641—70.5(135) Certification, interim certification, and recertification. The department shall issue certifications and recertifications for a three-year time period. All applications for certification or recertification may be made to the department electronically in a format specified by the department or may be made to the department using a paper application supplied by the department.
	70.5(1) A person wishing to become a certified lead professional shall provide the following information:
	a. 	A completed application form.
	b. 	A certificate of completion of an approved course for the discipline in which the applicant wishes to become certified.
	c. 	If wishing to become a certified lead inspector/risk assessor or a certified elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor, documentation of successful completion of the manufacturer’s training course or equivalent for the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer that the inspector/risk assessor or elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor will use to conduct lead inspections.
	d. 	If wishing to become a certified elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor, documentation of successful completion of an eight-hour elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor course.
	e. 	Documentation that the applicant meets the additional experience and education requirements in subrule 70.5(2) for the discipline in which the applicant wishes to become certified. The following documents shall be submitted as evidence that the applicant has the education and work experience required by subrule 70.5(2):
	(1)	Official transcripts or diplomas as evidence of meeting the education requirements.
	(2)	Résumés, letters of reference, or documentation of work experience, as evidence of meeting the work experience requirements.
	f. 	To become certified as a lead inspector/risk assessor, elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor, lead abatement contractor, or project designer, a certificate showing that the applicant has passed the state certification examination in the discipline in which the applicant wishes to become certified.
	g. 	A $180 nonrefundable fee.
	h. 	A person may receive interim certification from the department as a lead inspector/risk assessor, elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor, lead abatement contractor, or project designer by submitting the items required by paragraphs 70.5(1)“a” to “e” and “g” to the department. Interim certification shall expire six months from the date of completion of an approved course. An applicant shall upgrade an interim certification to a certification by submitting a certificate to the department showing that the applicant has passed the state certification examination as required by paragraph 70.5(1)“f.” Interim certification is equivalent to certification.
	70.5(2) To become certified by the department as a lead professional, an applicant must meet the education and experience requirements for the appropriate discipline:
	a. 	Lead inspector/risk assessors and elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessors must meet one of the following requirements:
	(1)	Bachelor’s degree and one year of related experience (e.g., lead, environmental health, public health, housing inspection, building trades).
	(2)	Associate’s degree and two years of related experience (e.g., lead, environmental health, public health, housing inspection, building trades).
	(3)	High school diploma and three years of related experience (e.g., lead, environmental health, public health, housing inspection, building trades).
	(4)	Certification as an industrial hygienist, professional engineer, registered architect, registered sanitarian, registered environmental health specialist, or registered nurse.
	b. 	Lead abatement contractors must meet one of the following requirements:
	(1)	One year of experience as a certified lead abatement worker.
	(2)	Two years of related experience or education (e.g., lead, housing inspection, building trades, property management and maintenance).
	c. 	No additional education or experience is required for lead abatement workers.
	d. 	Sampling technicians must meet one of the following requirements:
	(1)	Associate’s degree.
	(2)	High school diploma and one year of related experience (e.g., lead, environmental health, public health, housing inspection, building trades).
	(3)	Certification as an industrial hygienist, professional engineer, registered architect, registered sanitarian, registered environmental health specialist, or registered nurse.
	e. 	Project designers must meet one of the following requirements:
	(1)	Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or a related profession, and one year of experience in building construction and design or a related field.
	(2)	Four years of experience in building construction and design or a related field.
	f. 	No additional education or experience is required for lead-safe renovators.
	70.5(3) and 70.5(4) Reserved.
	70.5(5) Rescinded IAB 2/12/20, effective 3/18/20.
	70.5(6) Individuals applying for recertification as lead professionals must submit the following:
	a. 	A completed application form.
	b. 	A $180 nonrefundable fee.
	c. 	A certificate showing that the applicant has successfully completed an approved refresher training course for the appropriate discipline. The refresher training course must be completed no more than three years prior to the date of the application for recertification.
	70.5(7) The department shall approve the state certification examinations for the disciplines of lead inspector/risk assessor, elevated blood lead (EBL) inspector/risk assessor, lead abatement contractor, and project designer. The state certification examination shall be administered by selected community college testing centers in Iowa. A community college testing center shall set the fee for administering the state certification examination to each applicant and shall collect the fee from each applicant.
	a. 	An individual must achieve a score of at least 80 percent on the examination. An individual may take the state certification examination no more than three times within six months of receiving a certificate of completion from an approved course.
	b. 	If an individual does not pass the state certification examination within six months of receiving a certificate of completion from an approved course, the individual must retake the appropriate approved course before reapplying for certification.
	70.5(8) Reciprocity. Each applicant for certification who is certified in any of the disciplines specified in this rule in another state may request reciprocal certification. The department shall evaluate the requirements for certification to determine that the requirements for certification in such other state are as protective of health and the environment as the requirements for certification in Iowa. For all disciplines except lead-safe renovator and lead abatement worker, if the department determines that the requirements for certification in such other state are as protective of health and the environment as the requirements for certification in Iowa, the applicant may be certified after passing a proctored test covering Iowa-specific lead information with a score of at least 80 percent. For a lead-safe renovator and lead abatement worker, if the department determines that the requirements for certification in such other state are as protective of health and the environment as the requirements for certification in Iowa, the applicant may be certified after signing a statement indicating that the applicant has read and understands Iowa-specific lead information provided by the department. Each applicant for certification pursuant to this subrule shall submit the appropriate application accompanied by the fee for each discipline as specified in 641—70.5(135).
[ARC 8502B, IAB 2/10/10, effective 1/13/10; ARC 3104C, IAB 6/7/17, effective 7/12/17; ARC 4906C, IAB 2/12/20, effective 3/18/20]