.04 Continuing Education.

A. Renewal Requirements.

(1) In order to be considered for renewal as a certified general real estate appraiser, certified residential real estate appraiser, licensed real estate appraiser, or appraiser trainee, the applicant shall have completed 14 hours of continuing education for each year or portion thereof the applicant has been certified or licensed, since the initial issuance of the license held or, if appropriate, the most recent renewal. These courses shall be approved by the Commission as set forth in this regulation.

(2) A total of not less than 42 hours of continuing education during each license term is required for renewal.

(3) A licensee or certificate holder shall complete the continuing education required by §A(1)—(2) of this regulation prior to filing any application for renewal of a license or certificate, notwithstanding the expiration date for the license or certificate to be renewed.

(4) Failure to complete the continuing education required by §A(1) — (2) of this regulation in advance of filing any application for renewal of a license or certificate may be considered by the Commission to be a violation of Business Occupations and Professions Article, §16-701(a)(1)(i), Annotated Code of Maryland, among other potential violations related to failure to complete the required continuing education hours.

B. Required Subject Matter for Continuing Education .

(1) Required Continuing Education in Professional Appraisal Standards, Ethics, Fair Housing, Discrimination, and Bias.

(a) Effective January 1, 2003, all currently licensed appraisers, certified appraisers, and appraiser trainees, at least once every 2 calendar years, shall successfully complete the 7-hour national Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) update course, or its equivalent as determined by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of the Appraisal Foundation.

(b) Effective November 1, 2023, any currently licensed appraiser, certified appraiser, and appraiser trainee applying for license or certificate renewal shall successfully complete during the preceding 3-year license cycle a minimum of 3 hours of appraisal education related to racial discrimination and implicit bias.

(2) The course required by §B(1)(a) of this regulation shall be taken from an instructor who is:

(a) An AQB certified USPAP instructor; and

(b) A State certified residential appraiser or State certified general appraiser.

C. A classroom hour is 50 minutes out of each 60-minute segment.

D. The Commission may not approve a continuing education course unless the course:

(1) Is at least 2 hours in duration;

(2) Is taught by an approved educational provider; and

(3) Covers real estate appraisal-related topics, including but not limited to:

(a) Ad valorem taxation;

(b) Arbitration and dispute resolution;

(c) Courses related to real estate appraisal or consulting;

(d) Development cost estimating;

(e) Ethics and standards of professional practice (USPAP);

(f) Land use planning and zoning;

(g) Management, leasing, and timesharing;

(h) Property development and partial interests;

(i) Real estate law, easements, and legal interests;

(j) Real estate litigation, damages, and condemnation;

(k) Real estate financing and investment;

(l) Real estate appraisal related computer applications;

(m) Real estate securities and syndication;

(n) Developing opinions of real property value in appraisals that also include personal property and/or business value;

(o) Seller concessions and impact on value;

(p) Energy efficient items and “green building” appraisals ;

(q) Training in racial discrimination; and

(r) Training in implicit bias or appraisal bias.

E. The Commission may approve up to one half of an individual’s continuing education credit for participation, other than as a student, in appraisal educational processes and programs. Examples of activities for which credit may be granted are teaching, program development, authorship of textbooks, or similar activities which are determined to be equivalent to obtaining continuing education.

F. The Commission may grant a licensee or certificate holder no more than 8 hours of credit for instruction per day for courses of continuing education.

G. The Commission may not grant a licensee or certificate holder credit for completion of the same continuing education course offering within the appraiser’s continuing education cycle, with the exception of the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course, or its AQB-approved equivalent.