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Audit Information

Audit Timeline, Documentation, and Compliance

Audits can be conducted anytime up to three years after the biennial renewal is submitted to ensure compliance with continuing education requirements. If selected for audit, the registrant will be contacted to provide the necessary documentation. Each registrant selected for audit must respond with detailed information on the professional development hour activities within thirty days. If the audit conducted indicates a failure to comply with continuing education requirements, the registrant has sixty calendar days after receipt of written notice to further reinforce the claim of professional development hour credits or to acquire sufficient professional development hour credit to meet the requirements. The board may also audit a registrant’s professional development hour activities based on complaints or charges against a registrant. Registrants who refuse to comply with continuing professional competency requirements may be subject to disciplinary action as allowed by North Dakota Century Code section 43-19.1-25.

Exceptions

A registrant may be exempt from the continuing education requirements for one of the following reasons:

  1. A registrant serving on temporary active duty in the armed forces of the United States, or a registrant serving on regular active duty who is deployed for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty consecutive days in a year, shall be exempt from obtaining the professional development hours required during that year.

  2. Registrants experiencing physical disability, illness, temporary leave from professional activity, or other extenuating circumstances as reviewed and approved by the board may be exempt. Supporting documentation must be furnished to the board. In the event such a person elects to return to active practice of professional engineering or land surveying, fifteen professional development hours must be earned before returning to active practice for each year exempted not to exceed the biennial requirement of thirty professional development hours.

  3. Professional engineer registrants exempt from registration by North Dakota Century Code section 43-19.1-29 but voluntarily registered are exempt from continuing professional competency requirements. A claim of exemption under this provision must be verified by the board. This exemption is based on the registrant’s primary employment. If the registrant provides engineering services outside the scope of primary employment, the exemption will be voided and the registrant will be required to comply with the continuing professional competency requirements. A person who is registered because of a requirement in the person’s job description or qualification for a pay grade is not voluntarily registered. Noncompliance with the provisions of this exemption shall be grounds for disciplinary action as allowed by North Dakota Century Code section 43-19.1-25.

  4. Registrants who qualify for retired status on the board-approved renewal form shall be exempt from the continuing education requirements. A registrant whose license has been retired for one year or more and who meets all other requirements may reinstate a retired license and is required to file an interim continuing professional competency report within one year of the date of reinstatement verifying that a minimum of fifteen professional development hours have been accomplished. A registrant whose license has been retired for less than one year and who meets all other requirements may reinstate a retired license and must show compliance within the previous two years with the continuing professional competency requirements set forth in this chapter at the time of reinstatement.

  5. The board reserves the right to modify the requirements for continuing education based on extenuating circumstances that would prevent or restrict a registrant from obtaining the required professional development hours. This modification would not reduce the overall credits needed but allows for an extension in time to fulfill the requirements.

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Continuing Education