Engineering License from Texas to Arizona: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Arizona accept a Texas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Texas to Arizona by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration (AZBTR), verify your Texas license, and meet Arizona's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Arizona has no state-specific engineering exam and no jurisprudence exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Arizona grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas does not start over — but does file a full Arizona application. Your Texas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration (AZBTR) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Arizona's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Texas license active and unencumbered while the Arizona application is pending, and clearing any Arizona-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Texas and Arizona
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Arizona. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Texas to Arizona (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Arizona to Texas (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Texas matter?
Coming from Texas does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Arizona.
- Application fee
Arizona lists $325 for an out-of-state applicant and Texas lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Texas lists about 8 weeks for the reverse move; Arizona has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Arizona and Texas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Arizona (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Arizona has no state-specific engineering exam and no jurisprudence exam
- Texas (the reverse move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record and are not retaken; applicants already licensed as a PE in another U.S. state qualify for a waiver of the PE examination, but EVERY applicant must additionally pass the open-book Texas Ethics of Engineering examination (state-specific)
What changes, Texas → Arizona
| Texas (current) | Arizona (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.) | $325 ($325 combined application and initial registration fee ($100 application + $225 registration, the same structure AZBTR uses for other individual registrations), payable by check/money order/credit card to AZBTR; the same amount applies to the Reciprocity/Endorsement, Universal Licensure, and Traditional pathways. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES. See verification note re: a $445 figure recorded in a prior draft) |
| 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).) | No published turnaround; board staff (and/or volunteer registrant reviewers) verify the application and forward it to the full Board only in rare instances. An application is not reviewed until administratively complete (all verifications received) |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) | Arizona State Board of Technical Registration (AZBTR) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arizona sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arizona's current requirements on the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration (AZBTR) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration (AZBTR) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Reciprocity/Endorsement pathway: hold an NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation and an active license in another jurisdiction, plus four years of experience after that licensure.
- Applicants without an MLE can still qualify through the Traditional pathway (eight years of combined engineering education/experience with the FE and PE passed).
- Arizona residents licensed elsewhere may use an expedited Universal Licensure pathway.
- Demonstrate competency in the branch of engineering sought through education, examination, or 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 Texas PE license after I'm licensed in Arizona?
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.
- Arizona BTR — Engineer Applicants (reciprocity/endorsement & universal-licensure pathways) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arizona BTR — Engineer Registration Instructions (application + initial registration fee $325) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arizona BTR — Fee Schedule (R4-30-106 service fees; licensing fees authorized by A.R.S. 32-124) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity transmittal fees) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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