Engineering License from South Carolina to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept a South Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Florida application. Your South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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
South Carolina to Florida (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Florida to South Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from South Carolina matter?
Coming from South Carolina 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 South Carolina lists $60 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and South Carolina 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
- South Carolina (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; a Model Law Engineer may be licensed directly on the Record without further written examination, and South Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence or law exam
What changes, South Carolina → Florida
| South Carolina (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $60 (SC Board PE-by-comity application fee per the LLR fee schedule; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Biennial renewal is separate.) | $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 | LLR publishes no comity processing time; comity applications are reviewed once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks) | FBPE publishes no endorsement turnaround; the board states that using an NCEES Record significantly speeds up the licensure process |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) | 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 South Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the South 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.
- 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)
- S.C. Code Regs. 49-203 — Licensure by Comity (verbatim SC Code of Regulations via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC LLR Board of Registration for PEs & Surveyors — PE Individual Licensure by Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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