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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Engineering License to Pennsylvania: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists ↗

Pennsylvania grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists 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; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors). 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.).

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Comity is Pennsylvania's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

Pennsylvania issues a new PE license by endorsement under Act 41 (63 Pa.C.S. 3111) and 49 Pa. Code 37.20; the $50 fee is the board's certification/licensure/registration application fee. Underlying PE standard (49 Pa. Code 37.31): EAC/ABET degree, FE and PE exams, and four years of progressive experience. Applications and public license verification are both handled at pals.pa.gov.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Pennsylvania, verified 2026-07-21
ExamFE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors)
Additional requirements
  • Hold a current PE license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's (49 Pa. Code 37.20; 63 Pa.C.S. 3111)
  • Submit a copy of the current law/regulation governing licensure and scope of practice in the jurisdiction that issued the license
  • Demonstrate competency by active practice for at least 2 of the last 5 years OR completion of 24 professional development hours in the prior 24 months
  • Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history; the board may require a personal interview (video permitted for good cause)
Fees$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.)
Processing time4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.)

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a current PE license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's (49 Pa. Code 37.20; 63 Pa.C.S. 3111).
  5. Submit a copy of the current law/regulation governing licensure and scope of practice in the jurisdiction that issued the license.
  6. Demonstrate competency by active practice for at least 2 of the last 5 years OR completion of 24 professional development hours in the prior 24 months.
  7. Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history; the board may require a personal interview (video permitted for good cause).
  8. Pay the fees ($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.)) and allow 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.).

Official links

State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists ↗Pennsylvania application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Pennsylvania:

Alabama → PennsylvaniaAlaska → PennsylvaniaArizona → PennsylvaniaArkansas → PennsylvaniaCalifornia → PennsylvaniaColorado → PennsylvaniaConnecticut → PennsylvaniaDelaware → PennsylvaniaDistrict of Columbia → PennsylvaniaFlorida → PennsylvaniaGeorgia → PennsylvaniaHawaii → PennsylvaniaIdaho → PennsylvaniaIllinois → PennsylvaniaIndiana → PennsylvaniaIowa → PennsylvaniaKansas → PennsylvaniaKentucky → PennsylvaniaLouisiana → PennsylvaniaMaine → Pennsylvania
All 50 origin states
Maryland → PennsylvaniaMassachusetts → PennsylvaniaMichigan → PennsylvaniaMinnesota → PennsylvaniaMississippi → PennsylvaniaMissouri → PennsylvaniaMontana → PennsylvaniaNebraska → PennsylvaniaNevada → PennsylvaniaNew Hampshire → PennsylvaniaNew Jersey → PennsylvaniaNew Mexico → PennsylvaniaNew York → PennsylvaniaNorth Carolina → PennsylvaniaNorth Dakota → PennsylvaniaOhio → PennsylvaniaOklahoma → PennsylvaniaOregon → PennsylvaniaRhode Island → PennsylvaniaSouth Carolina → PennsylvaniaSouth Dakota → PennsylvaniaTennessee → PennsylvaniaTexas → PennsylvaniaUtah → PennsylvaniaVermont → PennsylvaniaVirginia → PennsylvaniaWashington → PennsylvaniaWest Virginia → PennsylvaniaWisconsin → PennsylvaniaWyoming → Pennsylvania

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists 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; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors). 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.).

Do I retake the FE or PE exam to get licensed in Pennsylvania?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).

What does PE licensure in Pennsylvania cost an out-of-state applicant?

$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.).

How long does the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists take to act on a comity application?

4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.).

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]