                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

LICENSURE; MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS; PENALTY (§ 54.1-2208.2)

A. Any person practicing or offering to practice as a professional geologist or
in a geological specialty in this Commonwealth may submit reasonable evidence to
the Board that he is qualified to practice and to be licensed as provided in
this article. The Board shall approve the application for licensure of any
person who, in the opinion of the Board, has satisfactorily met the requirements
of this article and who has paid any applicable fees fixed by the Board.
			Licenses shall expire at intervals as designated by the Board. A license may
be renewed by the Board upon receipt of a formal request accompanied by any
applicable fees.

B. To be eligible for licensure as a professional geologist, an applicant shall
meet each of the following minimum qualifications:

   1. Be of ethical character.

   2. Have a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited institution of
   higher education with either a major in geology, engineering geology,
   geological engineering, or related geological sciences; or have completed at
   least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in geological science courses
   leading to a major in geology.

   3. Have at least seven years of geological work that shall include either a
   minimum of three years of geological work under the supervision of a qualified
   or licensed professional geologist or a minimum of three years of experience
   in responsible charge of geological work. The adequacy of the position and the
   required supervision and experience shall be determined by the Board in
   accordance with standards set forth in its regulations. The following criteria
   of education and experience qualify toward the required seven years of
   geological work:
   				a. Each year of full-time undergraduate study in the geological sciences
   shall count as one-half year of experience up to a maximum of two years, and
   each year of full-time graduate study shall count as a year of experience up
   to a maximum of three years. Credit for undergraduate and graduate study shall
   in no case exceed a total of four years toward meeting the requirements for at
   least seven years of geological work.
   				b. The Board may consider, in lieu of the above-described geological work,
   the cumulative total of geological work or geological research of persons
   occupying research or post-graduate positions as well as those teaching
   geology courses at an institution of higher education, provided such work or
   research can be demonstrated to be of a sufficiently responsible nature to be
   equivalent to the geological work required in this section.

   4. Have successfully passed an appropriate examination approved by the Board
   and designed to demonstrate that the applicant has the necessary knowledge and
   skill to exercise the responsibilities of the public practice of geology.
   				At the discretion of the Board, separate examinations may be prepared for
   various subspecialities of geology; however, there will be no specialty
   licensure, only licensure as a professional geologist.

C. The Board shall issue a license to practice as a geologist in the
Commonwealth to any individual who holds an unexpired certification to practice
as a geologist issued prior to July 1, 2025.

D. No person shall represent himself as a licensed professional geologist unless
he has been so licensed by the Board. Any person practicing or offering to
practice geology within the meaning of this article who, through verbal claim,
sign, advertisement, or letterhead, represents himself as a licensed
professional geologist without holding such license from the Board is guilty of
a Class 1 misdemeanor.

HISTORY: 1981, c. 132, §§ 54-964, 54-965; 1984, c. 51; 1988, c. 765, §
54.1-1403; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2025, c. 722.