Engineering License from Pennsylvania to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) ↗
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Kansas grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Pennsylvania does not start over — but does file a full Kansas application. Your Pennsylvania license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Kansas's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Pennsylvania license active and unencumbered while the Kansas application is pending, and clearing any Kansas-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Kansas
| Pennsylvania (current) | Kansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $50 (Certification, licensure or registration application fee (49 Pa. Code 37.17(b)); a provisional endorsement license may be issued while remaining requirements are completed. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.) | $250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Pennsylvania advises allowing approximately 4 to 6 weeks for initial review of an application submitted through pals.pa.gov.) | KSBTP publishes no comity turnaround; the long-form reciprocity review requires full board evaluation of education, experience, and references |
| Licensing authority | State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists | Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active PE license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction.
- File the long-form application for licensure by reciprocity (the MLE short-form path is not accepted in Kansas).
- Educational qualifications when the original license was issued must have met the Kansas requirements in effect on that date (K.A.R. 66-9-7).
- Submit references and documentation of engineering experience; maintain a clean disciplinary record.
- Pay the fees ($250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES)) and allow KSBTP publishes no comity turnaround; the long-form reciprocity review requires full board evaluation of education, experience, and references.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Pennsylvania PE license?
A PE license transfers from Pennsylvania to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP), verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Pennsylvania to Kansas?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Kansas requires no state-specific engineering exam, but it does NOT recognize the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, so every comity applicant must file the full long-form reciprocity application.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Kansas comity application cost?
$250 (Kansas application fee for a license by reciprocity per K.A.R. 66-15-1; biennial active-license renewal is $70; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid to NCEES).
Can I keep my Pennsylvania PE license after I'm licensed in Kansas?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Pennsylvania 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.
- KSBTP — Engineers (licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- KSBTP News — PE Reciprocity Requires Long Form (MLE no longer recognized) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-15-1 — Fees (reciprocity $250; original $60; biennial renewal $70) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- K.A.R. 66-9-7 — Education standard for reciprocity applicants ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 37 (fees 37.17; licensure by endorsement 37.20) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- PA Dept. of State - Engineers, Land Surveyors, Geologists board ↗ (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]