Engineering License from Illinois to Iowa: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Iowa accept an 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).
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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. 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's different between Illinois and Iowa
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Iowa. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Iowa (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Iowa to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Iowa.
- Application fee
Iowa lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Iowa and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Iowa (this move): 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)
- Illinois (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses
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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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