Transfer Your Engineering License to Ohio: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors ↗
Ohio grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination). 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.).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Ohio's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Ohio'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 Ohio, 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 Ohio requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Ohio issues a NEW PE license by comity after confirming qualifications equal to Ohio's standards when the applicant was first registered; comity is administered under R.C. Chapter 4796 (universal license recognition). No Ohio state engineering exam is required for PEs (that requirement applies only to surveyors). Underlying standard: EAC/ABET bachelor's degree plus four years progressive experience. Board office: 77 S. High St., Suite 2472, Columbus.
Ohio requirements at a glance
| Exam | FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination) |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $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.) |
| 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). |
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE registration in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction with qualifications equal to Ohio's standards (Ohio Admin. Code 4733-13-01; comity administered under R.C. Chapter 4796 universal license recognition).
- Submit verification/affidavit of your out-of-state registration; the board accepts an NCEES Record documenting education, exams, experience, and references.
- Hold a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program plus four years of qualifying progressive experience (eight years for ETAC/ABET engineering-technology graduates).
- Show no record of disciplinary action against any license held.
- Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 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)..
Official links
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Frequently asked questions
Does my PE license transfer to Ohio?
Ohio grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination). 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.).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Ohio?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination).
What does PE licensure in Ohio cost an out-of-state applicant?
$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.).
How long does the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors take to act on a comity application?
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)..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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