§34-12-12. Violations and penalties.

(a) Any person who shall practice or offer to practice the profession of forestry in this state without being registered or exempted in accordance with this chapter; or any person who shall use in connection with his or her name or otherwise assume, use, or advertise any title or description tending to convey the impression that he or she is a registered forester, without being registered or exempted in accordance with this chapter; or any person who shall present or attempt to use as his or her own the license of another; or any person who shall give any false or forged evidence of any kind to the board or any member thereof in obtaining a license; or any person who shall attempt to use an expired or revoked license; or any person, firm, partnership, or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each offense. The board, or the person or persons designated by the board to act in its stead, may prefer charges for any of the violations of this chapter in any county in this state in which the violations may have occurred. All duly constituted officers of the law of this state, or any political subdivision thereof, shall enforce this chapter and prosecute any persons, firms, partnerships, or corporations violating the same. The Attorney General of the state and his or her assistants shall act as legal advisers of the board and render legal assistance as may be necessary in carrying out the provisions of this chapter.

(b) All fines collected for the violation of any provisions of this chapter shall be paid over to the secretary of the board to be by him or her delivered to the State Treasurer to be placed in the Professional Foresters Fund in the same manner as funds received for the issuance of licenses.

(Acts 1957, No. 533, p. 750, §20; Acts 1973, No. 1202, p. 2020, §7; Acts 1990, No. 90-105, p. 124, §3; Acts 1994, No. 94-130, p. 163, §3; Act 98-145, p. 223, §3.)