By June 30 of each even-numbered year, to retain certification, an SEO must have met his or her continuing education requirements and paid a $50 certification renewal fee to the Certification Board. The Certification Board automatically sends out a renewal application to all SEOs who have met their training requirements.

SEOs certified before June 30, 2006, must have the required training credit hours and successfully completed the Advanced Soils course (#109) by June 30, 2010, to maintain their certification.

If an SEO does not meet his or her training requirements, his or her certification will lapse. During the time the certification is lapsed, the SEO certificate is invalid and nonrenewable. Persons with lapsed SEO certification must not perform SEO duties under the Sewage Facilities Act. Anyone doing so is in violation of the Act and regulations.

SEOs who allow their certification to lapse on June 30, 2008, have until the end of the next certification cycle (June 30, 2010) to make up the missed training (and complete required training for that cycle as well).

Once the required make-up training is completed, the person may apply to the Certification Board for renewal of his or her certification. If a person does not make up the required training within the two-year period — in this case after July 1, 2010— he or she would be required to complete the SEO Precertification Academy and pass the SEO certification exam to become recertified as an SEO.

SEOs who allowed their certification to lapse on June 30, 2006, and did not make up their missed training by June 30, 2008, are required to complete the SEO Precertification Academy and pass the SEO certification exam to become recertified as an SEO.

For additional information on credit hour requirements, call the Certification Board at (717) 787-6045 or e-mail at dabecker@state.pa.us.