Engineering License from Texas to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from Texas to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Texas license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Rhode Island grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas does not start over — but does file a full Rhode Island application. Your Texas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Rhode Island's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)). Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Texas license active and unencumbered while the Rhode Island application is pending, and clearing any Rhode Island-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Texas → Rhode Island
| Texas (current) | Rhode Island (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.) | $150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record 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).) | The board does not publish a comity turnaround; a complete NCEES Record must be transmitted to the board before review (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) | Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current PE registration in another U.S. jurisdiction based on comparable NCEES examinations.
- Establish and transmit a complete NCEES Record (education, exams, experience, references) to the board as required by R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11.
- Meet one of the board's five education/experience pathways (e.g., EAC/ABET degree plus four years; ETAC/ABET plus eight years; non-accredited degrees 6-12 years).
- Qualifying experience must be obtained under the supervision of a PE registered in a U.S. jurisdiction.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES.)) and allow The board does not publish a comity turnaround; a complete NCEES Record must be transmitted to the board before review (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks)..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a Texas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Texas to Rhode Island by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, verify your Texas license, and meet Rhode Island's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Texas to Rhode Island?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Rhode Island requires no state-specific engineering exam for comity (an FE-exam waiver is available to qualifying experienced applicants under R.I. Gen. Laws 5-8-11(a)(4)(i)).
What does the Texas-to-Rhode Island comity application cost?
$150 (Comity PE application fee (R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1); a $300 PE certificate of registration (initial registration) fee is due on issuance and biennial renewal is also $300. Transmitting an NCEES Record 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 Rhode Island?
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.
- R.I. Rules & Regs 430-RICR-00-00-1 (fee schedule; comity registration procedures) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- RI Division of Design Professionals - Professional Engineers ↗ (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
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]