Engineering License from California to Maryland: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Maryland accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Maryland by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing), verify your California license, and meet Maryland's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Maryland grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Maryland application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Maryland's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Maryland application is pending, and clearing any Maryland-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between California and Maryland
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Maryland. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Maryland (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Maryland 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 Maryland.
- Application fee
Maryland lists $56–$142 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $175–$250 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Maryland lists 4–8 weeks; California has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Maryland and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Maryland (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers
- 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 → Maryland
| California (current) | Maryland (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)) | $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board 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 | 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days) |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maryland sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (which satisfies all supporting documentation), or otherwise provide official transcripts, exam verification, license verification, an experience record, and character references.
- Meet the education/experience standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree plus 4 years of acceptable experience (or a non-ABET degree plus 8 years, or 12 years of experience), with the FE exam passed.
- 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 Maryland?
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.
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Reciprocal License Application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Licensing FAQs (reciprocity timing, education/experience) ↗ (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
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