Geologist Licensing Board

Mission statement

The board’s mission is to protect life, health, and property, and to promote public welfare by licensing geologists in Washington.

About the board

The board is responsible for:

• Licensing geologists in Washington.
• Investigating violations of state regulations related to the practice of geology.
• Recommending rules and regulations for administering licensing and regulatory laws.
• Providing professional knowledge to improve services to geologists and the public.

Geologist Licensing Board members serve 4-year terms. Their terms are staggered, which means no more than 2 members are appointed in a calendar year. There are 7 members, who are all Washington residents:

• 5 licensed geologists, including 2 geology specialists (such as engineering geologists or hydrogeologists)
• 1 member from the general public with no family or business connection with the practice of geology
• The Department of Natural Resources Supervisor of Geology is always a member of the board

Members spend about 8 hours a month on board business and meet about 4 times a year. The board and administrative staff decide meeting dates, times, and locations.

How to serve on the board

Want to serve on the Geologist Licensing Board? Complete a board member application form and email it to DOLBoards@dol.wa.gov.

Current board members

Meetings and minutes

See a list of future meeting dates and past meeting materials for the Geologist Licensing Board.

To request meeting materials in an alternative format, email geologist@dol.wa.gov or call 360-664-1497.

Upcoming meetings

Past meetings

Board policies

Read various policies from the Geologist Licensing Board.

Activities not considered the practice of geology

The Board won't pursue complaints of unlicensed practice for the following activities:

• Assessing underground storage tank (UST) sites only to determine if there is leakage, if conducted by a certified UST site assessor. This does not include geologic interpretation of the physical environment.
• Collecting stormwater and sediment data, and monitoring construction sites only for erosion control, if conducted by a Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL).

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 12/2012, Policy 190-1.

Related laws and rules

• Permitted activities - Certificate of licensing not required (RCW 18.220.190)

Incomplete applications

If you don't complete the licensing process and your records show no activity for 5 years, the Board will consider your application abandoned. No activity includes, but is not limited to:

• Not submitting the required documents for 5 years after we received your most recent information
• Not giving the Board any written communication for 5 years that shows you're trying to complete the licensing process

If the Board considers your application abandoned, they may archive or destroy it. If you want to get your license, you must reapply and meet the current licensing requirements.

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 6/2012, Policy 70-1.

Related laws and rules

• Application for licensure - Fee (RCW 18.220.070)
• How do I apply for a geologist license? (WAC 308-15-030)

Education requirements to qualify for a license and take the Fundamentals of Geology exam

You can take the National Association of State Boards of Geology’s Fundamentals of Geology exam if you meet the following educational requirements.

You must graduate from a regionally accredited college or university with a degree in the geological sciences, or a related degree approved by the Board, and have:

1.(a). 24 semester or 36 quarter hours of upper-division geology courses that include 14 semester or 21 quarter credits (unduplicated) from the following list:

• Earth materials (combination of mineralogy and petrology)
• Economic geology
• Engineering geology
• Field camp
• Geomorphology
• Geophysics
• Geochemistry
• Hydrogeology
• Mineralogy
• Petrology
• Sedimentology
• Stratigraphy
• Structural geology

Alternatively, you may complete coursework that the Board considers to be educationally equivalent to the classes listed above. To show that your coursework is equivalent to requirements, you must submit documentation such as course syllabi, copies of study materials, and the tables of contents of books you used in a course.

You may take the Fundamentals of Geology exam without a degree if you meet the coursework requirements listed above in 1.(a).

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 10/2012, Policy 060-1.

Related laws and rules

• Requirements for licensure (RCW 18.220.060)
• What are the minimum requirements to be eligible for a geologist license? (WAC 308-15-040)

Military training or experience

The Washington State Geologist Licensing Board will review applicants with military training or experience on a case-by-case basis to see if their experience or training meets the licensing requirements.

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 3/2012, Policy 211-1.

Related laws and rules

• Military training or experience (RCW 18.220.211)

Choosing a presiding officer for adjudicative matters

The following order of succession determines who will be the presiding officer for adjudicative matters:

1. Board Chair (unless they're unavailable because they are already the appointed reviewing Board member, or are unavailable for other reasons such as a conflict of interest, being out of town, etc.). If the Board Chair is unavailable, the role goes to:
2. Board Vice Chair (unless they're unavailable because they are already the appointed reviewing Board member, or are unavailable for other reasons such as a conflict of interest, being out of town, etc.). If the Board Vice Chair is unavailable, the role goes to:
3. Board Secretary

Board staff will choose a person outside of the program to act as clerk of the court.

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 12/2007, Policy 030.

Related laws and rules

• Disciplinary authority - Powers (RCW 18.235.030)

Reciprocity for candidates who took state exams created before the ASBOG exam

Board members may review and approve license applicants who:

• Are currently licensed in another jurisdiction, and
• Have passed that jurisdiction's geology exam equivalent to the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) exam, and
• Meet all other licensing requirements

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 3/2011, Policy 100-2.

Related laws and rules

• Licensure or certification without examination - requirements (RCW 18.220.100)

Reciprocity for exams created before ASBOG

If you passed the licensing exams from Oregon, Idaho, or California before the ASBOG exam was created, you meet the requirements of RCW 18.220 and can apply for a Washington geologist license without needing to take another exam.

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 3/2007, Policy 100-1.

Related laws and rules

• Licensure or certification without examination - Requirements (RCW 18.220.100)

Signatures on stamps/seals

The terms "signature" and "signed," as used in chapters 18.220 RCW and 308-15 WAC, mean the following:

• A handwritten identification or a digital representation of your handwritten identification that represents the act of putting your name on a document to agree that it is valid. Your handwritten or digital identification must be:
  • Original and written by hand, or a scanned image of an original, handwritten identification
  • Permanently placed on the document(s) you're certifying
  • Applied to the document by you
  • Placed across your seal/stamp
• A digital identification that's an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with an electronic document. The digital identification may include a scanned or digitized signature. The digital identification must be:
  • Unique to you
  • Independently verifiable
  • Under your exclusive control

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 6/2012, Policy 90-1.

Related laws and rules

• Certificate of licensing - Seal (RCW 18.220.090)
• When do I need to use my stamp/seal? (WAC 308-15-075)

Stamping requirements

According to WAC 308-15-075, you must stamp final reports and documents that you've prepared to comply with regulations. These are not considered exemptions under RCW 18.220.190(4).

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 6/2012, Policy 90-2.

Related laws and rules

• Certificate of licensing - Seal (RCW 18.220.090)
• When do I need to use my stamp/seal? (WAC 308-15-075)

Wetland delineation and the practice of hydrogeology

The practice of hydrogeology doesn't include qualified wetlands professionals who delineate wetlands. Specifically, observing water-saturated soils or shallow groundwater and other field indicators of wetland hydrology according to the wetland delineation methods under the law (RCW 90.58.380 and WAC 173-22-035) is not considered practicing hydrogeology.

According to RCW 18.220 and WAC 308-15, the practice of hydrogeology under the law does include interpreting and applying hydrogeologic data—beyond observing shallow groundwater—to inform the multidisciplinary wetland delineation process.

Washington State Geologist Licensing Board, 12/19/2012, Policy 190-2.

Related laws and rules

• Permitted activities - Certificate of licensing not required (RCW 18.220.190)
• Geologist licensing services (WAC 308-15)

Related laws

• Geologists (Chapter 18.220 RCW)