§ 2592 - Qualifications
§ 2592. Qualifications
(a) Any person shall be eligible for licensure as a land surveyor if the person qualifies under one of the following provisions:
(1) Comity or endorsement. A person holding a certificate of registration or a license to engage in the practice of land surveying issued on the basis of an examination, satisfactory to the board, by proper authority of a state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or another country, based on requirements and qualifications shown by the application to be equal to or greater than the requirements of this chapter, in the opinion of the board, may be examined relative to land surveying matters peculiar to Vermont and granted a license at the direction of the board.
(2) Graduation and examination. An applicant who has graduated from a surveying curriculum of four years or more approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), followed by at least 24 months of experience in land surveying, under the supervision of a land surveyor, and who has passed an examination satisfactory to the board, may be granted a license.
(3) Education and examination. An applicant, who has attended an accredited college or school of higher education, approved by the board, who has satisfactorily completed 30 credit hours of formal instruction in land surveying, followed by at least 36 months of experience in land surveying, under the supervision of a land surveyor, and who has passed an examination satisfactory to the board, may be granted a license.
(4) Experience and examination. An applicant who has completed four or more years of experience in land surveying, under the supervision of a land surveyor, and who has passed an examination which is satisfactory to the board, may be granted a license.
(b) Examinations may be taken before the applicant completes the educational and experience requirements established by this chapter, provided that the applicant has completed all but the final year of required practical experience. Notification of the results of such examinations shall be mailed to each candidate within 30 days of the day the results of any national examination are received by the board. A candidate failing to pass the examinations may apply for reexamination under the rules of the board and may sit for reexamination as many times as the candidate chooses to do so. If an applicant does not pass the entire examination, the applicant need not take again any portion of an examination which the applicant previously passed.
(c)(1) A person who has undertaken work in the office of a land surveyor shall notify the board:
(A) within six months of commencing work;
(B) within 30 days of making any change in the person supervising that work; and
(c) upon 30 days of completing the experience requirements for licensure.
(2) A prospective applicant also may file a notice after completing six or more months of work in the office of one or more surveyors since the last notice. Each notice under this subsection shall be on forms supplied by the director of the office of professional regulation and shall be signed by both the prospective applicant and the supervising land surveyor. The applicant shall certify to the nature of the activities completed during that period. The supervisor shall certify that the report is correct to the best of his or her knowledge. The board may waive the notice requirements of this subsection, giving full or partial credit for experience.
(d) Experience claimed by an applicant under a notice received under subsection (c) of this section shall be credited towards the requirements for licensure unless within 15 days following the next board meeting after receiving the notice, the board or a board member designated by the board gives the applicant notice of opportunity for hearing. Following such a hearing, the board may reject some or all of the claimed experience on grounds that it does not comply with the rules of the board.
(e) License examinations may consist of a national surveying examination selected by the board plus a Vermont portion. The Vermont portion shall be limited to those subjects and skills necessary to perform land surveying.
(f) The board may conduct a personal interview of an applicant. A personal interview shall be for the limited purposes of assisting the applicant to obtain licensure and to verify the applicant's educational qualifications and that the applicant completed the experience requirements for licensure. A personal interview shall not serve directly or indirectly as an oral examination of the applicant's substantive knowledge of surveying. An interview conducted under this section shall be taped and, at the request of the applicant, shall be transcribed. An applicant who is denied licensure shall be informed in writing of his or her right to have the interview transcribed free of charge. At least one of the public members of the board shall be present at any personal interview.
(g) When the board intends to deny an application for license, the director of the office of professional regulation shall send the applicant written notice of the decision by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall include a specific statement of the reasons for the action. Within 30 days of the date that an applicant receives such notice, the applicant may file a petition with the board for review of its preliminary decision. At the hearing to review the preliminary decision, the burden shall be on the applicant to show that a license should be issued. After the hearing, the board shall affirm or reverse the preliminary denial. The applicant may appeal a final denial by the board to the appellate officer. (Added 1967, No. 364 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, eff. Jan. 1, 1969; amended 1969, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 10, eff. March 24, 1970; 1971, No. 250 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1985, No. 245 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1989, No. 250 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(a), (d); 1991, No. 167 (Adj. Sess.), § 38.)