WYOMING BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS LICENSURE
Open letter for publication in the WGA Contact
To: All geologists who practice geology before the public and either:
- Reside in Wyoming and practice within Wyoming or elsewhere (out of state or international), or
- Reside outside of Wyoming, but practice in Wyoming
What: You must be licensed with the Wyoming Board of Professional Geologists
Statute: Wyoming Geologists Practice Act, W.S. 33-41-101 through 33-41-121
Violations: Any individual who holds themself out to the public as a professional geologist in this state without being licensed or exempted in accordance with the provisions of this act, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction may be fined not to exceed $750.00, imprisoned up to six months, or both.
Definition: “Practice of geology before the public” means the performance of geological services or work including consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, preparation of geologic reports and maps, the inspection of geological work and the responsible supervision of geological services or work, the performance of which is relevant to public welfare or the safeguard of life, health, property and the environment, unless exempt under this act. This includes testifying as an expert witness and performing hydrology studies and evaluations. It may also include those working for state or federal agencies who would normally be exempt, if they are giving geologic advice directly to the public (e.g. “Is it safe to build my house here?”; “Can I find water here?”)
“Practice of geology before the public” does not include cutting descriptions for water wells, descriptive logs for drill holes for mineral exploration, lithologic descriptions and stratigraphic picks for oil and gas well logs, geologic information contained within notices and other routine forms required by state and federal agencies, geologic reports and other documents not available for dissemination outside of the entity preparing the reports or documents, nor any technical papers or reports prepared specifically for publication by the state or federal geological survey or by other geological, scientific or trade organizations.
Application & Requirements for Licensure:
- Geologist-in-training (GIT)
- 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in geology courses completed for credit (transcript required)
- must pass the Fundamentals of Geology (FG) exam
- may take the exam before receiving a degree, but will not receive official GIT certification until degree is granted and verified
- no professional experience nor references are required
- Professional Geologist (PG)
- GIT certification or meet GIT requirements (including FG exam)
- must pass the Practice of Geology (PG) exam
- must have at least 48 months of acceptable experience after meeting geology credit requirements and receiving degree
- need three professional references; at least one supervisor or client, two must be licensed or “qualified” geologists, no more than one co-worker, none allowed from subordinates or relatives, no more than one from the same company or division of an agency
- Fees
- GIT application $10, FG exam $150
- Professional Geologist application $50, PG exam $200
- annual renewal: GIT $5, PG $50
Exemptions: The following are exempt from the licensing provisions of this act if they do not use the title of professional geologist or are not directly represented or held out to the public to be legally qualified to engage in the practice of geology before the public:
- Non-resident with no established place of business in this state if the individual:
- is legally qualified to practice geology in another jurisdiction whose requirements for practice have been deemed by the board to be comparable to those required by this state;
- has notified the board, in writing, of his intent to practice geology for a period not to exceed six months in this state;
- has provided proof of current registration or licensure in another state recognized by the board; and
- affixes the individual’s seal from the jurisdiction state.
- New resident, at the board’s discretion, if that individual:
- has filed an application for licensure as a geologist with the board and the application is pending board action;
- is legally qualified to practice geology in another jurisdiction whose requirements for practice are similar to those required by this state; and
- affixes the individual’s seal from the jurisdiction in which the individual is legally qualified to practice on all work completed while the application for a license to practice in this state is pending.
- An employee or subordinate of an individual holding a valid license under this act
- Any individual or company engaged in the exploration for and development of coal, uranium, oil, natural gas, geothermal and other energy minerals, precious and nonprecious metals and minerals, industrial and other minerals, including sand gravel and aggregate
- Individuals engaged in teaching or research in the physical or natural sciences (includes state and federal geological surveys)
- Individuals providing prospect generation, mineral abstracting services or lease brokering services to other persons engaged in the exploration or development of fossil fuels or other mineral resources
- Individuals engaged in the practice of well drilling including drilling for water and for the exploration or development of fossil fuels or other mineral resources
- Individuals engaged in the practice of subsurface sewage disposal
- Individuals engaged in soils engineering, sampling or testing
- Individuals engaged in drafting, sampling, sample preparation and routine lab work in which interpretation and decision making are either lacking or not required
Reciprocity or comity: The board may issue a license to an individual holding a
license in another state that has licensure requirements substantially similar to Wyoming. If the out-of-state license was obtained under a grandfather clause, the board may still grant a license by comity if the applicant meets degree requirements, credit requirements and has practiced as a licensed geologist for more than five years with a clean record.
It is the Board’s hope that those exempted from licensure will still consider obtaining licensure to increase their professional stature within the geologic community and to increase the reputation of the geologic community before the public.
WYOMING BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
Carleton S. Babb, Chairman
Link to Licensure application
http://wbpg.wy.gov/PDF/4applicNov07.pdf