Maintaining Your NAWT Certification

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Sometimes there can be misunderstandings on how to maintain your National Association of Wastewater Technicians recertification when it comes to continuing education, fees, certificate expiration dates or the one-year grace period. NAWT works with many education partners. The University of Arizona is one of these partners where we formalize the ongoing cooperative relations in education.

Kitt Farrell-Poe from the Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering De-partment at the University of Arizona has broken down the following questions she has been asked through our partnership. She specifically addresses Arizona inspectors, but the recertification criteria outlined here applies for all certified NAWT inspectors. As always, feel free to contact the NAWT office with any questions you may have.

Tips for inspection recertification

By Kitt Farrell-Poe

Once you attend your first NAWT Inspection Training and Certification course — as part of the criteria to be eligible to be an inspector for the Arizona Transfer of Ownership program — ADEQ wants you to maintain your certification. This is done through continuing education. At this time, NAWT is the ADEQ-recognized certifying agent for the transfer of ownership inspection program for the state. Therefore, Arizona abides by the NAWT Continuing Education policies and procedures (www.nawt.org/training/education.shtml).

Continuing education

Certification lasts two years from the date of your first certification training. At the time of your anniversary date, you will be required to show you have met the continuing education requirement during the two-year period. The requirement is to have eight hours (one day) of training on inspection or related onsite wastewater subjects. You can submit documentation any time during the two-year period (but at least six months after the certification or renewal date), and your certification will be renewed at the time of the anniversary date.

So what counts toward recertification?

NAWT considers a range of activities and instructional topics to meet your continuing education requirements. They have approved hours that are related to onsite system inspection, installation, design, soil and site evaluation, operation or maintenance, and conference attendance — as long as a certificate or other proof of attendance is supplied with the application.

Are there fees associated with recertifying?

There is a credential registration fee of $150 for the two-year credential period if the continuing education was through a non-NAWT sponsored course. NAWT members pay a $35 credential registration fee for the two-year period when taking continuing education through non-NAWT sponsored courses. The credential registration fee is included in the course registration fee for NAWT-sponsored courses. Individuals will be invoiced prior to issuance of the new credential. New this year is a $50 fee for recertification for individuals attending an approved course offered by an education partner, such as the University of Arizona.

What happens if I don't get my continuing education completed before my anniversary date?

There is a one-year grace period after the anniversary/expiration date of the certification in which you can earn the continuing education credits necessary for recertification. You will not be considered certified until the continuing education credits are approved by the NAWT Education Committee. So, although you have a year to obtain continuing education after your anniversary date, you will not be a certified inspector. Once the continuing education credit requirement documentation is submitted and approved by the NAWT Education Committee, the certification will be renewed with an expiration date two years from the previous anniversary date. After the grace period, you must begin the certification process as if you had never taken the NAWT training.



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