(1) General standards. Each community solar company must develop standards and qualifications for the persons it uses to perform the tasks required to administer and operate its community solar projects and provide its project services. A company may not hire, engage, or otherwise use a person to perform such tasks who fails to meet its standards.

(2) Door-to-door activity personnel. A community solar company may not permit a person to conduct door-to-door activities on its behalf until it has obtained and reviewed the person's criminal history record.

(a) A company must complete a criminal background check for every person that will conduct door-to-door activities on its behalf;

(b) The company must keep evidence that it has completed a criminal background check for every person the company uses for door-to-door activities for as long as that person performs such activities and for seven years thereafter;

(c) No company may use a person for door-to-door activities who has been convicted of any crime involving theft, burglary, assault, sexual misconduct, identity theft, fraud, or false statements, within five years of the date the company intends to use that person; and

(d) When a community solar company contracts with an independent contractor or vendor to perform door-to-door activities, the company must document that the contractor or vendor has performed criminal background investigations on its personnel in accordance with the requirements in this rule. A company may satisfy this obligation by obtaining from the independent contractor or vendor a written statement affirming that the contractor or vendor performed the requisite criminal background checks and that all personnel who will be performing door-to-door activities on behalf of the company satisfy the requirements in this section. The company must periodically audit whether the independent contractor or vendor has completed the background checks in accordance with this section.

(3) Requirements for personnel engaged in door-to-door activities or public events.

(a) Training. A community solar company must establish requirements and training for its employees and persons conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at public events on behalf of the company and must retain documentation of the completion of training as required under WAC 480-103-150.

(b) Identification. A community solar company must issue identification badges to be worn and prominently displayed by persons conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at public events on behalf of the company. The badge must:

(i) Accurately identify the community solar company, its trade name, and its logo;

(ii) Display the person's photograph;

(iii) Display the person's full name; and

(iv) Display a customer service phone number for the community solar company.

(c) Disclosures on initial contact. Upon first contact with a customer, a person conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at a public event on behalf of a community solar company must:

(i) Identify the community solar company the person represents; and

(ii) State that the person is not working for the customer's local utility or any other community solar company.

(d) Branding. When conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at public events on behalf of a community solar company, a person may not display branding elements, such as a logo, that suggests a relationship that does not exist between that person and any utility, government agency, or other community solar company.

(4) No requirement to choose a company. A community solar company or a person conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at a public event on behalf of a community solar company may not say or suggest to a customer that the customer is required to choose a community solar company.