Engineering License from Hawaii to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does North Carolina accept a Hawaii PE license?
A PE license transfers from Hawaii to North Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS), verify your Hawaii license, and meet North Carolina's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
North Carolina grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Hawaii does not start over — but does file a full North Carolina application. Your Hawaii license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet North Carolina's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Hawaii license active and unencumbered while the North Carolina application is pending, and clearing any North Carolina-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Hawaii and North Carolina
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into North Carolina. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Hawaii to North Carolina (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
North Carolina to Hawaii (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Hawaii matter?
Coming from Hawaii does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into North Carolina.
- Application fee
North Carolina lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Hawaii lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
North Carolina and Hawaii carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- North Carolina (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam
- Hawaii (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Council Record (or a state exam/license verification) and are not retaken; the FE may be waived for endorsement with 15 years of experience in responsible charge, but the PE exam requirement cannot be waived; structural licensure requires the 16-hour NCEES Structural exam; Hawaii has no separate state law exam
What changes, Hawaii → North Carolina
| Hawaii (current) | North Carolina (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $150 ($150 non-refundable endorsement application fee (payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs), per the board's official application form. A separate license-issuance fee is assessed after approval and prorated to the biennium (engineer licenses expire April 30 of even-numbered years): license $64, Compliance Resolution Fund $50 or $100, plus up to a $52 half-period renewal. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES) | $100 (NC comity application fee (non-refundable); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; an application is deemed abandoned if not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9) | NCBELS publishes no comity turnaround; comity applications are administratively approved by the Executive Director once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) |
| Licensing authority | Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (BPEASLA), DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing (PVL) | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — North Carolina sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm North Carolina's current requirements on the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable qualifications.
- Submit an NCEES Record (or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly).
- Provide professional reference forms and show no record of disciplinary action.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Hawaii PE license after I'm licensed in North Carolina?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Hawaii 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.
- NCBELS — Initial or Comity PE Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Requirements & Application for Licensure, Engineer (EAS-00(b)/EAS-01, rev. 12/2024): endorsement pathway, $150 endorsement fee, exam transfer, FE waiver ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Hawaii DCCA — Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors & Landscape Architects (board home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Application Forms and Publications (Engineer) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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