Engineering License from North Carolina to Vermont: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) ↗
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Vermont grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in North Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Vermont application. Your North Carolina license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Vermont's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your North Carolina license active and unencumbered while the Vermont application is pending, and clearing any Vermont-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, North Carolina → Vermont
| North Carolina (current) | Vermont (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $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) | $115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) |
| 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) | Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks. |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCBELS) | Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Vermont sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Vermont's current requirements on the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license in another U.S. jurisdiction whose requirements the Board deems substantially equivalent to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. 1182b).
- Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the education, experience, and reference sections of the application directly.
- Provide technical references, at least two of whom are professional engineers licensed in good standing in any jurisdiction.
- Meet the underlying standard: an ABET-accredited engineering degree (or Board-recognized equivalent) plus progressive engineering experience.
- Pay the fees ($115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow Vermont OPR publishes no comity turnaround; applications are processed by the Office once complete, subject to OPR's 90-day initial licensing policy. NCEES Record completion itself typically takes a few weeks..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Vermont accept a North Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from North Carolina to Vermont by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Vermont Board of Professional Engineering (Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont Secretary of State), verify your North Carolina license, and meet Vermont's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from North Carolina to Vermont?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or NCEES verification) and are not retaken; Vermont has no state-specific seismic, surveying, or jurisprudence exam for comity applicants.
What does the North Carolina-to-Vermont comity application cost?
$115 (Vermont PE application fee is $115 (one application fee covers multiple specialty disciplines applied for together); biennial renewal is $175. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.).
Can I keep my North Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Vermont?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the North Carolina 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.
- Vermont SOS/OPR — Engineering Forms & Instructions ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Vermont OPR — Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (Professional Engineer #018: $115 application, $175 renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Vermont Board of Professional Engineers — Administrative Rules (Aug 1 2017) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure; $175 first board / $100 each additional) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCBELS — Initial or Comity PE Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (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]