Engineering License from Texas to Alabama: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) ↗
A PE license transfers from Texas to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS), verify your Texas license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Alabama grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas does not start over — but does file a full Alabama application. Your Texas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Alabama's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Texas license active and unencumbered while the Alabama application is pending, and clearing any Alabama-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Texas → Alabama
| Texas (current) | Alabama (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $75 (TBPELS PE license application fee (covers the Texas Ethics of Engineering exam); a fingerprint-based criminal-history check is also required (fee paid to the state's fingerprint vendor). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES. Renewal is $100 for two years.) | $125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES) |
| Processing time | ~8 weeks (TBPELS states an average application processing time of about two months (eight weeks) on its PE Application Process page, depending on the adequacy of the submittal; the ethics exam, NCEES Record, and fingerprint TX DPS/FBI criminal-history check must all clear before licensure (outgoing verification requests can separately take up to 30 business days).) | 3–4 weeks (Board FAQ states a complete comity application with no anomalies or felonies is processed in roughly 3-4 weeks after it is complete and approved; disclosures or discrepancies extend this) |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) | Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alabama sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alabama's current requirements on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE license in another U.S. state (comity).
- Submit an NCEES Record, or complete the board's experience, education, and reference sections directly.
- Provide proof of U.S. citizenship or qualifying alien status.
- Underlying standard: EAC/ABET-accredited engineering degree plus four years of progressive engineering experience.
- Pay the fees ($125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES)) and allow 3–4 weeks (Board FAQ states a complete comity application with no anomalies or felonies is processed in roughly 3-4 weeks after it is complete and approved; disclosures or discrepancies extend this).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama accept a Texas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Texas to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS), verify your Texas license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Texas to Alabama?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (accepted for comity applicants) and are not retaken; Alabama has no separate state jurisprudence or law exam (its only state exam, on Land Surveying Standards, History and Law, applies to surveyors, not PEs).
What does the Texas-to-Alabama comity application cost?
$125 (Alabama comity application fee ($125 PE application fee, confirmed on both the board FAQ and the Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 fee schedule), submitted through the online portal (bels.learningbuilder.com); transmitting an NCEES Record to the board costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES).
Can I keep my Texas PE license after I'm licensed in Alabama?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the Texas 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.
- Alabama BELS — Frequently Asked Questions (comity fee, NCEES Record, processing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Admin. Code Ch. 330-X-4 — Fees (Appendix A; PE application fee $125, eff. 2025-02-14) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama BELS — Applications ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TBPELS — Basic Licensure Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TBPELS — Exam Waiver Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TBPELS — PE Application Process ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TBPELS — Agency Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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