Louisiana State Employees Examination Waiver Program

The Louisiana Professional Geoscience Practice Act (RS 37:711.12) states that “…a person shall not engage in the practice of geoscience unless the person holds a license….” The Act also allows for certain types of practice to be exempted. In the early days of licensing there was some confusion over the exemption of “Federal government employees,” resulting in many state employees believing they were exempt from the licensing requirement. However, there is no statutory exemption for state employees. On July 14, 2020, the board's legal counsel rendered an opinion that, according to the statute, Louisiana state employees do not have a special exemption; the details of that opinion are available here. Please visit the LBOPG website to view the “Act” and the “Rules” under the resources tab (http://www.lbopg.org/) for the full text of these documents.

Because of this confusion, state employees who would have taken advantage of the grandfathering period may have missed this option. The board has voted to open a window of opportunity for any qualified geoscientist employed by the State of Louisiana (including exempted employees) to apply for the Louisiana Professional Geoscientist license without taking the ASBOG exams. The period for this waiver is from January 15, 2021 through December 31, 2021. A form, available here, must accompany each application. Please send the completed form to apply@LBOPG.org or mail to Louisiana Board of Professional Geoscientists, 9643 Brookline Avenue, Suite 101, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.

The following is the procedure for applying for your Professional Geoscientist License:

1. Create an account
   Go to “Apply for License” at the top of the page at LBOPG.org and add an email address, which will become your user ID, and a password. We suggest you use a personal email address rather than one tied to a company or agency.
   
2. Pay the application fee
   The application fee for license is $200. You can either pay online at LBOPG.org or mail a check made payable to LBOPG to Louisiana Board of Professional Geoscientists, 9643 Brookline Avenue, Suite 101, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
   
3. Complete the online application
   The application includes a section on work experience. Concentrate on the last five years of geoscience experience – management and administrative tasks will not count.
   
4. Have your transcript(s) sent to us directly from the institution that granted your degree(s)
   Transcripts are accepted either electronically or by mail but must be official documents that are sent directly by the granting institution.
   
5. Ask three qualified geoscientists (either licensed or qualified to be licensed) to serve as references
   Reference forms are generated through the online application itself. As you are completing this section of the application, you will need the email addresses of the people you will have asked to serve as references. When you enter the addresses, the application software sends the emails from your email account to the recipients. If you want to reassure yourself that the reference forms have been sent, you can check your “sent” email box. Once the recipient completes the reference form and hits the submit button, the completed reference form is added to your application.
   
6. Digitally sign your application
   The final step in the application process is to sign the application. The digital signature capture is in Section 7 of the application.