Engineering License from Pennsylvania to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) ↗
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maryland grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full Maryland application. Your Pennsylvania license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Maryland's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Pennsylvania license active and unencumbered while the Maryland application is pending, and clearing any Maryland-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Maryland
| Pennsylvania (current) | Maryland (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.) | $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately 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.) | 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days) |
| Licensing authority | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (which satisfies all supporting documentation), or otherwise provide official transcripts, exam verification, license verification, an experience record, and character references.
- Meet the education/experience standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree plus 4 years of acceptable experience (or a non-ABET degree plus 8 years, or 12 years of experience), with the FE exam passed.
- Pay the fees ($56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Pennsylvania to Maryland?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Maryland comity application cost?
$56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in Maryland?
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.
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Reciprocal License Application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Licensing FAQs (reciprocity timing, education/experience) ↗ (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]