Engineering License from Colorado to California: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does California accept a Colorado PE license?
A PE license transfers from Colorado to California by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG), verify your Colorado license, and meet California's endorsement requirements. 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).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
California grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Colorado does not start over — but does file a full California application. Your Colorado license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet California's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Colorado license active and unencumbered while the California application is pending, and clearing any California-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Colorado and California
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into California. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Colorado to California (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
California to Colorado (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Colorado matter?
Coming from Colorado does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into California.
- Application fee
California lists $175–$250 for an out-of-state applicant; Colorado has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
California and Colorado carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- California (this 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)
- Colorado (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Colorado grants endorsement 'without further examination' and has no separate state jurisprudence exam
What changes, Colorado → California
| Colorado (current) | California (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | Colorado's public board pages do not display a static PE endorsement fee; the amount appears only inside the downloadable application form and at checkout in the DPO Online Services system, so it is left null pending confirmation on an official page (contact [email protected]). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES | $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)) |
| Processing time | DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations publishes no comity turnaround; endorsement is reviewed administratively once written verification from the original state (or the NCEES Record) is received | 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 |
| Licensing authority | Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — California sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license from another state obtained under requirements the Board deems equivalent to California's.
- Apply through BPELSG Connect and verify out-of-state licensure and exams via NCEES (an NCEES Record may replace references and transcripts for comity applicants).
- Pass the California Laws and Rules Examination.
- Civil engineers only: pass the California Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exams.
- Underlying standard: qualifying engineering education plus qualifying experience per Business & Professions Code sections 6751(c) and 6753.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Colorado PE license after I'm licensed in California?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Colorado 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.
- 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)
- Colorado State Board of Licensure (AES) - Engineer and Intern Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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