Lesson 2: The three eligibility pathways in depth

Reading

Texas Administrative Code Rule 68.70 sets out three separate pathways to qualify for RAS certification. An applicant needs to meet only one, not all three, and none of the three by itself is enough. Every pathway still leads to the same remaining requirements: passing the written exam TDLR approves (given by PSI), passing a criminal history background check, and paying the required fee, all finished within one year of the date TDLR receives the application.

Pathway one: degree plus one year of experience

This pathway requires a degree in architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, or an equivalent field, combined with a minimum of one year of experience related to building inspection, building planning, accessibility design or review, or accessibility inspection. The degree alone does not qualify an applicant. It has to be paired with real experience in the kind of work a RAS actually does, reviewing or inspecting buildings against a technical standard.

Pathway two: eight years of experience, no degree required

This pathway asks for eight years of experience in building inspection, building planning, accessibility design or review, accessibility inspection, or equivalent work, with no degree requirement at all. This is the pathway built for someone who has spent a long career doing this kind of work in the field rather than in a design office, and it is the pathway most likely to fit a construction manager, estimator, or inspector who has been doing hands-on building work for most of a career without an architecture or engineering degree.

Pathway three: four years of experience plus a model code certification

This pathway shortens the experience requirement to four years, but only if the applicant also holds a certification as an accessibility inspector or plans examiner granted by a model building code organization. The rule does not name a specific organization, only that the certification has to come from "a model building code organization," the kind of body that publishes the model building codes used across jurisdictions. The International Code Council is one example of that kind of organization, but the rule leaves the list of qualifying organizations and certifications undefined rather than naming ICC or any other body.

Which pathway fits GCHS staff

GCHS's service lines are construction management, inspections, and estimating, not design. Staff without an architecture, engineering, or interior design degree who have spent eight years or more doing building inspection, planning, or related accessibility work would look first at pathway two. Staff with a shorter tenure but who already hold an accessibility inspector or plans examiner certification from a model building code organization would look at pathway three instead, since it cuts the experience requirement from eight years to four. The degree pathway is the least likely fit for GCHS's existing staff profile, since it depends on a specific academic background most construction management and inspection careers do not include.

What counts as qualifying experience

All three pathways use the same list of qualifying experience areas: building inspection, building planning, accessibility design or review, and accessibility inspection, or work TDLR considers equivalent to those. Rule 68.70 does not further define "equivalent," so an applicant relying on that language should be prepared to explain, in their own application, how their specific work history maps onto one of the named categories rather than assuming any construction-adjacent job automatically qualifies.

The application and the one-year clock

An applicant files the RAS License Application with TDLR, documenting which pathway they meet. TDLR asks for the completed application, a resume and copies of any degree or certification, and a non-refundable $300 fee. TDLR staff then verify eligibility, and PSI sends the applicant an eligibility notice to schedule the exam. From the date TDLR receives the application, the applicant has one year to complete every remaining requirement, including passing the written exam. After that year, the applicant must submit a new application, supporting documents, and a new fee. The clock starts when the application is received, so an applicant should file when ready to move toward the exam and plan the study and test date inside that year.

Criminal history

TDLR conducts a criminal history background check on everyone who applies. An applicant who has ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor other than a minor traffic violation, or who pleaded guilty or no contest and received deferred adjudication, must send a completed Criminal History Questionnaire with the application materials. Convictions are reviewed case by case, and a license may be denied depending on the nature of the conviction and how long before the application it occurred.

Practice questions

Glossary

Rule 68.70

The Texas Administrative Code rule setting out the three RAS eligibility pathways and the exam, background check, and fee requirements.

Model building code organization

A body that publishes model building codes; the International Code Council is a well known example. Rule 68.70 does not name a specific one.

Accessibility inspector/plans examiner certification

The credential pathway three requires alongside four years of experience.

Qualifying experience

Building inspection, building planning, accessibility design or review, or accessibility inspection, or equivalent work.

Criminal History Questionnaire

The form an applicant with a prior conviction or deferred adjudication submits with the RAS application; TDLR reviews each case individually.