Chapter 04. Continuing Professional Competency Requirements

“ASLA” means the American Society of Landscape Architects.

“ Board” means the State Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects.

“College credit hour” means the credit for a course described in Regulation .04 of this chapter, offered by a university, college, or community college.

“Continuing education standard activities” means traditional continuing education course work presented to students by an instructor in an in-person or virtual classroom format.

“Continuing education alternative activities” means work that qualifies under this chapter for continuing professional competency credits that is not traditional continuing education course work presented to students by an instructor in an in-person or virtual classroom format.

“Health, safety, and welfare (HSW) subjects” means content areas identified as such by Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System as those content areas may be updated or otherwise amended from time to time.

“LACES” means Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System.

“Professional development hour (PDH)” means a minimum of 50 minutes of face-to-face or distance learning instruction per 60-minute hour.

“Qualifying activities” means professional development activities which qualify for PDH credit by meeting the following requirements:

Maintain, improve, or expand the skills and knowledge relevant to the practice of landscape architecture;

Research, analysis, assessment, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of land use;

Selection and allocation of cultural, historic, and natural resources;

Laws and regulations applicable to the practice of landscape architecture in Maryland;

Standards of practice or care applicable to the practice of landscape architecture; or

Professional ethics as applicable to the practice of landscape architecture.

Maintain and enhance professional competency;

Foster improvement, advancement, and extension of professional skills and knowledge related to the practice of landscape architecture;

Offer learning experiences relevant to current landscape architectural practices or those that relate to the public health, safety, and welfare;

Be presented in a systematic manner that clearly defines learning objectives; and

Be led or taught at a professional level by well-qualified professionals in a learning environment conducive to learning and appropriate for accomplishing learning objectives described in these regulations.

Authorship of original published work, including books, articles, papers, or documents, or other media types at the discretion of the Board;

Enrollment in and completion of a related, for-credit course at a university, college, or community college;

Professional development work or professional or technical presentations made on matters related to landscape architecture at meetings, conventions, or conferences; or

Other appropriate activities that may from time to time be approved by the Board.

Credited contribution to a print or digital publication of original work published in a periodical recognized by the Board, with a maximum of 3 PDHs applied for upon publication.

Credited contribution to an original book, with a maximum of 5 PDHs applied for upon publication.

Enrollment in and completion of a related, for-credit course at a university, college, or community college, with 1 PDH applied for upon completion of 1 college credit hour with a maximum of 3 total PDHs per for-credit course.

Teach a traditional continuing education course, as follows:

The types and descriptions of proposed or existing programs intended to be offered;

The number of PDHs to be awarded for each activity; and

The identity and qualifications of the instructors.

The responsibility of maintaining records to be used to support the continuing professional competency credit claim is the responsibility of each licensee.

A licensee shall maintain the records for a period of at least 4 years from the date of completion of the qualifying activity.

Certificates of participation;

Transcripts; or

Any other appropriate evidence acceptable to the Board.

A licensee has been granted an initial license and is renewing a license for the next full term; or

A licensee qualifies under the criteria set forth in Title 2.5, Business Regulation Article, Annotated Code of Maryland.

If a licensee is unable to comply with all or part of CPC requirements due to physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances, the licensee may request the Board or the Board’s administrative designee to grant a one-time exception from compliance, provided that the request is filed with the Board or the Board’s administrative designee prior to the licensee’s license expiration date.

If the request is based on physical disability or illness, the licensee must provide the Board or the Board’s administrative designee with a written documentation acceptable to the Board supporting the basis for the request.

The request must be accompanied by a detailed proposal acceptable to the Board indicating a licensee’s intended plan of compliance with the CPC requirements within no later than 6 months after the license expiration date. Failure to provide the acceptable plan of compliance within the time period specified in this regulation may result in the Board’s administrative dismissal of the request.