Engineering License from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio does not start over — but does file a full Kentucky application. Your Ohio 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 Ohio 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, Ohio → Kentucky
| Ohio (current) | Kentucky (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $415 (Engineering reciprocity (comity) application fee from the board's published fee schedule; a $50 PE final registration fee is due on issuance and renewal is $40 per biennium. Transmitting an NCEES Record 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 | The board publishes no comity turnaround on a directly accessible page; comity applications are reviewed administratively once the out-of-state verification/NCEES Record is 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 | Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors | 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 Ohio PE license?
A PE license transfers from Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio-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 Ohio PE license after I'm licensed in Kentucky?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Ohio 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)
- Ohio State Board of Registration for PE&S - Board Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Admin. Code 4733-13-01 - Comity and temporary registration ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Rev. Code 4733.19 - Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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