Wyo. Code R. 084-0001-3
Geologists, Board of Professional
Chapter 3: Licensure Provisions
Effective Date: 09/18/2024 to Current
Rule Type: Current Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 084.0001.3.09182024
Section 1. Fees. This fee schedule is adopted by the Board pursuant to W.S. 33-1-201 and W.S. 33-41-113. All fees collected by the board are non-refundable.
(a) Application Fees:
(b) Renewal Fees:
(c) Replacement Wyoming PG certificate:
(d) The fees charged for items listed in (a), (b), and (c) shall be reaffirmed or adjusted annually by the Board to ensure that, to the extent practicable, the total revenue generated from collected fees approximates the direct and indirect costs of administering the regulatory provisions of the Act. Adjustments to fees shall be set by action of the Board at a properly noticed meeting.
(a) A license or certificate expired for less than ninety (90) calendar days, may be reinstated by paying the unpaid applicable annual renewal fee plus one-half (1/2) of the applicable application fee.
(b) A license or certificate expired for longer than ninety (90) calendar days, but less than two (2) years, may be reinstated by paying the unpaid applicable annual renewal fee plus a fee that is equal to the applicable application fee.
(c) Retired License Status.
(i) A license in retired status that is inactive for less than a two (2) year period may be reinstated by paying the renewal fee for the current year.
(d) Any license or certificate that is expired for two (2) consecutive years or longer will not be reinstated.
(i) A Notice of Revocation shall be sent to the license or certificate holder, at which time the license or certificate holder will have thirty (30) days to appeal the revocation. If the license or certificate holder fails to request reconsideration in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of the revocation notice, the revocation of the license or certificate will become final.
(ii) If the license or certificate is revoked a new application for a license or certificate must be completed pursuant to the application, examination, and admission requirements provided in this chapter.
(a) The Board or its designee(s) shall notify each trainee, licensee, and retired licensee of the date of expiration of the certificate or license in advance of the expiration.
(b) Licenses and certificates expire annually at midnight on December 31.
(c) Failure to receive the notice described in Section 3(a) of this chapter shall not relieve a trainee, a licensee, or a retired licensee of the responsibility for renewing the certificate or license before it expires.
(d) It is the responsibility of each trainee, licensee, or retired licensee to promptly notify the Board in writing of any change in name, home address, business affiliation, preferred mailing address, and e-mail address. In the case of a name change, the individual shall give notice to the Board within thirty (30) calendar days of the change, along with a copy of the legal documents affecting the change. This notice must be sent by mail, facsimile, or e-mail.
(a) Applicants for licensure shall complete application forms prescribed by the Board, which shall contain statements made under oath that demonstrate the applicant has met all the general requirements for licensure as defined in W.S. 33-41-102 (a)(iv) and W.S. 33-41-111, except (a)(iii). In addition, applicants shall:
(i) Include the appropriate fee(s);
(ii) Provide names and addresses of not less than three (3) professional references as defined in these rules who can attest to the applicant's professional character and repute as defined in these rules. Two (2) or more of the professional references shall be professional geologists or qualified geologists having personal knowledge of the applicant's geologic work experience. No more than one (1) reference can be from the same company or the same division of an agency. No more than one (1) reference can be from a current co-worker. One (1) reference shall be from a supervisor or client. If an applicant cannot provide three (3) professional references, the applicant shall provide a written and signed explanation.
Based on the applicant's explanation, the Board may prescribe alternatives to these requirements;
(iii) Arrange to have the registrars of colleges, universities, or other educational institutions send official or certified transcripts of coursework, grades, and degrees directly to the Board;
(A) Transcripts shall show satisfactory graduation from a four (4) year academic degree program at an institution of higher education approved by the Board.
(B) Transcripts shall show satisfactory completion of the geologic coursework required to qualify as a geologist.
(iv) Provide proof of lawful presence in the United States;
(v) Summarize all geological and related professional work experience and provide the names and addresses of supervisors or, in the case of consulting work, clients. If an applicant cannot provide the name and address of at least one (1) supervisor or client, the applicant shall provide a written and signed explanation and the name and address of one (1) additional professional reference as defined by these rules; and
(vi) Be hereby apprised that the submittal of an application authorizes the Board to investigate any or all of the statements or information in the application.
(b) Applicants for licensure shall mail or email professional reference forms to the individuals named in their application. Individuals providing these professional references shall return the completed forms or requests directly to the Board.
(c) Criteria the Board considers in determining what geologic work experience shall be credited toward the accumulation of the required four (4) years of professional practice in geologic work include, but are not limited to:
(i) Each month of full-time geologic experience of a character acceptable to the Board shall count as one (1) month of professional practice of geologic work if it was carried out for a client or under the direct supervision of either a professional geologist or qualified geologist as defined by W.S. 33-41-102(a)(ix) or (x) or another professional who has similar experience, education, and professional character and repute in a related field;
(ii) Part-time geologic work experience meeting the criteria in Section 4(c)(i) of this chapter shall be prorated in one-quarter (1/4) of a month increment;
(iii) And the Board shall not accept any experience gained before an applicant meets the definition of a geologist in W.S. 33-41-102(a)(iv).
(d) When the Board is satisfied that an application is complete and in the proper form and that the applicant is eligible in all other aspects to be licensed, it shall certify the applicant as eligible to take the FG and PG examinations, or, if exempt from examination pursuant to W.S. 33-41-118(a) or W.S. 33-41-118(b), as eligible for licensure.
(e) If for any reason the Board is not satisfied that an applicant is eligible in all respects for examination or licensure as required by the Act or these rules, it may deny the application or it may require additional information.
(f) Before licensure, an applicant shall have passed both the FG and PG examinations, unless the applicant is exempt from examination, pursuant to W.S. 33-41-118(a) or W.S. 33-41-118(b).
(g) An individual shall not apply for licensure until the required four (4) years of professional practice in geologic work has been completed.
(a) Applicants for certification shall complete application forms prescribed by the Board, which shall contain statements made under oath that demonstrate the applicant has met the general requirements for certification as defined in W.S. 33-41-102 (a)(iv) and W.S. 33-41-112, except (a)(ii). In addition, the applicant shall:
(i) Include the appropriate fee(s);
(ii) Arrange to have the registrars of colleges, universities, or other educational institutions send official or certified transcripts of coursework, grades, and degrees directly to the Board;
(A) Transcripts shall show satisfactory graduation in a four (4) year academic degree program from an institution of higher education approved by the Board.
(B) Transcripts shall show satisfactory completion of the geologic coursework required to qualify as a geologist.
(iii) Provide proof of lawful presence in the United States; and
(iv) Be hereby apprised that the submittal of an application authorizes the Board to investigate any or all of the statements or information in the application.
(b) Applicants for certification may be permitted to take the FG examination within the final year of completion of an appropriate, accredited, bachelor's degree program in geology or is registered for the geologic course work required to qualify as a geologist.
(c) When the Board is satisfied that an application is complete and in the proper form and that the applicant is eligible in all other aspects to be certified, it shall certify the applicant as eligible to take the FG examination.
(d) If for any reason the Board is not satisfied that an applicant is eligible in all respects for examination or certification as required by the Act or these rules, it may deny the individual's application or it may require additional data concerning the applicant's qualifications for certification.
(e) Before certification, an applicant shall have passed the FG examination.
(f) Trainees may use 'G.I.T.' or 'Geologist-in-training' as a title after their name, providing these designations are not used in conjunction with their file number or preceded by the word 'licensed' or any other words that might lead someone to believe they are licensed as a professional geologist.
(a) The FG and PG examinations will be given at times and places determined by ASBOG. Completed application forms for licensure or certification shall be filed with the Board at least ninety (90) calendar days before examination dates.
(b) If the Board has not approved an application by the cutoff date for an examination, the application will be processed for the following examination date.
(c) The Board may deny admittance to an examination for any of the following reasons:
(i) An applicant fails to submit a completed notice of intent form at least sixty (60) calendar days before the examination date; or
(ii) The applicant does not present an acceptable form of photo identification such as a current state issued driver's license, passport, or other type of governmental identification.
(d) The Board or its designee(s) shall notify examinees of the results of the examination within ten (10) working days after the day that the Board or its designees(s) receives the results.
(e) An applicant who fails an examination may retake the examination after paying the appropriate fee(s). An applicant who fails either the FG or PG examination will only have to retake the failed examination(s).
(f) An applicant may withdraw his application for licensure or certification by written request to the Board. An application withdrawn in this manner shall be considered withdrawn without prejudice.
If an applicant for licensure has passed a geologist-in-training examination in another jurisdiction and that examination is deemed by the Board as comparable to the FG examination, the applicant may be admitted to take the PG examination. Proof of geologist-in-training status shall be forwarded directly to the Board from the authority which administered the original examination. An applicant shall further comply with all the educational and experience requirements set forth in W.S. 33-41-111, except (a)(iii).
(a) Applicants who hold a valid license to practice geology in another state, jurisdiction, territory, or country may be granted licensure without examination, provided:
(i) The applicant passed an examination or examinations deemed by the Board as comparable to the FG and PG examinations and submitted acceptable evidence showing the requirements under which the license in the original jurisdiction was obtained were substantially identical to or more stringent than current requirements in the State of Wyoming; or
(ii) The applicant is currently licensed under the grandfather provisions of a state in which the registration or license is held submits acceptable evidence showing the requirements under which the license in the original jurisdiction was obtained were substantially identical to or more stringent than current requirements in the State of Wyoming, and submits evidence acceptable to the Board that the applicant has:
(A) Maintained at least forty-eight (48) months of professional geologic work experience subsequent to the date of registration or licensure in the grandfathered state; and
(B) Held the registration or license continuously for a minimum of four (4) years.
(b) An applicant who does not hold a valid license to practice geology in another state, jurisdiction, territory, or country may be granted licensure without examination if the applicant has passed an examination or examinations deemed by the Board as comparable to the FG and PG examinations and has submitted acceptable evidence that the statutory requirements for education and experience in the State of Wyoming are met.
(c) 'Acceptable evidence' means a completed application as described in these rules and verification of registration or licensure on forms prescribed by the Board. Such documentation of licensure shall contain information concerning the method of licensure including examination results, cutoff scores, the date of the original licensure, and the current status of the applicant's license.
(a) A request for transfer to retired licensee status shall be made in writing at or before the time of license renewal and, if approved, will become effective the first day of January following the request.
(b) To be granted retired status, a licensee shall: (i) Have been licensed continuously for ten years in Wyoming before requesting retired licensee status; (ii) Not practice geology before the public in the State of Wyoming; (iii) Pay the annual renewal fee for a retired professional geologist; (iv) Submit a signed statement with each annual renewal affirming that the retiree is not currently practicing and has not practiced geology before the public in the State of Wyoming while retired.
Section 10. Requirements to Return to Active Licensee Status from Retired Licensee Status. To return to a professional geologist license and be licensed to practice geology before the public, a retired licensee shall notify the Board in writing of the desire to return to a professional geologist license and submit the annual renewal fee for licensure.