Engineering License from California to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE), verify your California license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Delaware grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Delaware application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Delaware's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Delaware application is pending, and clearing any Delaware-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Delaware
| California (current) | Delaware (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)) | $150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | No 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 widely | DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Select the Comity application and hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to the Delaware board (Record holders complete an abbreviated application).
- Provide at least three professional references who are PEs in good standing (separate reference forms are waived when references are in your NCEES Record).
- Complete Delaware's Ethics & Regulations questionnaire covering the DE Professional Engineers Act, Code of Ethics, and DAPE Bylaws.
- Pay the fees ($150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow DAPE publishes no turnaround; the credentials committee reviews applications on the last Wednesday of each month and forwards recommendations to the Council meeting on the second Wednesday of the following month, so timing depends on when a complete application lands relative to those meetings.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE), verify your California license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Delaware?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Delaware requires no separate proctored jurisprudence exam, but comity applicants must complete an Ethics & Regulations questionnaire.
What does the California-to-Delaware comity application cost?
$150 (DAPE PE application fee (payable by card online or by check to DAPE); after approval a $50 biennial registration fee is paid to place the license in active status. 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 Delaware?
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.
- DAPE - PE Applicants (comity path and NCEES Record) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DAPE - Application & Renewal Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Application Fees (PE $175, rising to $250 on 7/1/2026; state exam fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Licensee Fee Schedule (renewal $180 -> $250 on 7/1/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — PE Application Instructions (Laws & Rules exam; comity NCEES Record option) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California BPELSG — Professional Engineer Application overview (comity applicants) ↗ (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]