Engineering License from Kentucky to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept a Kentucky PE license?
A PE license transfers from Kentucky to Florida by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), verify your Kentucky license, and meet Florida's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Florida grants PE licensure by endorsement, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Kentucky does not start over — but does file a full Florida application. Your Kentucky license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Florida's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Kentucky license active and unencumbered while the Florida application is pending, and clearing any Florida-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Kentucky and Florida
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Kentucky to Florida (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Florida to Kentucky (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Kentucky matter?
Coming from Kentucky does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Florida.
- Application fee
Florida lists $230 for an out-of-state applicant and Kentucky lists $300 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Kentucky lists 2–6 weeks for the reverse move; Florida has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and Kentucky carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Florida (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Florida licenses by endorsement (it explicitly does not license by reciprocity or comity) and, instead of a proctored state exam, requires completing the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater
- Kentucky (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kentucky requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam
What changes, Kentucky → Florida
| Kentucky (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $300 (Kentucky endorsement/comity application fee (nonrefundable), due when the application is submitted; no separate license fee until the first biennial renewal roughly two years later; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) | $230 (Endorsement fee collected by DBPR, comprising the application fee, the initial licensure fee ($100, the only refundable portion), and an unlicensed-activity fee. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | 2–6 weeks (Board states the review can take as little as two weeks but up to six weeks after a complete application and NCEES Record are received) | FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process |
| Licensing authority | Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (KYBOELS) | Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active PE license elsewhere and file the Application for Licensure as a Professional Engineer (endorsement).
- Have your FE and PE exam passage verified (using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the process per the board).
- Hold an ABET-accredited engineering or engineering-technology degree (or a substantially equivalent evaluation) plus the qualifying experience in Rule 61G15-20.002, F.A.C.
- Complete the FBPE Laws and Rules Study Guide with a score of 90 percent or greater; provide a valid U.S. Social Security number and be at least 18.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Kentucky PE license after I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Kentucky 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.
- FBPE - Licensure Process: Professional Engineers (endorsement, fee, Laws and Rules Study Guide) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES - Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- KYBOELS — Engineering License Process (endorsement/comity) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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