Engineering License from Texas to Utah: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board ↗
A PE license transfers from Texas to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board, verify your Texas license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Utah grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas does not start over — but does file a full Utah application. Your Texas license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Utah's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your Texas license active and unencumbered while the Utah application is pending, and clearing any Utah-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, Texas → Utah
| Texas (current) | Utah (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.) | Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, 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).) | Utah DOPL publishes no endorsement turnaround on the engineering pages; processing begins once the NCEES Record or license verification is received. |
| Licensing authority | Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Utah sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Utah's current requirements on the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Provide official verification of an active, good-standing license in a U.S. jurisdiction with a similar scope of practice.
- Have held that license type for at least one year.
- Submit an NCEES Council Record (or have official FE/PE score verifications sent directly to DOPL).
- Meet the degree-and-experience standard under Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 22 and rule R156-22.
- Pay the fees (Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES.) and allow Utah DOPL publishes no endorsement turnaround on the engineering pages; processing begins once the NCEES Record or license verification is received..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah accept a Texas PE license?
A PE license transfers from Texas to Utah by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Board, verify your Texas license, and meet Utah's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from Texas to Utah?
FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Council Record (or via official score verification sent to DOPL) and are not retaken; Utah requires no separate state engineering exam.
What does the Texas-to-Utah comity application cost?
Utah DOPL charges its standard PE application fee plus a $10 Education/Enforcement Fund surcharge per the DOPL Fee Schedule; the exact amount is left null because the official fee-schedule PDF could not be opened (server 403) and search snippets conflicted (about $90 vs about $110 + surcharge). Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately to NCEES..
Can I keep my Texas PE license after I'm licensed in Utah?
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.
- Utah DOPL — PE Out-of-State Applicants Applying by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Utah DOPL — Division of Professional Licensing Fee Schedule (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 22 — Professional Engineers & Professional Land Surveyors Licensing Act ↗ (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]