Engineering License from California to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your California license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Montana requires no state seismic or surveying exam, but every comity applicant must complete the Board's PE Laws and Rules questionnaire in full.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Montana grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Montana application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Montana's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Montana requires no state seismic or surveying exam, but every comity applicant must complete the Board's PE Laws and Rules questionnaire in full. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Montana application is pending, and clearing any Montana-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Montana
| California (current) | Montana (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)) | $75 (Montana PE comity application fee (checks payable to the Board of PE & PLS); biennial renewal is also $75. 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; contact DLI Business Standards at (406) 444-6880 for current timelines |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active out-of-state PE license and apply by comity under MCA 37-67-312 / 37-67-323 via the state online portal, with prior passage of the NCEES PE exam.
- Have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to the board; foreign degrees must be evaluated by NCEES.
- Provide five character references, three of which must be from U.S.-licensed Professional Engineers.
- Complete the Board's PE Laws and Rules questionnaire; if licensed elsewhere with less experience than Montana requires, show post-licensure experience equal to twice the deficit (MCA 37-67-312, 2015 amendment).
- Pay the fees ($75 (Montana PE comity application fee (checks payable to the Board of PE & PLS); biennial renewal is also $75. 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; contact DLI Business Standards at (406) 444-6880 for current timelines.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division), verify your California license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Montana requires no state seismic or surveying exam, but every comity applicant must complete the Board's PE Laws and Rules questionnaire in full.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Montana?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Montana requires no state seismic or surveying exam, but every comity applicant must complete the Board's PE Laws and Rules questionnaire in full.
What does the California-to-Montana comity application cost?
$75 (Montana PE comity application fee (checks payable to the Board of PE & PLS); biennial renewal is also $75. 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 Montana?
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.
- Montana Board of PE & PLS — Professional Engineer license information (comity, $75 fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana Board of PE & PLS — PE Application with NCEES Record (comity requirements, laws-and-rules questionnaire, references) ↗ (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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