Iowa Administrative Code
Agency 193C - Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board
Chapter 5 - Land Surveying Licensure
Rule 193C-5.2 - Requirements for Licensure by Comity
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024
A person holding a certificate of licensure to engage in the practice of land surveying issued by a proper authority of a jurisdiction or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any foreign country, based on requirements that do not conflict with the provisions of Iowa Code section 542B.14 and of a standard not lower than that specified in the applicable licensure Act, may, upon application and successful completion of the Iowa State Specific Land Surveying examination, be licensed without further examination. Comity applicants are governed by the same standards as are required of Iowa applicants.
(1) References. An applicant for licensure by comity shall submit one or more professional land surveyor references on forms provided by the board to verify the number of years of satisfactory experience required with the applicant's level of education. The board reserves the right to contact employers for information about the applicant's professional experience and competence.
(2) Comity application process.
While the board will consider evidence presented by a comity applicant on non-NCEES examinations successfully completed in a foreign country, the non-NCEES examination will be compared with the appropriate NCEES examination. A non-NCEES professional examination, for instance, must be designed to determine whether a candidate is minimally competent to practice professional land surveying. The examination must be written, objectively graded, verifiable, and developed and validated in accordance with the testing standards of the American Psychological Association or equivalent testing standards. Free-form essays and oral interviews are not equal or superior to NCEES examinations for reasons including the subjective nature of such procedures, lack of verifiable grading standards, and heightened risk of inconsistent treatment.
(3) Substantial equivalency. Pursuant to Iowa Code section 546.10(8), the board may grant a comity application for licensure as a professional land surveyor if the board concludes that the applicant has met or exceeded all requirements for licensure applicable to initial applicants in Iowa, other than the sequence in which experience must be attained.
