(a) Applicants for a license must meet all experience requirements established by the AQB.     
      (b) The Board awards experience credit in accordance with current criteria established by the AQB and in accordance with the provisions of the Act specifically relating to experience requirements. An hour of experience means 60 minutes expended in one or more of the acceptable appraisal experience areas. Calculation of the hours of experience is based solely on actual hours of experience. Hours may be treated as cumulative in order to achieve the necessary hours of appraisal experience. Any one or a combination of the following categories may be acceptable for satisfying the applicable experience requirement:      
        (1) An appraisal or appraisal analysis when performed in accordance with Standards 1 and 2 and other provisions of the USPAP edition in effect at the time of the appraisal or appraisal analysis.       
        (2) Mass appraisal, including ad valorem tax appraisal that:                  (A) conforms to USPAP Standards 5 and 6; and                   (B) demonstrates proficiency in appraisal principles, techniques, or skills used by appraisers practicing under USPAP Standard 1.         
        (3) Appraisal review that:                  (A) conforms to USPAP Standards 3 and 4; and                   (B) demonstrates proficiency in appraisal principles, techniques, or skills used by appraisers practicing under USPAP Standard 1.         
        (4) Appraisal consulting services, including market analysis, cash flow and/or investment analysis, highest and best use analysis, and feasibility analysis when it demonstrates proficiency in appraisal principles, techniques, or skills used by appraisers practicing under USPAP Standards 1 and 2 and using appropriate methods and techniques applicable to appraisal consulting.       
        (5) "Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal" (PAREA) programs approved by the AQB.       
      (c) Experience credit may not be awarded for teaching appraisal courses.     
      (d) Public Information Act. All information and documentation submitted to the Board in support of an application for license or application to upgrade an existing license, including an applicant's experience log, experience certification, copies of appraisals and work files, may be subject to disclosure under the Public Information Act, Chapter 552, Texas Government Code, unless an exception to disclosure applies.     
      (e) Applicants claiming experience credit under subsection (b)(1) - (4) of this section must submit a Board-approved Appraisal Experience Log that lists each appraisal assignment or other work for which the applicant is seeking credit and an Appraisal Experience Certification. The Experience Log must include:      
        (1) the full amount of experience hours required for the license type sought, as required by the AQB;       
        (2) the required number of hours of experience required for each property type as required by the AQB; and       
        (3) the minimum length of time over which the experience is claimed, as required by the AQB.       
      (f) The Board may grant experience credit for work listed on an applicant's Appraisal Experience Log that:      
        (1) complies with the USPAP edition in effect at the time of the appraisal;       
        (2) is verifiable and supported by:                  (A) work files in which the applicant is identified as participating in the appraisal process; or                   (B) appraisal reports that:                      (i) name the applicant in the certification as providing significant real property appraisal assistance; or                       (ii) the applicant has signed;           
        (3) was performed when the applicant had legal authority to do so; and       
        (4) complies with the acceptable categories of experience established by the AQB and stated in subsection (b) of this section.       
      (g) Consistent with this chapter, upon review of the applicant's real estate appraisal experience, the Board may grant a license or certification contingent upon completion of additional education, experience or mentorship.     
      (h) Upon review of an applicant's Appraisal Experience Log, the Board may, at its sole discretion, grant experience credit for the hours shown on an applicant's log even if some work files have been destroyed because of the 5-year records retention period in USPAP has passed.     
      (i) The Board may grant experience credit for applicants claiming experience credit under subsection (b)(5) of this section that submit a valid certificate of completion from an AQB approved PAREA program.     
      (j) The Board may, at its sole discretion, accept evidence other than an applicant's Appraisal Experience Log and Appraisal Experience Certification to demonstrate experience claimed by an applicant.     
      (k) The Board must verify the experience claimed by each applicant generally complies with USPAP.      
        (1) Verification may be obtained by:                  (A) requesting copies of appraisals and all supporting documentation, including the work files; and                   (B) engaging in other investigative research determined to be appropriate by the Board.         
        (2) If the Board requests documentation from an applicant to verify experience claimed by an applicant, the applicant has 60 days to provide the requested documentation to the Board.                  (A) In response to an initial request for documentation to verify experience, an applicant must submit a copy of the relevant appraisals, but is not required to submit the associated work files at that time.                   (B) If in the course of reviewing the submitted appraisals, the Board determines additional documentation is necessary to verify general compliance with USPAP, the Board may make additional requests for supporting documentation.         
        (3) Experience involved in pending litigation.                  (A) The Board will not request work files from an applicant to verify claimed experience if the appraisal assignments are identified on the experience log submitted to the Board as being involved in pending litigation.                   (B) If all appraisal assignments listed on an applicant's experience log are identified as being involved in pending litigation, the Board may audit any of the appraisal assignments on the applicant's experience log, regardless of litigation status, with the written consent of the applicant and the applicant's supervisory appraiser.         
        (4) Failure to comply with a request for documentation to verify experience, or submission of experience that is found not to comply with the requirements for experience credit, may result in denial of a license application.       
        (5) A license holder who applies to upgrade an existing license and submits experience that does not comply with USPAP may also be subject to disciplinary action up to and including revocation.       
      (l) Unless prohibited by Tex. Occ. Code §1103.460, applicable confidentiality statutes, privacy laws, or other legal requirements, or in matters involving alleged fraud, Board staff shall use reasonable means to inform supervisory appraisers of Board communications with their respective trainees.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §153.15 adopted to be effective March 2, 1992, 17 TexReg 1231; amended to be effective August 17, 1992, 17 TexReg 5455; amended to be effective November 10, 1993, 18 TexReg 7542; amended to be effective  September 1, 1995, 20 TexReg 6202; amended to be effective March 1, 1997, 22 TexReg 1717; amended to be effective November 17, 1999, 24 TexReg 10090; amended to be effective April 1, 2001, 26 TexReg 2163; amended to be effective January 1, 2003, 27 TexReg 11147; amended to be effective March 9, 2006, 31 TexReg 1650; amended to be effective August 28, 2007, 32 TexReg5368; amended to be effective December 27, 2010, 35 TexReg 11658; amended to be effective December 22, 2013, 38 TexReg 9048; amended to be effective September 7, 2014, 39 TexReg 6857;    amended to be effective December 11, 2016, 41 TexReg 9707; amended to be effective September 15, 2018; 43 TexReg 5776; amended to be effective June 9, 2019, 44 TexReg 2710; amended to be effective June 7, 2020, 45 TexReg 3772; amended to be effective March 18, 2021, 46 TexReg 1640; amended to be effective September 8, 2022, 47 TexReg 5336; amended to be effective December 3, 2023, 48 TexReg 6903