Engineering License from Maryland to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept a Maryland PE license?
A PE license transfers from Maryland to Michigan by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing), verify your Maryland license, and meet Michigan's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Michigan grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Maryland does not start over — but does file a full Michigan application. Your Maryland license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Michigan's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Maryland license active and unencumbered while the Michigan application is pending, and clearing any Michigan-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Maryland and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Maryland to Michigan (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Michigan 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 Michigan.
- Application fee
Michigan lists $75–$115 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; Michigan has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Maryland carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Michigan also accepts NCEES certification. Michigan has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam for engineers
- 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 → Michigan
| Maryland (current) | Michigan (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) | $75–$115 (Per the Michigan State License Fee Act (MCL 338.2213): a $35 application processing fee plus a license fee of $40 per year, prorated for the time remaining in the biennial cycle (up to $80), so the amount due at initial licensure by endorsement runs roughly $75-$115. Biennial renewal is $80. (Statute lowers these to a $30 application processing fee and $20/year license fee after Sept 30, 2027.) Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, 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) | LARA/Board publishes no comity turnaround; out-of-state (endorsement) applications are reviewed by the Board of Professional Engineers. NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks |
| Licensing authority | Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) | Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Michigan's current requirements on the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Professional Licensing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in another state with qualifications equivalent to Michigan's licensure requirements.
- Submit an NCEES Record (or NCEES certification) transmitted to LARA.
- Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree, the FE and PE exams, and 4 years of qualifying experience.
- 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 Michigan?
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.
- Michigan LARA — Engineers, Professional (Board page) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan MCL 338.2213 — Architect, Professional Engineer, or Land Surveyor; Fees (State License Fee Act) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA — Professional Engineer Licensing Guide (PDF) ↗ (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
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