippi's endorsement requirements. Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from North Carolina to Mississippi?
Both the FE and PE (PPE) exams must have been passed; results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken. Mississippi has no state-specific PE exam or jurisprudence exam (a Mississippi Section exam applies only to Professional Surveyor applicants, not engineers).
What does the North Carolina-to-Mississippi comity application cost?
$75 (PE application (initial or comity) is $75 per the Board's 2026 fee schedule (effective June 2, 2026); a small credit-card/e-check convenience fee applies at online payment. A $25 processing fee applies only to paper applications where online submission is available (comity is filed online). Biennial renewal is $70; exam/licensure verification is $50 for comity licensees. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my North Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Mississippi?
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.
- MS Board of Licensure for PE & Surveyors — Comity PE (NCEES Record) application instructions (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MS Board — Fee Schedule (2026, effective 06-02-26) (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MS Board — Fee Schedule page ↗ (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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