Engineering License from Illinois to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), verify your Illinois license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Iowa grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Illinois does not start over — but does file a full Iowa application. Your Illinois license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Iowa's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois license active and unencumbered while the Iowa application is pending, and clearing any Iowa-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Illinois → Iowa
| Illinois (current) | Iowa (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) | $150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | The board publishes no comity turnaround; applications are reviewed against the same education/experience criteria used for PE exam eligibility (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Iowa sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Iowa's current requirements on the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active license to practice engineering issued by another U.S. jurisdiction based on standards substantially equivalent to Iowa's.
- Submit an NCEES Record (accepted in lieu of references, transcripts, employment history, and exam verification) or provide those documents directly.
- Complete the notarized comity application and ethics questionnaire through the My Iowa PLB online portal.
- Show no disciplinary action; the board applies the same education/experience criteria used to judge PE exam eligibility.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow The board publishes no comity turnaround; applications are reviewed against the same education/experience criteria used for PE exam eligibility (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Iowa accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois to Iowa by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing), verify your Illinois license, and meet Iowa's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to Iowa?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Iowa requires no separate state exam, though comity applicants must complete an ethics questionnaire (not a proctored exam).
What does the Illinois-to-Iowa comity application cost?
$150 (Iowa application fee for licensure by comity (nonrefundable) per 193C IAC 2.1; a $15 initial PE certificate fee is charged separately, and transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in Iowa?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Illinois 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.
- Iowa DIAL — Engineers & Land Surveyors: Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa Admin. Code 193C ch. 2 — Fees and Charges (comity $150; initial certificate $15) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Iowa Admin. Code 481-1048.2 — Requirements for licensure by comity (recodified from 193C-4.2 eff. 6/24/26) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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