Engineering License from Illinois to North Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois does not start over — but does file a full North Carolina application. Your Illinois 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. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Illinois 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 changes, Illinois → North Carolina
| Illinois (current) | North Carolina (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) | $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 | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers | 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 ($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)) and allow 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).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does North Carolina accept a Illinois PE license?
A PE license transfers from Illinois 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 Illinois 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.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Illinois to North Carolina?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; North Carolina has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam.
What does the Illinois-to-North Carolina comity application cost?
$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).
Can I keep my Illinois PE license after I'm licensed in North Carolina?
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.
- NCBELS — Initial or Comity PE Licensure ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]