§ 90-118.10.  Annual renewal of licenses.

Since the laws of North Carolina now in force provided for the annual renewal of any license issued by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners in Optometry, it is hereby declared to be the policy of this State that all licenses, primary and branch, heretofore issued by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners in Optometry, or hereafter issued by said Board are subject to annual renewal and the exercise of any privilege granted by any license heretofore issued or hereafter issued by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners in Optometry is subject to the issuance on or before December 31 of each year of a certificate of renewal of license.

On or before December 31 of each year, each optometrist engaged in the practice of optometry in North Carolina shall make application to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners in Optometry and receive from said Board, subject to the further provisions of this section and of this Article, a certificate of renewal of said license.

The application shall show the serial number of the applicant's license, his or her full name, the address, including the street and county, in which he or she has practiced during the preceding year, the date of the original issuance of license to said applicant and such other information as the said Board from time to time may prescribe by regulation.

If the application for such renewal certificate, accompanied by the fee required by this Article, is not received by the Board before January 1 of each year, an additional fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be charged for renewal certificate. If such application accompanied by the renewal fee is not received by the Board before January 31 of each year, every person thereafter continuing to practice optometry without having applied for a certificate of renewal shall be guilty of the unauthorized practice of optometry and shall be subject to the penalties prescribed by G.S. 90-118.11. If the inactive license is not appropriately renewed by December 31 of that year, that license will expire and will not be eligible for renewal.

In issuing a certificate of renewal, the Board shall expressly state whether such person, otherwise licensed in the practice of optometry, has been certified to prescribe and use pharmaceutical agents. (1973, c. 800, s. 17; c. 1092, s. 1; 1977, c. 482, s. 3; 1987, c. 645, s. 3; 2023-129, s. 5.1(a).)