Chapter 50-6 RENEWAL OF CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS - ARCHITECTS
| (1) |
Every certificate of registration as a
registered architect in Georgia shall expire on June 30th of each odd numbered
year. |
| (2) |
Without a current
certificate of registration, it is unlawful to use the title "architect" or
"registered architect" or to engage in the practice of architecture in this
state. Neither the failure of the Board to send nor the failure of the
registrant to receive an application for renewal shall excuse failure to renew
a certificate of registration. |
| (3) |
Every application for renewal of a certificate of registration as a registered
architect shall be accompanied by a renewal fee, as established by the Board,
and a statement from the registrant affirming that the professional development
requirements set forth in this Chapter have been met. |
| (1) |
Renewal applications submitted during the
three (3) month period following certificate registration expiration will be
considered late renewal applications. |
| (2) |
A late renewal application must be
accompanied by a late renewal fee and a statement from the registrant affirming
that the professional development requirements set forth in this Chapter have
been met. |
Certificates of registration not renewed in accordance with
Rule
50-6-.01 or
50-6-.02 shall not be subject to
renewal, provided, however, that the holder thereof may apply for
reinstatement. Reinstatement is at the discretion of the Board. The
reinstatement application shall include:
| (a) |
A reinstatement fee, and |
| (b) |
Evidence satisfactory to the Board, of
completion of professional development specified as follows:
| 1. |
Twelve (12) professional development units
for each year, or fraction thereof, since the last renewal of the certificate
of registration or since the initial issuance of the certificate of
registration, whichever is less, up to a maximum of forty-eight (48)
units. |
| 2. |
In order to be
satisfactory, at least twenty-four (24) of the professional development units
required for reinstatement must have been completed during the two (2) year
period immediately preceding the date of application for reinstatement. At
least sixteen (16) of these professional development units must be in Public
Protection Subjects acquired in Structured Educational Activities. |
| 3. |
The professional development units
required for reinstatement, which are earned within twenty-four (24) months
prior to the reinstatement of the certificate of registration, may not be
counted towards fulfilling the professional development requirements to
biennially renew that certificate of registration. |
|
| (1) |
Beginning with applications for renewal
of certificates of registration that expire on June 30, 2005, a registered
architect must have completed twenty-four (24) professional development units,
acceptable to the Board, during the two-year period immediately preceding each
biennial renewal date as a condition for registration renewal. Of these, at
least sixteen (16) units must be in Public Protection Subjects acquired in
Structured Education Activities. The remaining units may be in Related Practice
Subjects acquired either in Structured Educational Activities or in Public
Protection Subjects acquired in Individually Planned Educational
Activities. |
| (2) |
An applicant for
renewal who has been initially registered in Georgia as a registered architect
for one year, but less than two, at the date of registration expiration must
have completed twelve (12) professional development units, acceptable to the
Board, during the period between initial registration and the expiration date
as a condition for registration renewal. Of these, at least eight (8) units
must be in Public Protection Subjects acquired in Structured Education
Activities. The remaining units may be in Related Practice Subjects acquired in
Structured Educational Activities or in Public Protection Subjects acquired in
Individual Planned Educational Activities. |
| (3) |
An applicant for renewal who has been
initially registered in Georgia as a registered architect for less than one
year at the date of registration expiration will be not be required to complete
any professional development units prior to that first registration expiration
date as a condition for registration renewal. |
| (1) |
"Professional Development Unit" shall
mean one continuous instructional hour spent in either Structured Educational
Activities or Individually Planned Activities intended to increase the
architect's knowledge and competence in Public Protection Subjects and Related
Practice Subjects. If the vendor of the Structured Educational Activities
prescribes a customary time for completion of such an Activity, then such
prescribed time shall, unless the Board finds the time to be unreasonable, be
accepted as the architect's time for Professional Development Unit purposes
irrespective of actual time spent on the Activity. For the purpose of this
rule, the terms "professional development" and "continuing education" are
interchangeable. |
| (2) |
"Structured
Educational Activities" shall mean educational activities in which the teaching
methodology consists primarily of the systematic presentation of Public
Protection Subjects or Related Practice Subjects by qualified individuals or
organizations, including monographs, course of study taught in person or by
correspondence, organized lectures, presentations or workshops and other means
through which identifiable technical and professional subjects are presented in
a planned manner. |
| (3) |
"Individually
Planned Educational Activities" shall mean educational activities in which the
teaching methodology primarily consists of the architect himself addressing
Public Protection Subjects or Related Practice Subjects, which are not
systematically presented by others, including reading or writing articles of
such Subjects, studying or researching building types, designs or building
systems, rendering services to the public, advancing the profession's and the
public's understanding of the practice of architecture and the like. |
| (4) |
"Public Protection Subjects" shall mean
technical and professional subjects, which the Board deems appropriate to
safeguard the public's health, safety and welfare. Such subjects include
building design, environmental or land use analysis, life safety, architectural
programming, site and soils analyses, accessibility, structural systems
considerations, lateral forces, building codes, evaluation and selection of
building systems, products or materials, construction methods, contract
documentation, construction administration and the like. |
| (5) |
"Related Practice Subjects" shall mean
technical and professional subjects other than Public Protection Subjects,
which the Board deems appropriate to safeguard indirectly the public's health,
safety and welfare. Such subjects include building cost analysis, construction
contract negotiation, construction phase office procedures, project management,
review of state registration laws including rules of professional conduct and
the like. |
| (1) |
Responsibility
for documenting the fulfillment of the professional development requirements
provided for in this Chapter rests with the registrant, and the registrant must
retain for a period of four (4) years the evidence to support fulfillment of
the requirements. Such evidence shall include evidence of completion of each
professional development course or program, a description of the contents of
each professional development course or program, and verification of the number
of units of each professional development course or program. |
| (2) |
The Board may verify on a test basis
satisfactory completion of the professional development requirements in this
Chapter. In doing so, the Board may require registrants to submit copies of the
documentation described in paragraph (1) above to the Board and may require
other information as it deems necessary to decide upon the acceptability of a
professional development course or program. In cases where the Board determines
that the professional development requirements have not been met, the Board may
grant an additional period of time for the registrant to provide further
evidence of having acquired the professional development units disallowed or to
cure the disallowance by acquiring additional professional development
units. |
| (1) |
The Board may waive the professional
development requirements described in this Chapter for a registrant who is
registered in another jurisdiction that has professional development
requirements upon the registrant's written request and accompanying supporting
documentation. |
| (2) |
The Board may
waive the professional development requirements in cases of hardship,
disability, age, illness, or under such other circumstances as the Board deems
appropriate based on the registrant's written request and accompanying
supporting documentation. |
| (1) |
An architect holding a valid license to
practice in Georgia who has retired from the active practice of architecture,
and is no longer practicing as an architect in Georgia, may request inactive
license status by filing the required application and paying the appropriate
fee as indicated in the fee schedule. |
| (2) |
Any individual whose license is under any
sanction and is not in good standing may not transfer to inactive status while
sanctions are in effect. |
| (3) |
An
individual holding inactive status shall abide by the following conditions:
| (a) |
may not practice and may not offer
architectural design services; |
| (b) |
may not hold themselves out to the public as being available to provide such
services; and |
| (c) |
may only use the
term architect as long as it is not used to imply active practice or that
architectural design services are currently offered. |
|
| (4) |
Any practice of architecture while
holding an inactive license shall be considered unlicensed practice and is
subject to disciplinary action. |
| (5) |
Any individual holding inactive status is not subject to the biennial renewal
fee or the professional development requirements. |
| (6) |
An individual may apply to have an
inactive license reactivated by submitting the following items:
| (a) |
a completed application; |
| (b) |
the appropriate fee as indicated in the
fee schedule; and |
| (c) |
the evidence
of having satisfied the reinstatement requirements for professional development
as provided in Rule
50-6-.03(b). |
|
| (7) |
Reactivation of a license is
at the sole discretion of the Board. |
