Engineering License from California to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Utah grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Utah application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Utah's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Utah application is pending, and clearing any Utah-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Utah
| California (current) | Utah (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)) | Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, 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 | Utah DOPL publishes no endorsement turnaround on the engineering pages; processing begins once the NCEES Record or license verification is received. |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Provide official verification of an active, good-standing license in a U.S. jurisdiction with a similar scope of practice.
- Have held that license type for at least one year.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (or have official FE/PE score verifications sent directly to DOPL).
- Meet the degree-and-experience standard under Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 22 and rule R156-22.
- Pay the fees (Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES.) and allow Utah DOPL publishes no endorsement turnaround on the engineering pages; processing begins once the NCEES Record or license verification is received..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board, verify your California license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Utah?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
What does the California-to-Utah comity application cost?
Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES..
Can I keep my California PE license after I'm licensed in Utah?
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.
- Utah DOPL — PE Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Utah DOPL — Division of Professional Licensing Fee Schedule (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 22 — Professional Engineers & Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Act ↗ (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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