Engineering License from Idaho to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors ↗
A PE license transfers from Idaho to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your Idaho license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Ohio grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Idaho does not start over — but does file a full Ohio application. Your Idaho license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Ohio's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Idaho license active and unencumbered while the Ohio application is pending, and clearing any Ohio-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Idaho → Ohio
| Idaho (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | Idaho Code 54-1219 caps the comity application fee at a maximum of $150 (examination applicants are capped at $100 under 54-1213); the specific fee is set by DOPL within that cap. DOPL reduced all board fees by ~60% effective July 1, 2025 (Idaho Code 67-2608(3)), and the current DOPL fee schedule could not be loaded from a reachable official page at verification, so the exact current comity fee is left null rather than guessed. NCEES Record transmittal is $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid to NCEES | $415 (Engineering reciprocity (comity) application fee from the board's published fee schedule; a $50 PE final registration fee is due on issuance and renewal is $40 per biennium. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) |
| Processing time | DOPL does not publish a comity processing time; each comity application is considered by the board for substantial compliance with Idaho's licensure requirements | The board publishes no comity turnaround on a directly accessible page; comity applications are reviewed administratively once the out-of-state verification/NCEES Record is received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS), Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) | Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Ohio sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Ohio's current requirements on the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE registration in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction with qualifications equal to Ohio's standards (Ohio Admin. Code 4733-13-01; comity administered under R.C. Chapter 4796 universal license recognition).
- Submit verification/affidavit of your out-of-state registration; the board accepts an NCEES Record documenting education, exams, experience, and references.
- Hold a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program plus four years of qualifying progressive experience (eight years for ETAC/ABET engineering-technology graduates).
- Show no record of disciplinary action against any license held.
- Pay the fees ($415 (Engineering reciprocity (comity) application fee from the board's published fee schedule; a $50 PE final registration fee is due on issuance and renewal is $40 per biennium. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow The board publishes no comity turnaround on a directly accessible page; comity applications are reviewed administratively once the out-of-state verification/NCEES Record is received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio accept a Idaho PE license?
A PE license transfers from Idaho to Ohio by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Ohio State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, verify your Idaho license, and meet Ohio's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Idaho to Ohio?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Ohio requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity applicants (only professional surveyors must pass Ohio's two-hour state-specific surveying examination).
What does the Idaho-to-Ohio comity application cost?
$415 (Engineering reciprocity (comity) application fee from the board's published fee schedule; a $50 PE final registration fee is due on issuance and renewal is $40 per biennium. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.).
Can I keep my Idaho PE license after I'm licensed in Ohio?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Idaho 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.
- Ohio State Board of Registration for PE&S - Board Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Admin. Code 4733-13-01 - Comity and temporary registration ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Rev. Code 4733.19 - Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho Code 54-1219 — Comity Licensure; Fee (comity fee not to exceed $150) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho Admin. Code IDAPA 24.32.01.019 — Licensees or Certificate Holders of Other States, Boards, and Countries (comity requirements + 8-year waiver) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (IPELS home) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — press release: statewide ~60% board fee reduction effective July 1, 2025 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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