Continuing professional development requirements

(A) Each registrant for renewal for calendar year 2008 and thereafter shall have completed, within the preceding calendar year, at least fifteen hours of continuing professional development for professional engineers and surveyors.

(B) The continuing professional development requirement may be satisfied by coursework or activities dealing with technical, ethical, or managerial topics relevant to the practice of engineering or surveying. A registrant may earn continuing professional development hours by completing or teaching university or college level coursework, attending seminars, workshops, or conferences, authoring relevant published papers, articles, or books, receiving patent awards, or actively participating in professional or technical societies serving the engineering or surveying professions.

In the case of the board disputing the content of any credit hours or coursework, then the board shall presume as a matter of law that any credit hours submitted by a registrant, or any coursework or activity submitted for approval complies with this section if submitted and a statement signed by a current registrant not otherwise participating in the event, affirms that the material is relevant to the registrant’s practice and will assist the registrant’s development in the profession.

Credit for university or college level coursework shall be based on the credit established by the university or college. One semester hour as established by the university or college shall be the equivalent of forty-five hours of continuing professional development, and one quarter hour as established by the university or college shall be the equivalent of thirty hours of continuing professional development.

Credit for seminars, workshops, or conferences offering continuing education units shall be based on the units awarded by the organization presenting the seminar, workshop, or conference. A registrant may earn ten continuing professional development hours for each continuing education unit awarded. Each hour of attendance at a seminar, workshop, or conference for which no continuing education units are offered shall be the equivalent of one continuing professional development hour.

A registrant may earn two continuing professional development hours for each year of service as an officer or active committee member of a professional or technical society or association that represents registrants or entities composed of registrants. A registrant may earn ten continuing professional development hours for authoring relevant published papers, articles, or books. A registrant may earn ten continuing professional development hours for each such published paper, article, or book. A registrant may earn ten continuing professional development hours for each patent award.

(C) A person registered as both a professional engineer and professional surveyor shall complete at least five of the fifteen hours required under division (A) of this section in engineering-related coursework or activities and at least five of those fifteen hours in surveying-related coursework or activities.

(D) A registrant is exempt from the requirements of this section during the first calendar year of registration.

(E) A registrant who completes more than fifteen hours of approved coursework or activities in any calendar year may carry forward to the next calendar year a maximum of fifteen of the excess hours.

(F) A registrant shall maintain records to demonstrate completion of the continuing professional development requirements specified in this section for a period of three calendar years beyond the year in which certification of the completion of the requirements is obtained by the registrant. The records shall include all of the following:

(1) A log specifying the type of coursework or activity, its location and duration along with the instructor’s name, and the number of continuing professional development hours earned;

(2) Certificates of completion or other evidence verifying attendance.

(G) The records specified in division (F) of this section may be audited at any time by the state board of registration for professional engineers and surveyors. If the board discovers that a registrant has failed to complete coursework or activities, it shall notify the registrant of the deficiencies and allow the registrant six months from the date of the notice to rectify the deficiencies and to provide the board with evidence of satisfactory completion of the continuing professional development requirements. If the registrant fails to provide such evidence within that six-month period, the board may revoke or suspend the registration after offering an adjudication hearing in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.