Engineering License from Pennsylvania to North Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. 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.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
North Dakota grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full North Dakota application. Your Pennsylvania license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet North Dakota's practice act, not to re-test 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. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Pennsylvania license active and unencumbered while the North Dakota application is pending, and clearing any North Dakota-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Pennsylvania → North Dakota
| Pennsylvania (current) | North Dakota (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.) | $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 | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) | 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) |
| Licensing authority | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Dakota sets the rules for this move.
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 (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) (application linked below).
- 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
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Dakota accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to North Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet North Dakota's endorsement requirements. 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.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Pennsylvania to 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 the Pennsylvania-to-North Dakota comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in North Dakota?
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.
- 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)
- 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)
- 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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