(a) Pursuant to Section 144 of the Business and Professions Code, the Board has the authority to obtain and review criminal offender record information. The information obtained as a result of the fingerprinting shall be used in accordance with Section 11105 of the Penal Code and to determine whether the applicant is subject to denial of license pursuant to Division 1.5 (commencing with Section 475) of the Business and Professions Code or Section 7884 of the Business and Professions Code.

(b) As a condition of application for a license, each applicant shall furnish to the Department of Justice a full set of fingerprints for the purpose of conducting a criminal history record check and to undergo a state and federal level criminal offender record information search conducted through the Department of Justice.

(c) The applicant shall pay any costs for furnishing the fingerprints and conducting the searches.

(d) The applicant shall certify when applying for a license whether his or her fingerprints have been furnished to the Department of Justice in compliance with this section.

(e) Failure to comply with the requirements of this section renders the application for license incomplete, and the application shall not be considered until the applicant demonstrates compliance with all requirements of this section.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the results of any criminal offender record information request by either state or federal law enforcement authorities shall not be released by the Board except in accordance with state and federal requirements.

(g) This section shall apply to all applicants, including those applicants who submit applications pursuant to Sections 7840, 7841, 7841.1, 7841.2. 7842, 7842.1, 7843, 7846, 7847, and 7884 of the Business and Professions Code.

(h) As used in this section, “license” includes certification as a geologist-in-training, registration or license as a professional geologist or a professional geophysicist, and registered certifications as a specialty geologist or a specialty geophysicist.

(i) As used in this section, the term “applicant” shall have the meaning given to it by Section 144(c) of the Business and Professions Code, which states, “the term ‘applicant' shall be limited to an initial applicant who has never been registered or licensed by the board or to an applicant for a new licensure or registration category.”