Engineering License from Pennsylvania to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maine grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full Maine application. Your Pennsylvania license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Maine's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Pennsylvania license active and unencumbered while the Maine application is pending, and clearing any Maine-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Maine
| Pennsylvania (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) | $170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) | The board publishes no comity turnaround; the Maine and NCEES databases are separate, so the applicant must have NCEES transmit the Record before the application can be reviewed |
| Licensing authority | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in good standing in another U.S. state, territory, D.C., or foreign country.
- Provide a current NCEES Record (accepted for comity) or equivalent transcripts, FE/PE exam results, experience, and references.
- Meet the standard comity path (ABET-approved curriculum, at least four years of experience after graduation, FE and PE passed) OR the eight-year path (licensed in good standing 8+ years with substantially equivalent qualifications, where the board may waive additional requirements).
- Submit Engineering Employment Verification Forms if not relying solely on a complete NCEES Record.
- Pay the fees ($170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow The board publishes no comity turnaround; the Maine and NCEES databases are separate, so the applicant must have NCEES transmit the Record before the application can be reviewed.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Pennsylvania to Maine?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Maine requires no state-specific exam.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Maine comity application cost?
$170 (Maine cost to license by comity = $50 application fee + $120 licensure fee, paid together at application; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in Maine?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Pennsylvania 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.
- Maine Board of Licensure for PEs — Professional Engineer Licensing (comity fees & pathway) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maine Revised Statutes Title 32 sec. 1352-A — Qualifications (comity subsections 1.A and 1.A-1) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (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]