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LicenseReciprocity

Engineering License from California to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) ↗

A PE license transfers from California to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your California license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Colorado grants endorsement 'without further examination' and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Colorado grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Colorado application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Colorado's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Colorado grants endorsement 'without further examination' and has no separate state jurisprudence exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Colorado application is pending, and clearing any Colorado-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.

What changes, California → Colorado

Side-by-side: California vs Colorado (Engineering (PE)), verified 2026-07-21
California (current)Colorado (destination)
Application fee$175–$250 (Board PE application fee was $175 and rose to $250 effective July 1, 2026 (amended 16 CCR sec. 407); because the 2026-07-21 data date is after that effective date, $250 is the operative amount, though the official fee page still labeled $175 as 'current' at access — confirm the operative amount. Civil applicants also pay the Board's Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exam fees ($175 each, rising to $250 each on 7/1/2026). NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES; biennial renewal is $180 (rising to $250 on 7/1/2026))Colorado's public board pages do not display a static PE endorsement fee; the amount appears only inside the downloadable application form and at checkout in the DPO Online Services system, so it is left null pending confirmation on an official page (contact [email protected]). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES
Processing timeNo board-published comity turnaround; the application undergoes technical review and the applicant becomes eligible for any required state-specific exams (offered in limited quarterly windows) only after that review is approved, so total time varies widelyDORA's Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no comity turnaround; endorsement is reviewed administratively once written verification from the original state (or the NCEES Record) is received
Licensing authorityCalifornia Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG)Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations)

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Colorado's current requirements on the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold an active PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction with qualifications substantially equivalent to Colorado's current requirements (or those in effect when you were first licensed).
  5. Submit an NCEES Record, or file official sealed transcripts plus a sealed experience-verification/summary directly.
  6. Have the original licensing state send written verification of how you qualified for licensure and your current license status.
  7. Pay the fees (Colorado's public board pages do not display a static PE endorsement fee; the amount appears only inside the downloadable application form and at checkout in the DPO Online Services system, so it is left null pending confirmation on an official page (contact [email protected]). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) and allow DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no comity turnaround; endorsement is reviewed administratively once written verification from the original state (or the NCEES Record) is received.

Official links

Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) ↗Colorado application ↗License verification ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Colorado → CaliforniaEngineering in CaliforniaEngineering in ColoradoAll engineering states

Frequently asked questions

Does Colorado accept a California PE license?

A PE license transfers from California to Colorado by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations), verify your California license, and meet Colorado's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Colorado grants endorsement 'without further examination' and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.

Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Colorado?

FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Colorado grants endorsement 'without further examination' and has no separate state jurisprudence exam.

What does the California-to-Colorado comity application cost?

Colorado's public board pages do not display a static PE endorsement fee; the amount appears only inside the downloadable application form and at checkout in the DPO Online Services system, so it is left null pending confirmation on an official page (contact [email protected]). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.

Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Colorado?

Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the California 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.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]