As a licensed landscape contractor, you must personally attend the course/activity to obtain CE credit.  Filing false information is a violation of North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. 89D).

21 NCAC 28B .0401  GENERAL

To ensure continuing efforts on the part of licensed contractors to remain current with new developments in landscape technology and to encourage better business practices and safety in the profession, continuing education is required as a condition of license renewal. A licensee shall submit, as a part of his or her renewal application, evidence that he or she has met the Board’s continuing education requirements as set forth in this Section.  Except as provided in Rule .0301 of this Subchapter, renewal applications that do not contain this information shall be deemed incomplete.

History Note: Authority G.S. 89D-15(2); 89D-15(4); 89D-15(12); 89D-20;
Temporary Adoption Eff. January 1, 2016; Eff. September 1, 2016.

21 NCAC 28B .0402  CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS

(a)  A licensee shall complete in-person seven continuing education units (CEUs) during the year preceding renewal.  Beginning with renewals filed after August 1, 2016, at least three of the seven CEUs must be technical credits and at least two of the seven CEUs must be business credits. If the information provided to the Board as required by this Section is unclear, the Board may request additional information from a licensee in order to assure compliance with continuing education requirements.

(b)  For the purposes of this Rule:

(1)  “technical credits” are defined as credits relating directly to the subject matter of landscape contracting as described in G.S. 89D-11(3); and

(2)  “business credits” are defined as credits relating to general business practices, including business planning, contracts, liability exposure, human resources, basic accounting, financial statements, and safety.

(c)  CEUs shall be determined as follows:

Type of Qualifying Activity – Minimum time required for 1 CEU
Live course: 50 minutes
Online course: 50 minutes
Trade Shows, Field Days, and Tours: 4 hours
Board Member Service: 1 hour
Teaching or instructing: 1 hour
In-house or Green Industry training: 1 hour

(d)  No more than two CEU credits will be given for qualifying teaching or instructing in one year.

(e) No more than four CEU credits shall be given for pesticide credits issued by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in one year.

(f)  Credit shall not be given in increments of less than .5 CEUs. Breaks in courses shall not be counted towards CEU credit.

(g)  Requests for pre-approval shall be submitted at least 45 days prior to the first day of the course or event.

(h) All continuing education shall be taken in-person by the individual receiving credit.

(i) A licensee shall not take the same CEU course within two consecutive licensing years.

(j) A licensee licensed less than 12 months shall not be subject to continuing education requirements for the initial renewal date as set forth in this Rule.

History Note: Authority G.S. 89D-15(2); 89D-15(4); 89D-15(12); 89D-20(b); Temporary Adoption Eff. January 1, 2016; Eff. September 1, 2016; Amended Eff. June 1, 2019.

21 NCAC 28B .0403  CONTINUING EDUCATION RECORDS; AUDIT

(a)  A licensee shall maintain records of attendance at continuing education programs for which CEUs have been approved for two years following the processing date of the renewal application to which the CEUs were applied.

(b)  Compliance with annual CEU requirements shall be determined through a random audit process conducted by the Board. Licensees selected for auditing shall provide the Board with the following documentation of the CEU activities claimed for the renewal period:

(1)  Attendance verification records; and

(2)  Information regarding course content, instructors, and sponsoring organization.

(c)  Licensees selected for audit shall submit all requested information to the Board within 21 calendar days after the date the licensee was notified by the Board of the audit.

(d) Failure to maintain compliance with the Board’s continuing education requirements shall result in the licensee’s status being changed to inactive.

History Note:  Authority G.S. 89D-15(2); 89D-15(4); 89D-15(12); 89D-20(b); Temporary Adoption Eff. January 1, 2016; Eff. September 1, 2016; Amended Eff. June 1, 2019.