(a) Required Qualifications. An applicant applying for reciprocal licensure as a licensed operator as defined in Arkansas Code § 17-37-102(10) shall meet the following requirements:

1. (1)

   1. (A) The applicant shall hold a substantially similar license in another United States jurisdiction.
   2. (B) A commercial applicator license from another United States jurisdiction is substantially similar to an Arkansas commercial pest control operator license if the other jurisdiction’s licensure is issued pursuant to a certification plan approved by the Environmental Protection Agency under 40 C.F.R. § 171.301 et seq.
   3. (C) The applicant shall hold his or her occupational licensure in good standing.
   4. (D) The applicant shall not have had a license revoked for:

(i) An act of bad faith; or

1. (ii) A violation of law, rule, or ethics.

   1. (E) The applicant shall not hold a suspended or probationary license in a United States jurisdiction;
2. (2) The applicant shall be sufficiently competent in the commercial applicator occupation as defined in Arkansas Code § 20-20-203(4); and
3. (3) The applicant shall be employed by a licensed commercial applicator firm.

(b) Required documentation.

1. (1) An applicant shall submit a fully-executed application, the required fee, and the documentation described below.

2. (2) As evidence that the applicant’s license from another jurisdiction is substantially similar to Arkansas’s, the applicant shall submit the following information:

   1. (A)

      1. (i) Evidence of current and active licensure in that jurisdiction.
      2. (ii) The Department of Agriculture may verify this information online if the jurisdiction at issue provides primary source verification on its website or by telephone to the other jurisdiction’s licensing board; and

   2. (B)

      1. (i) Evidence that the other jurisdiction’s licensure requirements match those listed in subdivision (a)(1)(B) of this section.
      2. (ii) The department may verify this information online or by telephone to the other jurisdiction’s licensing board.

3. (3) To demonstrate that the applicant meets the requirement in subdivisions (a)(1)(C) – (D) of this section, the applicant shall provide the department with:

   1. (A) The names of all jurisdictions in which the applicant is currently licensed or has been previously licensed; and

   2. (B)

      1. (i) Letters of good standing or other information from each jurisdiction in which the applicant is currently or has ever been licensed showing that the applicant has not had his or her license revoked for the reasons listed in subdivision (a)(1)(D) of this section and does not hold a license on suspended or probationary status as described in subdivision (a)(1)(E) of this section.
      2. (ii) The department may verify this information online if the jurisdiction at issue provides primary source verification on its website or by telephone to the other jurisdiction’s licensing board.
4. (4) As evidence that the applicant is sufficiently competent in the application of restricted use pesticides, an applicant shall pass a licensure exam approved by the department for each licensing category in which the applicant seeks reciprocity.
5. (5) The applicant shall provide proof of employment with a licensed commercial applicator firm.