Filing of Applications and Examination Administration

(1) Applicants must submit an application to the Board for approval prior to beginning the examination process in Massachusetts. (2) The course of study and degree referred to in M.G.L. c. 112, § 101(c) shall mean a degree in landscape architecture from an LAAB- or LAAC-accredited educational program. (3) No member of the Board, during their tenure, shall permit their name to be used as a reference in connection with the filing of an application for registration as a Landscape Architect in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (4) Applications for registration as a Landscape Architect will be received at any time during the regular business hours and shall be sent or delivered to the Board. Only those persons whose applications are complete shall be approved by the Board to take the examination. (5) No application will be considered complete unless accompanied by the required fees, nor until all required supporting documents have been received by the Board. Application fees will not be refunded for any cause. When deemed by the Board necessary to demonstrate the applicant's eligibility under 242 CMR 3.02(6) of the law upon which the application is based, each applicant shall submit in support of his or her formal application, authentic proof of the statements made therein, by attaching documentary evidence, affidavits, registrar's statements, diplomas, published data, photographs, or other sworn or proven evidence. (7) The Board reserves the right to retain, as a permanent part of the application, any or all documents submitted, which shall be properly marked for identification and ownership. Original documents may be replaced by photocopies of such documents, however, at the request and expense of the applicant. (8) Personal appearance before the Board, if required, shall be at the time and place designated by the Board, and shall be at the applicant's expense. (9) Failure, within 60 days from the date of written request from the Board, to provide additional evidence or information, or to appear before the Board when such appearance is deemed necessary by the Board, may be considered as just and sufficient cause for disapproval of the application. (10) In consideration of applications for registration under M.G.L. c. 112, § 104, the Board reserves the right to require the applicant: (MA REG. # 1329, Dated 12-30-16) (a) to qualify by passing the regular written examination; (b) to submit a satisfactory examination record from another state; (c) and/or to pass such additional examination as, in the opinion of the Board, may be necessary to bring the applicant's qualifications up to the existing requirements of the Board. (1) Each application shall be considered separately by the Board and shall be approved or rejected individually on a roll call vote. The affirmative vote of at least three of the five Board Members shall be required for approval or rejection of each application. (2) The action of the Board shall be recorded both in the minutes of the meeting and upon the fact of the application, and the applicant shall be notified of the Boards' action promptly. (1) For the purpose of certifying plans, specifications, reports, and other documents, the seal referred to in M.G.L. c. 112, § 100 may be either a metal embossing device, a rubber stamp or an electronically generated image, but the design, arrangement, size and wording of which shall conform exactly with the figure below except for insertion of the registrant's own name and registration number. (2) Every registered Landscape Architect shall stamp or emboss the seal upon two sheets of letterhead and send the impression to the Board as evidence that they have complied with the requirement of acquiring a seal that conforms to the design authorized by the Board. Nonconforming seals will be rejected by the Board. (3) All stamped or embossed plans, specifications, reports, and other documents shall also be signed and dated by the Landscape Architect. (4) 242 CMR 3.00, or any part of them, may be amended or rescinded only upon the affirmative vote of at least four-fifths of the Board Members. Evidence shall be understood to mean acceptable and usable documentation required or submitted for consideration of the Board, and may include drawings, specifications, photographs, news items, advertisements, letters, listings, diplomas, awards, certificates, contracts, agreements, letterhead, invoices, signs, rental agreements, and certified personal statements. Each item of evidence shall be clearly marked to insure positive identification. It shall be the entire responsibility of the applicant to satisfy the Board as to the sufficiency of the Evidence. Experience shall be understood to mean employment in the practice of Landscape Architecture, as hereinbefore defined, under the direct supervision of a qualified individual registered and licensed to practice Landscape Architecture when so required by the laws of the state or country in which the work has been performed. Training, practice, and knowledge in allied fields (Architecture, Engineering, Horticulture, or Planning) may be submitted for evaluation by the Board, which may consider such related experience germane to the qualifications of the applicant as a Landscape Architect. LAAB shall mean the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects. LAAC shall mean the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Council of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. Landscape Architect, Landscape Architecture, and Board shall be as defined in M.G.L. c. 112, § 98. Practice shall be understood to mean the continuous rendering of Landscape Architectural services, as defined 242 CMR 3.05, as the principal occupation of the applicant. Ample proof of professional responsibility shall be part of the evidence necessary to establish a record of professional practice. Content. The Board has determined that the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) is an agent of the Board and is responsible for administering the examination. The Board will approve and notify qualified applicants prior to the examination. (2) Grading. Each examination will be graded by CLARB. Passing grades shall be consistent with the national standard established by CLARB for each examination administration. A license will be granted by the Board when a candidate has accumulated a passing score in each of the required sections. A candidate must successfully pass the entire licensing examination within five years from the date of approval for examination by the Board. Unsuccessful candidates must submit a new application to the Board and retake the entire examination. For the purposes of meeting the practical experience requirement referred to in M.G.L. c. 112, § 101(c) and required prior to receiving Board permission to sit for the examination, the Board requires that such professional experience: (a) must be acquired while under the direct, on-site supervision of a licensed or registered landscape architect with at least ten years' experience practicing as a licensed or registered landscape architect; (b) must be acquired after satisfying the educational requirement for candidates for licensure with a qualifying degree; (c) must be acquired through working in an office for more than six months' full-time experience, or more than 1040 hours; and (d) must be solely in the practice of landscape architecture, not in a related field, and must be diversified, meaning directly supervised practice related to most or all of the following: 1. project programming; 2. site and environmental analysis; 3. code research; 4. feasibility study drafting; 5. schematic design or design development; 6. cost estimation or project coordination; 7. drafting of layout, grading drainage, or planting plans; 8. section and detail drafting; 9. drafting specifications or obtaining permits or other approvals; 10. administering shop drawings or other submissions; and 11. field observation.