A. An applicant who has paid the required nonrefundable certification fees and has complied with the requirements of this article and rules promulgated thereunder, including, but not limited to, education, training, experience and examination prerequisites, shall be certified by the Department of Environmental Quality.

B. The Department may waive some or all of its testing, training, experience, or examination requirements for certification if the applicant presents a currently valid certificate or license issued to him by another state or certifying agency or institution or national nonprofit organization for lead-based paint services, if the Department finds that the certification requirements of the issuer in effect at the time of issuance are equivalent to its certification requirements; provided, however, that no certification shall be issued under this subsection unless the holder of the certificate would be issued a similar certificate or license by such other state, certifying agency, or organization under substantially the same conditions.

C. Any certificate issued under this section shall be renewed by the April 1 occurring not more than one year after the date of the most recent date of issuance, renewal, reactivation or reinstatement. Thereafter, the certificate may be renewed for a one-year period beginning April 1 and ending March 31 of the following year.

D. A certificate shall be renewed upon approval of the Department. Application for such renewal shall be submitted to the Department on forms prescribed by the Department, shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable renewal fee as set by the Board and shall include documentation that the applicant has met the annual renewal requirements of the Department. The Department shall allow a thirty-day grace period for such renewals without payment of late fees, provided the applicant submits the required renewal fee and qualifies for such renewal.

E. A certificate which is not so renewed shall expire on April 30 after the thirty-day grace period, and shall have no further validity unless the Department, upon receipt of an application from the holder of the expired certificate within one (1) year after the certificate's March 31 renewal date, reactivates and renews such certificate. Such reactivation and renewal application shall include the submission of data on forms prescribed by the Department, nonrefundable renewal and reactivation late fees as set by the Environmental Quality Board, and documentation that the applicant has met the Department's renewal requirements. A reactivated certificate may be renewed annually thereafter as provided in this section.

F. The holder of an expired and unreactivated certificate shall not be issued any new certificate unless the certificate holder applies and qualifies therefor pursuant to this article and rules promulgated thereunder.

G. Any certificate issued pursuant to the Oklahoma Lead-based Paint Management Act may contain such conditions or restrictions as the Department shall deem necessary or appropriate.

H. A certificate shall not be issued pursuant to the provisions of this article to any entity other than an individual or firm.

Added by Laws 1994, c. 321, § 5, eff. July 1, 1994. Amended by Laws 1997, c. 114, § 3, emerg. eff. April 15, 1997.