Engineering License from Idaho to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept an Idaho PE license?
A PE license transfers from Idaho to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists, verify your Idaho license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors).
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Pennsylvania grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Idaho does not start over — but does file a full Pennsylvania application. Your Idaho license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Pennsylvania's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Idaho license active and unencumbered while the Pennsylvania application is pending, and clearing any Pennsylvania-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Idaho and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Idaho to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to Idaho (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Idaho matter?
Coming from Idaho does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Pennsylvania.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $50 for an out-of-state applicant; Idaho has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Processing time
Pennsylvania lists 4–6 weeks; Idaho has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and Idaho carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Pennsylvania requires no state-specific engineering exam for endorsement (state-specific exams apply only to land surveyors)
- Idaho (the reverse move): FE and PE (NCEES) exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken — having passed the NCEES exams satisfies Idaho's examination requirement; Idaho has no separate state law exam for PE comity (a state surveying exam applies only to land surveyors, not to the PE credential)
What changes, Idaho → Pennsylvania
| Idaho (current) | Pennsylvania (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 | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. 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 | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS), Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license in good standing in another jurisdiction whose standards are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania's (49 Pa. Code 37.20; 63 Pa.C.S. 3111).
- Submit a copy of the current law/regulation governing licensure and scope of practice in the jurisdiction that issued the license.
- Demonstrate competency by active practice for at least 2 of the last 5 years OR completion of 24 professional development hours in the prior 24 months.
- Have no disqualifying disciplinary or criminal history; the board may require a personal interview (video permitted for good cause).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Idaho PE license after I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
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.
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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