Engineering License from Indiana to Ohio: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Ohio accept an Indiana PE license?
A PE license transfers from Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana does not start over — but does file a full Ohio application. Your Indiana 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. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Indiana license active and unencumbered while the Ohio application is pending, and clearing any Ohio-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Indiana and Ohio
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Ohio. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Indiana to Ohio (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Ohio to Indiana (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Indiana matter?
Coming from Indiana does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Ohio.
- Application fee
Ohio lists $415 for an out-of-state applicant and Indiana lists $300 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Ohio and Indiana carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Ohio (this move): 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)
- Indiana (the reverse move): FE (Part I) and PE (Part II, the NCEES PE exam) results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken (the FE is waived if already passed elsewhere); HOWEVER Indiana requires every comity applicant to complete Part III of the Indiana PE examination — a take-home (open-book) exam on professional conduct and Indiana registration law, submitted with the application
What changes, Indiana → Ohio
| Indiana (current) | Ohio (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $300 ($300 comity/reciprocity registration fee (864 IAC 1.1-12-1, non-refundable and non-transferable). A separate original certificate (issuance) fee applies: $50 if the registration is issued in an odd-numbered year or $100 if issued in an even-numbered year. 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 | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; comity applications are reviewed by the board for substantial equivalence to Indiana's requirements, including Part III and the reference reports | 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 | Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, PLA) | 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 listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Indiana PE license after I'm licensed in Ohio?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Indiana 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)
- Indiana Code 25-31-1-21 — License by reciprocity (IGA official, Title 25 Art. 31 Ch. 1) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 864 IAC 1.1-12-1 — Fees charged by board (comity registration $300; original certificate $50/$100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Indiana PLA — Engineering Licensing Information (comity: Part III exam, PE references, NCEES file) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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