Engineering License from Texas to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Louisiana accept a Texas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Texas to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS), verify your Texas license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Louisiana grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas does not start over — but does file a full Louisiana application. Your Texas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Louisiana's practice act, not to re-test you. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Texas license active and unencumbered while the Louisiana application is pending, and clearing any Louisiana-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What's different between Texas and Louisiana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Louisiana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Texas to Louisiana (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Louisiana 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 Louisiana.
- Application fee
Louisiana lists $200 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; Louisiana has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Louisiana and Texas carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Louisiana (this move): FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Louisiana requires no separate state engineering exam for comity applicants
- 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 → Louisiana
| Texas (current) | Louisiana (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.) | $200 (LAPELS 'Professional Engineer by Comity' application fee per the board fee schedule; biennial PE renewal is $140; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board paid 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).) | LAPELS publishes no comity turnaround; applications are filed and reviewed through the LOLA online portal (lola.lapels.com) once the NCEES Record and references are received |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) | Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a PE license in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction and have NCEES transmit your NCEES Record to LAPELS.
- Hold an EAC/ABET-accredited bachelor's degree with four years of progressive experience (non-ABET degrees require an NCEES Credentials Evaluation and 8 years, or 4 years after a qualifying master's).
- Provide five personal references, at least three from individuals holding an active PE license.
- Maintain a disciplinary record free of violations in any jurisdiction.
- 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 Louisiana?
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.
- LAPELS — Individual Applications (PE by comity paths) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- LAPELS — Fee Schedule (Professional Engineer by Comity $200; PE renewal $140) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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