Transfer Your Engineering License to North Dakota: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) ↗
North Dakota grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; North Dakota has no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors), though the board may include code-of-ethics questions. Application fee: $150 (N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10-02 sets the professional engineer registration fee at a maximum of $150, which applies to endorsement registration; the board publishes no separate comity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Moving to North Dakota from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is North Dakota's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets North Dakota's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to North Dakota, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.
Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where North Dakota requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
North Dakota offers no reciprocity with any jurisdiction; out-of-state PEs register by endorsement only (registration without examination on the basis of comparable qualifications, N.D.C.C. 43-19.1-13). The board accepts a verified NCEES Record in lieu of submitting transcripts, experience, exam verifications, and references directly (N.D. Admin. Code 28-02.1-01-02(7)), but a Record is not mandatory. Underlying standard is an engineering degree plus four years of qualifying experience and passing the FE and PE NCEES exams. A Model Law designation lets the board process the file within 1-2 workdays. Biennial PE renewal is up to $150 (before Dec 31) or $200 (after).
North Dakota requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; North Dakota has no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors), though the board may include code-of-ethics questions |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $150 (N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10-02 sets the professional engineer registration fee at a maximum of $150, which applies to endorsement registration; the board publishes no separate comity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | 6–8 weeks (Board states standard processing is 6-8 weeks from receipt of a completed application; an application from an applicant holding an NCEES Model Law designation is generally processed within 1-2 workdays) |
Step by step
- Confirm North Dakota's current requirements on the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction (North Dakota grants licensure by endorsement, not reciprocity).
- Submit a verified NCEES Record (transmitted to the board within one year of application), or supply transcripts, experience, exam verifications, and references directly — a Record may be accepted in lieu of those items but is not mandatory.
- Provide five references, at least three from professional engineers, dated within the last year (a Model Law designation satisfies the reference requirement regardless of date).
- Document experience that is current with no gaps exceeding 90 days.
- Pay the fees ($150 (N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10-02 sets the professional engineer registration fee at a maximum of $150, which applies to endorsement registration; the board publishes no separate comity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 6–8 weeks (Board states standard processing is 6-8 weeks from receipt of a completed application; an application from an applicant holding an NCEES Model Law designation is generally processed within 1-2 workdays).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into North Dakota:
Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to North Dakota?
North Dakota grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; North Dakota has no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors), though the board may include code-of-ethics questions. Application fee: $150 (N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10-02 sets the professional engineer registration fee at a maximum of $150, which applies to endorsement registration; the board publishes no separate comity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in North Dakota?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or direct board-to-board verification) and are not retaken; North Dakota has no state-specific engineering examination (its state-specific exam applies only to land surveyors), though the board may include code-of-ethics questions.
What does PE licensure in North Dakota cost an out-of-state applicant?
$150 (N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10-02 sets the professional engineer registration fee at a maximum of $150, which applies to endorsement registration; the board publishes no separate comity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
How long does the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) take to act on a comity application?
6–8 weeks (Board states standard processing is 6-8 weeks from receipt of a completed application; an application from an applicant holding an NCEES Model Law designation is generally processed within 1-2 workdays).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NDPELS — Professional Engineer Application (endorsement, NCEES Record required) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- N.D. Admin Code 28-02.1-10 — Examinations and Fees (eff. 1/1/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NDPELS — Application FAQs (processing time, references) ↗ (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]