Engineering License from California to Missouri: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA) ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Missouri by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA), verify your California license, and meet Missouri's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Missouri requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Missouri grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Missouri application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Missouri's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Missouri requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Missouri application is pending, and clearing any Missouri-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Missouri
| California (current) | Missouri (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)) | $200 (Missouri comity application fee (check or money order payable to the Missouri Board for Professional Engineers; nonrefundable per 20 CSR 2030-6.010). 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 | Board publishes no comity turnaround; it states completed applications are processed in order of receipt and that a specific licensure date cannot be projected. NCEES-Record applications are held until the Record is received |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Missouri sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Missouri's current requirements on the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another state, territory, or country (Model Law Engineers and NCEES Council Record holders apply through the same comity route).
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (then complete only pages 1 and 5 of the application), or complete the full education, experience, and reference sections of the Missouri application.
- Hold an ABET-accredited bachelor's degree in engineering plus four years of qualifying experience (engineering technology degrees are not accepted).
- Disclose any disciplinary action, provide references, and include a photograph with the application.
- Pay the fees ($200 (Missouri comity application fee (check or money order payable to the Missouri Board for Professional Engineers; nonrefundable per 20 CSR 2030-6.010). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow Board publishes no comity turnaround; it states completed applications are processed in order of receipt and that a specific licensure date cannot be projected. NCEES-Record applications are held until the Record is received.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Missouri accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Missouri by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (APELSLA), verify your California license, and meet Missouri's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Missouri requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Missouri?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Missouri requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
What does the California-to-Missouri comity application cost?
$200 (Missouri comity application fee (check or money order payable to the Missouri Board for Professional Engineers; nonrefundable per 20 CSR 2030-6.010). 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 Missouri?
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.
- Missouri APELSLA — PE Licensure by Comity (requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Missouri APELSLA — Application for Licensure as a PE by Comity, Form 375-0130 ($200 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity transmittal fees) ↗ (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
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