---
title: O.C.G.A. § 43-28-6. General powers and duties of board; continuing professional education; background checks.
collection: code
id: 43-28-6
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 43-28-6 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-28-6
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-28-6.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/43-28-6/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t43-ch1-32-(v30)-2022-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=921d056f_0#page=883
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES / OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS / GEORGIA OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE
---

# O.C.G.A. § 43-28-6. General powers and duties of board; continuing professional education; background checks.

(a) The board shall administer, coordinate, and enforce this article.

(b) The board shall adopt rules and regulations to carry out the policy of this article, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations relating to professional licensure and the establishment of ethical standards of practice.

(c) The board shall have the responsibility of evaluating and determining the qualifications of occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant applicants for licensure under this article and shall assist the division director in carrying out this article.

(d) In a timely manner, the board shall:

(1) Authorize the issuance and renewal of licenses to qualified occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants; and

(2) Discipline and sanction licensees.

(e) The division director shall have the authority to contract with an outside agency for services providing for the supervision and administration of the examination as needed.

(f) The board may initiate investigations, issue subpoenas, examine witnesses, and administer oaths and may investigate allegations of practices violating this article and board rules. For purposes of this subsection, an authorized agent of the board shall have the power and right to enter and make reasonable inspection of any place where occupational therapy is practiced.

(g) The board may provide for the continuing professional education of persons subject to this article by appropriate regulation.

(h) The board shall administer the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact contained in Article 2 of this chapter.

(i) The board is authorized to conduct national background checks by the submission of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Georgia Crime Information Center; provided, however, that reports from such background checks shall not be shared with entities outside the state.

## History

Ga. L. 1976, p. 993, § 5; Code 1981, § 43-28-7; Ga. L. 1982, p. 2224, § 2; Ga. L. 1991, p. 379, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1706, § 19; Code 1981, § 43-28-6, as redesignated by Ga. L. 2019, p. 745, § 1/HB 253; Ga. L. 2021, p. 710, §§ 2, 4/HB 268.

The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, substituted “this article” for “this chapter” throughout this Code section and added subsections (h) and (i).

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2019, p. 745, § 1/HB 253, effective July 1, 2019, repealed former Code Section 43-28-6, pertaining to service of process and documents on division director, and enacted the present Code section. The former Code section was based on Ga. L. 1976, p. 993, § 9; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1706, § 19; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 43; Ga. L. 2011, p. 99, § 70/HB 24.

## Administrative Rules and Regulations

Rules of the profession, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Rules of Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy, Chapter 671-1 et seq.