Engineering License from California to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Indiana accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Indiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA), verify your California license, and meet Indiana's endorsement requirements. FE (Part I) and PE (Part II, the NCEES PE exam) results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken (the FE is waived if already passed elsewhere); HOWEVER Indiana requires every comity applicant to complete Part III of the Indiana PE examination — a take-home (open-book) exam on professional conduct and Indiana registration law, submitted with the application.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Indiana grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Indiana application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Indiana's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Indiana application is pending, and clearing any Indiana-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between California and Indiana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Indiana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Indiana (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Indiana to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Indiana.
- Application fee
Indiana lists $300 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $175–$250 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Indiana and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Indiana (this move): FE (Part I) and PE (Part II, the NCEES PE exam) results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken (the FE is waived if already passed elsewhere); HOWEVER Indiana requires every comity applicant to complete Part III of the Indiana PE examination — a take-home (open-book) exam on professional conduct and Indiana registration law, submitted with the application
- California (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; however, every PE applicant (including comity) must complete California's Laws and Rules Examination on the Professional Engineers Act (B&P Code 6700-6799) and Board Rules (16 CCR 400-476), which appears on the applicant dashboard after the application is submitted; civil-engineering applicants must also pass the California-specific Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exams (these two do NOT apply to non-civil disciplines such as mechanical or electrical)
What changes, California → Indiana
| California (current) | Indiana (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)) | $300 ($300 comity/reciprocity registration fee (864 IAC 1.1-12-1, non-refundable and non-transferable). A separate original certificate (issuance) fee applies: $50 if the registration is issued in an odd-numbered year or $100 if issued in an even-numbered year. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid 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 | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; comity applications are reviewed by the board for substantial equivalence to Indiana's requirements, including Part III and the reference reports |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE registration in another U.S. state/territory issued under requirements that do not conflict with Indiana's (education, experience, and the FE + PE exams).
- Complete Part III of the Indiana PE examination (take-home, open-book exam on professional conduct and Indiana registration law).
- Provide reference reports on the applicant's competence — at least three from registered professional engineers (Indiana's application requests five references, three of them from PEs).
- Have the NCEES Record made available to Indiana, or submit certification of FE/PE passage plus official college transcripts.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Indiana?
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.
- Indiana Code 25-31-1-21 — License by reciprocity (IGA official, Title 25 Art. 31 Ch. 1) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 864 IAC 1.1-12-1 — Fees charged by board (comity registration $300; original certificate $50/$100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Indiana PLA — Engineering Licensing Information (comity: Part III exam, PE references, NCEES file) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com