Arizona PE License Requirements: Exams, Application, and Renewal

To meet the Arizona PE license requirements, you need eight years of combined engineering education and experience, passing scores on the FE and PE exams administered by NCEES, and a complete application submitted to the Arizona Board of Technical Registration with a total fee of $445 as of January 1, 2026.¹ The license lets you practice engineering independently in Arizona and seal plans, reports, and calculations submitted to public agencies.

The Eight-Year Education and Experience Rule

Arizona statute requires every PE applicant to have been actively engaged in engineering education or experience for at least eight years.² Each year of study at a board-approved engineering school counts as one year toward that total, up to a maximum of five years. The common path is a four-year engineering degree plus four years of progressive work experience, but a master’s degree can reduce the required work experience to three years.

“Board-approved” effectively means ABET-accredited for most applicants. If your undergraduate degree is ABET-accredited, NCEES auto-approval streamlines your FE exam authorization and you may not need to apply to the Board for it at all.³ Applicants without an ABET degree can still qualify but must apply directly to the Board and may face a longer experience requirement. If you earned your degree outside the United States, the NCEES Credentials Evaluations service compares your coursework against U.S. standards and identifies any gaps a licensing board might require you to fill.⁴

Your work experience has to be progressive engineering work under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer. Progressive means your responsibilities grew over time. Routine drafting or technician work that stays at the same level year after year generally will not satisfy the Board.

The FE and PE Exams

Two national exams from NCEES sit between your education and your license.

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a computer-based test covering core engineering concepts, and you can apply to take it during the final year of your undergraduate program or any time afterward. NCEES charges $225.⁵ Candidates without an ABET-accredited degree must show at least 48 months of combined education or experience to receive Board authorization for the FE.

The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam is taken in your specific discipline, whether that is civil, mechanical, electrical, or another branch. The Board authorizes you to sit for the PE after you have accumulated at least 60 months of combined education and experience.⁶ NCEES charges $250 for the PE exam.⁷ Passing is the final testing hurdle, but you still need the full eight years of combined education and experience before the Board will register you.

What Goes in the Application Package

The application asks for documentation from several sources, and the Board is strict about how those documents arrive. Most of them cannot be hand-carried by you; they have to come directly from the party that issued them.

Transcripts

Certified transcripts covering every school where you earned credit you are claiming must be sent directly from each registrar to the Board.⁸ Unofficial copies or transcripts routed through you will not be accepted. If you studied at more than one school, each one has to send its own.

Exam Results

Verification of your FE and PE exam scores is typically handled through an NCEES Record transmitted electronically to the Board. This is the simplest way to confirm your results, and it also bundles your credentials in case you seek licensure in additional states later.

Experience

Work experience is documented on the Board’s Engineer Certificate of Experience forms. You complete Section A describing your duties, then forward the form to each current or former supervisor who is a registered engineer. The supervisor completes Section B and sends all pages directly to the Board, not back to you.⁸ This direct-submission rule exists to keep applicants from filtering out unfavorable reviews.

What if a former supervisor has retired, died, or is otherwise unavailable? Submit a written explanation for why the requirement cannot be met, and provide three Certificate of Experience forms completed by professional references who hold active engineering registrations.⁸ Applications commonly stall here, so line up your references early and confirm they are willing to respond promptly.

Fees, Submission, and Timeline

Applications go through the Board’s e-licensing system. As of January 1, 2026, the total cost for an initial PE application is $445: a $145 application fee plus a $300 registration fee.¹ These figures rose from the previous $100 and $225, so older guides you find online may show the wrong numbers. NCEES exam fees are paid separately.

Your application is not considered complete until every supporting document has been received directly by the Board. This is the single biggest cause of delay. Applicants submit their own portion promptly, then wait weeks for a former supervisor or registrar to send theirs. Follow up with every third party within a week of your submission.

Board staff reviews the file to verify your qualifications meet the requirements of the Arizona Administrative Code, and if staff or an evaluator from the enforcement advisory committee is satisfied, they recommend the Board certify you as eligible for registration.⁹ If anything is unclear, the Board may ask for more information or conduct further investigation. Expect roughly eight to twelve weeks from the date your file is actually complete. Deficiency notices and final decisions come by both email and mail.

The Professional Seal

Once you are registered, you have to obtain a professional seal before signing any engineering documents. Arizona law requires the seal to show your name, the profession, and the specific branch of engineering in which you are registered.¹⁰ If you hold registration in more than one branch, you need a separate seal for each.

The Administrative Code specifies a 1.5-inch diameter ink seal with your name, registration number, the words “Registered Professional Engineer” with your branch, and “Arizona U.S.A.” You pay for the seal through any vendor, and physical seals typically run $25 to $125. Before using it, you must file an imprint with the Board along with your original signature superimposed over it. The Board has ten working days to disapprove a seal that does not meet specifications.¹¹

You are legally responsible for every document you seal, including work prepared by employees under your supervision. Using a seal on a revoked, suspended, or expired registration is unlawful, and so is allowing a non-registrant to use your seal.¹⁰

Renewal and Inactive Status

Arizona PE licenses run on a three-year renewal cycle tied to your original issuance date, with a $300 renewal fee. Your registration becomes invalid after its expiration date unless renewed. Arizona is one of roughly eight states that do not require continuing education for PE renewal; about 42 states plus the District of Columbia mandate Professional Development Hours, but Arizona currently does not.¹² If you also hold a license in another state, you will likely have PDH obligations there.

You can place your license on inactive status if you want to stop practicing temporarily. Reactivation requires a completed application and meeting the qualifications for registration, with one catch: if you have not practiced engineering for the five years immediately before you apply to reactivate, you have to retake the professional examination.¹²

If You Are Already Licensed Elsewhere

Engineers already holding a PE license in another jurisdiction can apply through comity rather than repeating the full process. Arizona offers two pathways.

Reciprocity or Endorsement

This pathway requires you to hold the NCEES Model Law Engineer (MLE) designation, which is different from simply having an NCEES Record. You must also be currently licensed in at least one U.S. state, territory, or country participating in the NCEES Mutual Recognition Agreement, and meet one of the following: four years of post-licensure experience, passage of a professional national examination, or an engineering degree at the baccalaureate level or higher.⁸ The combined application and registration fee is $445.

Universal Licensure

Under ARS 32-4302, engineers who currently reside in Arizona and hold a license in good standing in another state at the same practice level can use an expedited pathway with a $300 combined fee. If you are relocating to Arizona and need to practice quickly, this is generally the faster route.⁸

1
State Board of Technical Registration. Fee Increase Notice
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-122.01 – Qualifications for Professional Registration
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State Board of Technical Registration. Application for NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam Authorization
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NCEES. Credentials Evaluations
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NCEES. FE Exam
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State Board of Technical Registration. Application for NCEES Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Exam Authorization
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NCEES. PE Exam
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State Board of Technical Registration. Engineer Applicants
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Arizona Secretary of State. Arizona Administrative Code Title 4 Chapter 30 – Board of Technical Registration
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-125 – Seals for Registrants
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State Board of Technical Registration. R4-30-303 – Securing Seals
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State Board of Technical Registration. For Registrants