193C—5.2 (542B) Requirements for licensure by comity. 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 in effect in this jurisdiction at the time such certificate was issued may, upon application and successful completion of the Iowa State Specific Land Surveying examination, be licensed without further examination. When determining whether the licensing standards satisfied by a comity applicant at time of foreign licensure are equal or superior to those required in Iowa, the board considers each of the four licensing prerequisites in Iowa Code section 542B.14(1) individually. The licensing standards satisfied by the comity applicant must accordingly have been equal or superior to those required in Iowa for education, fundamentals examination, experience, and professional examination. Unless expressly stated in this chapter, the board will not consider an applicant’s superior satisfaction of one licensing prerequisite, such as a higher level of education than is required in Iowa, as resolving an applicant’s lack of compliance with another prerequisite, such as professional examination. Comity applicants are governed by the same standards as are required of Iowa applicants.
	 5.2(1) References. An applicant for licensure by comity shall submit three references on forms provided by the board, at least two of which shall be from licensed professional land surveyors. The board reserves the right to contact employers for information about the applicant’s professional experience and competence.
	 5.2(2) Basis for evaluation of applications. Applications for licensure by comity will be evaluated on the following basis:
	  a.   	 The applicant’s record of education, references, practical experience, and successful completion of approved examinations will be reviewed to determine if it currently satisfies the substantive requirements of Iowa Code section 542B.14. In reviewing the education, references, and practical experience of comity applicants, the board will use the same criteria used by the board to determine the eligibility of a candidate for the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination; or
	  b.   	 The applicant’s licensure in a jurisdiction other than Iowa will be reviewed to determine if it was granted only after satisfaction of requirements equal to or more stringent than those that were required by Iowa Code section 542B.14 at the time the applicant was licensed in the other jurisdiction.
	 5.2(3) Evaluation of comity application process.
	  a.   	 First, the applicant for licensure by comity from a jurisdiction other than Iowa must have satisfied the education and experience requirements as set forth in Iowa Code section 542B.14 that were in effect at the time that the applicant was licensed initially.
	  b.   	 Second, the applicant must have successfully completed the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination. The applicant may take the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination anytime after the practical experience and educational requirements are completed, but the applicant must successfully complete the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination prior to taking the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination.
	  c.   	 Third, the applicant must have successfully completed the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination. Prior to taking this examination, the applicant shall have had a record of four years or more of practical experience in land surveying which is of a character satisfactory to the board.
	  d.   	 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, while valuable for certain purposes, 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.
	 5.2(4) Education and experience requirements. The board will employ the following chart to determine if the applicant’s licensure in a jurisdiction other than Iowa was granted after satisfaction of requirements equal to or more stringent than those that were required by Iowa Code section 542B.14 at the time the applicant was licensed in the other jurisdiction. Column 1 indicates the years of practical experience that were required prior to the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination in addition to the completion of the required educational level. To determine the total years of practical experience that were required prior to taking the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination, column 2 is added to column 1.

experience requirements for comity applicants
Who were licensed prior to July 1, 1988	
If the applicant’s educational level was:	The applicant must have had the following additional years of experience prior to taking the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination:	The applicant must have had the following years of experience after receipt of the qualifying degree and prior to taking the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination:	
No post-high school education	8	4	
College or technology program with fewer than 6 semester hours of surveying	 	 	
One year	7	4	
Two years	6	4	
Three years	5	4	
Four-year degree	4	4	
College or technology program with 6 or more semester hours of surveying	 	 	
One year	7	4	
Two years	5.5	4	
Three years	4	4	
Four-year degree	2.5	4	
Engineering program with 6 semester hours of surveying	 	 	
One year	7	4	
Two years	5.5	4	
Three years	4	4	
Four-year BS degree	1.5	4	
Nonaccredited surveying and mapping program	 	 	
One year	7	4	
Two years	5	4	
Three years	3	4	
Four-year BS degree	1	4	
Accredited surveying and mapping program	 	 	
One year	7	4	
Two years	4	4	
Three years	2	4	
Four-year BS degree	0	4