The Department of Business Regulation, on behalf of the Board of Examiners for Landscape Architects (Board), has proposed these amendments to adopt the CLARB Uniform Licensure Standard, codify existing licensing procedures and clarify application requirements.
The Board is a voting member of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). CLARB prepares and administers the national landscape architecture licensing exam (L.A.R.E.), assists the Board with licensing by transmitting official records of exam scores, transcripts and work experience for applicants, and establishes model laws for landscape architect licensure for the United States and 5 Canadian provinces.
In 2022, CLARB’s membership (including the RI Board) voted to adopt the CLARB Uniform Licensure Standard for Landscape Architecture (Uniform Standard) as part of model law to establish common, consistent requirements for education, experience and examination across jurisdictions. This Uniform Standard fits into the Board’s existing statutory requirements for licensure by clarifying the requirements for applications that do not have a board-approved accredited degree in landscape architecture. This will ensure consistent application of licensing laws, clear standards for staff and applicants, and increase the ability of RI landscape architects to become licensed in other states. RI would be the 12th jurisdiction to adopt the Uniform Standard. It has been adopted in: Alaska, Alberta (Canada), Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and will soon to be finalized in Colorado.
Summary of substantive amendments:
§ 1.4 – Definitions:
Added new definitions for the landscape architect degrees referred to in § 1.6 (BLA and MLA).
Defined “college or school of landscape architecture approved by the board,” a phrase from R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-51-4, consistent with the Board’s longstanding interpretation that this means accredited US and Canadian Landscape Architecture Degrees.
Added a definition of “international equivalent degree” to be ready for ongoing work CLARB is doing to determine equivalency with other countries.
Added a definition of “jurisdiction” from CLARB model law to clarify that this includes Canada.
Amended the definition of “CLARB certification” to relate to the adoption of the Uniform Standard.
§ 1.6(A)(2) – Clarified application current application procedures, consistent with current practice and similar requirements in the other design professional regulations.
§ 1.6(A)(3) – Adopted the CLARB Uniform Licensure Standard organized into 5 Categories based upon required years of experience.
§ 1.6(A)(4) – Clarify education requirements.
§ 1.6(A)(5) – Relocated and expanded explanation of experience documentation requirements consistent with the addition of the Uniform Standard. Added procedures for documenting experience gained in another country. Added examples from CLARB model law on the types of work experience that should be documented.
§ 1.6(B) – Clarified and updated existing reciprocity procedures, including requiring a CLARB Record for all reciprocal applications. CLARB records are already required for initial applications. Added procedures for reciprocal applicants to verify experience when former supervisor is deceased or otherwise unable to complete the verification form.
§ 1.6(E) – Authorized use of professional acronyms used by registrants in other states to indicate that the person is registered.
§ 1.8 – Relocated prior content to § 1.10(A). Added standard provision for reporting disciplinary actions and criminal records consistent with other Department regulations.
§ 1.10 – Minor updates consistent with changes to § 1.8.
§ 1.12(D)(2)(d) – Added missing word (“public”) at the end of the sentence for clarity.
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