Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Professional Geologist | 559 |
License: Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists
Licensing Board Website: http://www.algeobd.alabama.gov/
Degree required:
Majors accepted:
Courses required:
Courses accepted:
Geology credits required: 30
Credit information: A minimum of 30 semester hours or their equivalent of coursework in geological science are required.
Education Notes: See the state regulations for a complete explanation of the education requirements for licensure.
Years of experience required: 8
Experience credits needed: 1
Experience information: At least five years of full-time professional geological work after receipt of a Bachelor’s degree is required. The board, at its discretion, may give a maximum of one year of credit for each graduate degree in geology,engineering geology, or one of the related geological sciences.
Continuing education requirements: Yes
Continuing education years: 15
Continuing education details: Thirty (30) CEU are required for the biennial renewal period. Licensees 65 and older are exempt. No continuing education activities are required during the initial licensing period and renewal is automatic for the second two (2)-year period of licensure upon application. In order to apply for a second renewal of licensure applicants must have satisfactorily completed continuing education requirements.
Geologist in Training license available: Yes
Can take Fundamentals of Geology test before graduation: No
Fundamentals of Geology test details: The rules, regulations and board website do not specifically address taking the FG examination before degree completion. There is not language that is considered to be interpretable as such.
Legal Code Reference for GIT, FG: A.A.C. 364-X-6-.01
Most registration and licensure systems include structural approaches to review both the need and operational effectiveness of the process.
Some states provide formal sunset evaluation processes for their licensure programs. Many also include a periodic audit process of the licensure program/agency, which can range from cursory financial reviews to comprehensive evaluation of program effectiveness.
The audit process is often leveraged when political pressure is applied to eliminate geologist licensure, so awareness of the history and codes for audits and sunset evaluations is critical to montioring the health of the licensure within the state.
Current modes for sunsetting evaluation: Both sunset review and audit
License subject to sunset review: Possible
License subject to audit review: Yes
Sunset regulation name: Alabama Sunset Law of 1981
Sunset statute: Alabama Code, Title 41 State Government, Chapter 20 Continuation or Termination of State Agencies
Sunset statute reference: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/CodeOfAlabama/1975/Coatoc.htm
Sunset committee: Sunset Committee
Composition of sunset committee: Twelve members, equally divided between the Senate and the House of Representatives
Sunset committee website: https://examiners.alabama.gov/sunset_members.aspx
Sunset duration: varies
Sunset notes: Sectoin Section 34-41-24 states that, “The Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists shall be subject to the provisions of the Alabama Sunset Law of 1981, and shall be classified as an enumerated agency pursuant to Section 41-20-3. The board shall dissolve on October 1, 1997, unless continued as therein provided and, if continued, the board shall be reviewed every four years thereafter.” The Sunset Committee website only has 2019 sunset reports posted. Past reports are not available on their website. The Department of Examiners performs “operational audits” and sunset reviews that go beyond the traditional audits and address economy, efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
Other sunset references: Resource Manual for Alabama Regulatory Boards and Commissions
Other sunset references website: https://examiners.alabama.gov/PDF/Guides/ResourceManual.pdf
Auditor name: Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts
Auditor website: https://examiners.alabama.gov/
Audit statute: The Code of Alabama, Title 41. State Government, Chapter 5A. Examiners of Public Accounts
Audit Statute abbreviation: The Code of Alabama, Title 41. State Government, Chapter 5A. Examiners of Public Accounts Section 41-5A-1
Audit statute link: http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/CodeOfAlabama/1975/Coatoc.htm
Audit duration: At least once every two years
Audit legislation committee: Joint Legislative Committee on Finance and Budgets
Audit legislation committee website: Joint Legislative Committee on Finances and Budgets
Audit notes: The majority of audit work performed by the Department consists of traditional financial and compliance audits, including Federal compliance. These audits focus on two areas: reliability and accuracy of financial statements; and compliance with laws, ordinances, regulations, and other requirements.
Audit reference: Resource Manual for Alabama Regulatory Boards and Commissions
Audit reference website: https://examiners.alabama.gov/PDF/Guides/ResourceManual.pdf
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Sunset law created | Alabama Sunset Law of 1976, Act No. 512 |
| 1981 | Sunset law amended | TBD |
| 1982 | Sunset law amended | TBD |
| 1995 | Practice regulation | The Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists was created. |
| 1997 | ASBOG | The first ASBOG exam was administered. |
| 2004 | Audit | Audit Report 25S-6 |
| 2008 | Audit | Audit Report 29S-8 to Sunset Chairman |
| 2012 | Audit | Audit Report 12-388 |
| 2012 | Audit | Audit Report 13S-7 To Sunset Chairman |
| 2015 | Audit | Audit Report 15-427 |
| 2016 | Audit | Audit Report 17S-5 |
| 2017 | Audit | Audit Report 17-455 |