Engineering License from Maryland to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept a Maryland PE license?
A PE license transfers from Maryland 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 Maryland 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Florida grants PE licensure by endorsement, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Maryland does not start over — but does file a full Florida application. Your Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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
Maryland to Florida (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Florida to Maryland (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Maryland matter?
Coming from Maryland 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 Maryland lists $56–$142 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Maryland lists 4–8 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 Maryland 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
- Maryland (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; Maryland has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers
What changes, Maryland → Florida
| Maryland (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $56–$142 (MD reciprocal license: $56 application fee + $86 initial license fee (2-year term) = $142 total; fees effective Aug 1, 2024. Transmitting an NCEES Council Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately 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 | 4–8 weeks (Board states it typically takes one to two months to obtain a license by reciprocity. The Board meets monthly (usually the second Thursday) to review completed reciprocal applications; applications with an MLE (Model Law Engineer) NCEES Council Record are approved administratively on an ongoing basis. Incomplete reciprocal applications are administratively closed after 30 days) | FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process |
| Licensing authority | Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) | 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 Maryland PE license after I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Maryland 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)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Reciprocal License Application ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board for Professional Engineers — Licensing FAQs (reciprocity timing, education/experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com