Transfer Your Engineering License to Washington: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Does my PE license transfer to Washington?
Washington grants PE licensure by comity — its term for endorsement — to an out-of-state Professional Engineer in good standing: the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BRPELS), Washington State Department of Licensing reviews the credentials in your NCEES Record instead of re-examining you. FE and PE exam results transfer through your NCEES Record (or issuing-board verification) and are not retaken; comity applicants must additionally pass the open-book Washington Engineer Law Review (minimum score 80%). Application fee: $110 (Washington PE comity registration application fee is $110 (payable to the Department of Licensing; includes license and wall certificate). Biennial renewal is $128. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid to NCEES.).
Moving to Washington from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Comity is Washington's normal route for an already-licensed engineer, and the word describes what the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BRPELS), Washington State Department of Licensing actually does: it extends professional courtesy to your existing PE license after confirming your record meets Washington's practice act, rather than re-examining you. The lever that makes this smooth is your NCEES Record — NCEES compiles your transcripts, experience, references, and FE/PE results and transmits them straight to Washington, and a Model Law Engineer designation speeds many boards further. One prerequisite is absolute: your current license must be active and unencumbered, so clear any open disciplinary matter before you file.
Read the exam line on this page closely before you assume the move is exam-free. Most boards add nothing to the FE and PE, but a few require a state-specific examination — seismic, surveying, or a statutes-and-rules review — that comity does not waive, and where Washington requires one it is listed above rather than folded silently into the process.
Washington grants PE licensure by comity to an engineer already licensed by another NCEES member board. Unusual requirement: all comity applicants must pass the open-book Washington Engineer Law Review (80% to pass) covering Chapter 18.43 RCW and Chapter 196 WAC. Fee and renewal verified on the official BRPELS fee page; the former WAC 196-26A-035 comity fee section was repealed effective 1/1/2025 and the fees are now set administratively by the board/DOL.
Washington requirements at a glance
| Fees | $110 (Washington PE comity registration application fee is $110 (payable to the Department of Licensing; includes license and wall certificate). Biennial renewal is $128. Transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid to NCEES.) |
|---|---|
| Processing time | up to 4 weeks (BRPELS issues new licenses the first week of each month and asks applicants to contact the office only if more than 4 weeks have passed; transmitting an NCEES Record is the preferred, faster path but does not generate automatic approval.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BRPELS), Washington State Department of Licensing website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BRPELS), Washington State Department of Licensing (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active engineering license issued by another NCEES member board, in good standing.
- Have passed the NCEES FE and PE examinations, with results verified through your NCEES Record or the issuing board.
- Pass the open-book Washington Engineer Law Review with a score of at least 80%.
- Document 8 years of progressive engineering experience under a licensed PE (an ABET-accredited engineering degree counts as 4 years).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Washington:
Nearby states
Engineering license transfer into the states bordering Washington:
Washington for other professions
- Nursing in Washington
- Cosmetology / Barber in Washington
- Real Estate in Washington
- Contractor in Washington
- Teaching in Washington
- CPA / Accounting in Washington
- Electrician in Washington
- Plumber in Washington
- Pharmacy in Washington
- Physical Therapy in Washington
- Psychology in Washington
- Counseling in Washington
- Social Work in Washington
- Occupational Therapy in Washington
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- BRPELS — Professional Engineer by Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- BRPELS — Fees (PE comity $110; PE renewal $128) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure; $175 first board / $100 each additional) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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