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

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) ↗

Vermont grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants. Application fee: $115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. 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 Vermont's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Vermont'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 Vermont, 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 Vermont requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.

Comity licensure under 26 V.S.A. 1182b: Vermont issues a new PE license to an engineer licensed in a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements, without re-examination. The board accepts an NCEES Record in lieu of the education/experience/reference sections. Fee verified on the official OPR fee schedule (updated 7/1/2025). No published comity processing time. The Vermont SOS site blocks automated fetching, so the fee and rules were verified via the official OPR PDFs on outside.vermont.gov and the statute text surfaced from legislature.vermont.gov.

Vermont requirements at a glance

Out-of-state PE license transfer requirements for Vermont, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants
Additional requirements	Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction whose requirements the Board deems substantially equivalent to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. 1182b) Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly Provide technical references, at least two of whom are professional engineers licensed in good standing in any jurisdiction Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree (or Board-recognized equivalent) plus progressive engineering experience
Fees	$115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)
Processing time	Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks.

Step by step

Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction whose requirements the Board deems substantially equivalent to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. 1182b).
Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly.
Provide technical references, at least two of whom are professional engineers licensed in good standing in any jurisdiction.
Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree (or Board-recognized equivalent) plus progressive engineering experience.
Pay the fees ($115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks..

Official links

Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) ↗Vermont application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

California → Vermont Florida → Vermont Georgia → Vermont Illinois → Vermont Michigan → Vermont New York → Vermont North Carolina → Vermont Ohio → Vermont Pennsylvania → Vermont Texas → Vermont

Frequently asked questions

Does my PE license transfer to Vermont?

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

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.

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

$115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.).

How long does the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) take to act on a comity application?

Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks..

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Vermont SOS/OPR — Engineering Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Vermont OPR — Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (Professional Engineer #018: $115 application, $175 renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Vermont Board of Professional Engineers — Administrative Rules (Aug 1 2017) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure; $175 first board / $100 each additional) ↗ (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]