Engineering License from California to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) ↗
A PE license transfers from California to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State), verify your California license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Vermont grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in California does not start over — but does file a full Vermont application. Your California license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Vermont's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your California license active and unencumbered while the Vermont application is pending, and clearing any Vermont-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, California → Vermont
| California (current) | Vermont (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)) | $115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. 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 | Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks. |
| Licensing authority | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) | Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction whose requirements the Board deems substantially equivalent to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. 1182b).
- Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly.
- Provide technical references, at least two of whom are professional engineers licensed in good standing in any jurisdiction.
- Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree (or Board-recognized equivalent) plus progressive engineering experience.
- Pay the fees ($115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a California PE license?
A PE license transfers from California to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State), verify your California license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from California to Vermont?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
What does the California-to-Vermont comity application cost?
$115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. 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 Vermont?
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.
- Vermont SOS/OPR — Engineering Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Vermont OPR — Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (Professional Engineer #018: $115 application, $175 renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Vermont Board of Professional Engineers — Administrative Rules (Aug 1 2017) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure; $175 first board / $100 each additional) ↗ (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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