Engineering License from Georgia to South Dakota: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: South Dakota Board of Technical Professions ↗
A PE license transfers from Georgia to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions, verify your Georgia license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; South Dakota accepts a verified NCEES record as evidence of meeting comity requirements and requires no additional state engineering exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
South Dakota grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Georgia does not start over — but does file a full South Dakota application. Your Georgia license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet South Dakota's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; South Dakota accepts a verified NCEES record as evidence of meeting comity requirements and requires no additional state engineering exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Georgia license active and unencumbered while the South Dakota application is pending, and clearing any South Dakota-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Georgia → South Dakota
| Georgia (current) | South Dakota (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $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) | $100 (SD Board of Technical Professions comity/reciprocity individual application fee; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES. Individual biennial renewal is $80.) |
| Processing time | ~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) | The Board of Technical Professions publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are processed once license verification (or the NCEES record) is received. |
| Licensing authority | Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Georgia PELS Board) | South Dakota Board of Technical Professions |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Dakota sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm South Dakota's current requirements on the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold and verify an active PE license in another U.S. state (or foreign country).
- Submit a verified NCEES record (accepted as evidence of meeting comity requirements) or complete the ARSD 20:38:29 application items.
- Be fully licensed by the board before offering or practicing engineering in South Dakota.
- Meet the underlying degree-and-experience standard (EAC/ABET degree plus qualifying experience under SDCL 36-18A).
- Pay the fees ($100 (SD Board of Technical Professions comity/reciprocity individual application fee; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES. Individual biennial renewal is $80.)) and allow The Board of Technical Professions publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are processed once license verification (or the NCEES record) is received..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does South Dakota accept a Georgia PE license?
A PE license transfers from Georgia to South Dakota by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions, verify your Georgia license, and meet South Dakota's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; South Dakota accepts a verified NCEES record as evidence of meeting comity requirements and requires no additional state engineering exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Georgia to South Dakota?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; South Dakota accepts a verified NCEES record as evidence of meeting comity requirements and requires no additional state engineering exam.
What does the Georgia-to-South Dakota comity application cost?
$100 (SD Board of Technical Professions comity/reciprocity individual application fee; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES. Individual biennial renewal is $80.).
Can I keep my Georgia PE license after I'm licensed in South Dakota?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Georgia 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.
- SD Board of Technical Professions — Comity/Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SD Board of Technical Professions — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- S.D. Admin. R. 20:38:34:01 — Comity licensure (via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]