Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
323A.110(2) authorizes the
board to discipline a licensee for unprofessional conduct.
KRS
323A.210(2)(b) authorizes
the board to promulgate reasonable administrative regulations consistent with
KRS Chapter 323A that are necessary to carry out the provisions of KRS Chapter
323A. This administrative regulation establishes the code of ethics intended to
provide guidelines for the determination of unprofessional conduct by landscape
architects practicing in the state and for the protection of the public they
will be serving.
Section 1. Code of
Ethics.
(1) A violation of this code of
ethics shall be considered unprofessional conduct pursuant to
KRS
323A.110(2).
(2) The landscape architect shall conduct the
landscape architect's practice in order to protect the life, health, property,
and welfare of the public and shall at all times recognize that his or her
primary obligation is to protect the life, health, property, and welfare of the
public in the performance of his or her professional duties. If his or her
landscape architectural judgment is overruled under circumstances involving the
safety, health, and welfare of the public being endangered, the landscape
architect shall inform his or her employer of the possible consequences and
notify another proper authority of the situation, as may be
appropriate.
(3) The landscape
architect shall perform his or her services only in areas of the landscape
architect's competence.
(a) The landscape
architect shall perform landscape architectural assignments only if qualified
by education or experience in the specific technical field of professional
landscape architecture involved;
(b) The landscape architect may accept an
assignment requiring education or experience outside of his or her own field of
competence, but only to the extent that his or her services shall be restricted
to those phases of the project in which he or she is qualified. All other
phases of that project shall be performed by qualified associates, consultants,
or employees;
(c) The landscape
architect shall not affix his or her signature or seal to any landscape
architectural plan or document dealing with subject matter to which he or she
lacks competence by virtue of education or experience, or to any plan or
document not prepared under his or her direct supervisory control;
and
(d) It shall be the
responsibility of the licensee to demonstrate competence in the specific
technical field in which the licensee is practicing.
(4) The landscape architect shall be
completely objective and truthful in all professional reports, and shall
include all relevant and pertinent information in those reports.
(5) The landscape architect shall avoid
conflicts of interest:
(a) The landscape
architect shall avoid all conflicts of interest with his or her employer or
client and shall promptly inform his or her employer or client of any business
association, interests, or circumstances which may influence his or her
judgment or the quality of his or her services;
(b) The landscape architect shall not accept
compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one (1) party for services
pertaining to the same project, and the circumstances shall be fully disclosed
to, and agreed to, by all interested parties;
(c) The landscape architect shall not solicit
or accept financial or other valuable considerations from material or equipment
suppliers for specifying their products;
(d) The landscape architect shall not solicit
or accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, from contractors, their agents,
or other parties dealing with his or her client or employer in connection with
work for which he or she is responsible;
(e) If in public service as a member,
advisor, or employee of a governmental body or department, the landscape
architect shall not participate in considerations or actions with respect to
services provided by the landscape architect or his or her organization in
private landscape architectural practices;
(f) The landscape architect shall not solicit
or accept a landscape architectural contract from a governmental body on which
a principal or officer of his or her organization serves as a member;
or
(g) The landscape architect
shall not attempt to supplant another landscape architect after definite steps
have been taken by a client toward the latter's employment, and he or she shall
not accept a commission for which another landscape architect has been employed
without first conclusively determining that the latter's employment has been
terminated.
(6) The
landscape architect shall solicit or accept work only on the basis of his or
her qualifications.
(a) The landscape
architect shall not offer to pay, either directly or indirectly, any
commission, political contribution, or a gift, or other consideration in order
to secure work, exclusive of securing salaried positions through employment
agencies.
(b) The landscape
architect shall seek professional employment on the basis of qualification and
competence for proper accomplishment of the work.
(c) The landscape architect shall not falsify
or permit misrepresentation of the landscape architect's, or his or her
associates', academic or professional qualifications. He or she shall not
misrepresent or exaggerate his or her degree of responsibility in or for the
subject matter of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations incident
to the solicitation of employment shall not misrepresent pertinent facts
concerning employers, employees, associates, joint ventures, or the landscape
architect's or their past accomplishments with the intent and purpose of
enhancing his or her qualifications and his or her work.
(7) In the practice of landscape
architecture, a landscape architect shall associate only with reputable persons
or organizations.
(a) The landscape architect
shall not knowingly associate with or permit the use of his or her name or firm
in a business venture by any person or firm which he or she knows, or has
reason to believe, is engaging in business or professional practices of a
fraudulent or dishonest nature, or in violation of 201 KAR Chapter 10;
or
(b) If the landscape architect
has knowledge or reason to believe that another person or firm may be in
violation of 201 KAR Chapter 10 or KRS Chapter 323A, he or she shall present
that information to the board in writing and shall cooperate with the board in
furnishing any further information or assistance as may be required by the
board.