Engineering License from Colorado to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) ↗
A PE license transfers from Colorado to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Colorado license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Georgia grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Colorado does not start over — but does file a full Georgia application. Your Colorado license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Georgia's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Colorado license active and unencumbered while the Georgia application is pending, and clearing any Georgia-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Colorado → Georgia
| Colorado (current) | Georgia (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 | $100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| 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 | ~4 weeks (The Georgia SOS How-To Guide states comity applications are generally processed within about 20 business days (~4 weeks) of a complete application, evaluated in order received; a deficiency notice restarts the 20-day count) |
| Licensing authority | Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (Dept. of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations) | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications (NCEES Model Law Engineer status expedites review).
- Have NCEES transmit a completed NCEES Record to the Georgia PELS Board (Georgia requires the NCEES Record for comity licensure).
- Provide a secure and verifiable document establishing lawful presence (Georgia SAVE requirement).
- Show no record of disciplinary action against any license held.
- Pay the fees ($100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow ~4 weeks (The Georgia SOS How-To Guide states comity applications are generally processed within about 20 business days (~4 weeks) of a complete application, evaluated in order received; a deficiency notice restarts the 20-day count).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia accept a Colorado PE license?
A PE license transfers from Colorado to Georgia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board), verify your Colorado license, and meet Georgia's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Colorado to Georgia?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Georgia has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for comity.
What does the Colorado-to-Georgia comity application cost?
$100 ($100 Professional or Structural Engineer Application by Comity fee (non-refundable) per the board's official fee schedule, plus a $5 processing fee for each online submission; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Colorado PE license after I'm licensed in Georgia?
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.
- Georgia PELS Board — Fee Schedule (Rev. 3-4-2024): PE/SE Application by Comity $100 + $5 online processing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Georgia SOS — How-To Guide: Professional Engineer Licensure ($100 comity fee; ~20 business days) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Georgia now requires NCEES Record for comity licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Colorado State Board of Licensure (AES) - Engineer and Intern Applications and Forms ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]