OAR 804-025-0010: Continuing Education Requirements

(1) Upon Board review and approval, a registrant may be exempted from continuing education requirements in any of the following situations: (a) A registrant is called to active duty in the armed forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding 120 consecutive days in a calendar year. This registrant may request an exemption from completing the required continuing education during any renewal period in which the registrant is on active duty. (b) A registrant experiences physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances that prevents the registrant from practicing landscape architecture for a specified period of time. The registrant may request a full exemption from or reduction in the required continuing education hours during the renewal period(s) in which unable to practice or practice is restricted. (c) A registrant working or travelling outside of the U.S. for an extended period of time as part of government employment, for humanitarian service, or for another similar purpose in areas where continuing education activities cannot readily be accessed or completed may request a full exemption from or reduction in the required continuing education hours during the renewal period(s) in which the work or travel outside the U.S. is occurring. (d) A registrant experiences economic hardship or other related hardship impacting ability to complete continuing education, whether such hardship prevented practice or not, due to the impacts of a federal or state-declared disaster or federal or state-declared emergency. The registrant may request a full exemption from or reduction in the required continuing education hours during the renewal period(s) in which the hardship occurred. (e) A registrant requesting an exemption shall provide supporting documentation for the Board's review. The Board may request additional documentation as deemed necessary to consider the request. Each exemption is granted at the sole discretion of the Board. (f) Instead of requesting an exemption, a registrant in good standing and facing circumstances described under (1)(a), (b), (c), or (d) may request to be placed on inactive status under ORS 671.376(4) and OAR 804-022-0025. A registrant on inactive status can request a return to active practice within a five (5) year period counted forward from the date inactive status was granted by the Board. (2) The Board may delegate the authority to approve continuing education exemptions to the Board Administrator. (3) Any exemption approved will be documented in a written letter from the Board to the registrant. (4) Except under (1)(b) or (1)(d), exemptions will not be approved retroactively. The Board may approve an exemption retroactively under (1)(b) or (1)(d) where, in its sole discretion, the Board finds that the registrant has demonstrated extenuating circumstances which prevented completion of continuing education in the renewal year and provided justification as to why the registrant did not request the exemption proactively.