Time Limits on Merit Badges

[johnw]

I am being told that merit badges begun in Summer Camp (i.e. Cooking) must be completed within a year. I can find no reference to time limits on ANY merit badges. Does anyone know about this? Look under merit badge counseling.

[wagionvigil]

The Time Limit is age 18 that is a BSA national Policy and no one can change that. It discused in these forums a couple months ago you may want to take some tyime and go through them.

[ASM-142]

The former leadership of my troop also had a 1 year time limit - but this was on all MB. Now that they are out of the picture we are following the national requirement of 18.

[wagionvigil]

This is one of the things that a local troop or leadership cannot touch. No troop can implement any rules that affect advancement. BSA advancement guidelines are all that counts. We had a very long discusion about Troop Rules in this Forum. Take a look at it.

[RWSmith]

'johnw',

Welcome to MeritBadge.Net. Just to reiterate what's already been said, there is one, and only one, BSA restriction concerning any Scout taking any MB... his 18th birthday. BTW, welcome to the board. Feel free to dig around and get the "feel" for this board's personality. If you haven't already done so, I would like to encourage you to especially read the 'Announcement' and 'Sticky' posts over in the General Info and FAQs forum. You can also try the Search option (located at the top of every page on this website). In fact, there's an good conversation related to you question over in the Scout Book Signatures thread right now.

[johnw]

Thanks for the directions. Sorry to start a new discussion when the information was already posted, but couldn't find it without searching for the word "deadline". There seems to be some confusion locally about this subject and you are helping to get things on an even keel. Great site! Good discussions! JW

[West]

didn't there used to be a policy that partials were only good for one year? There was no time limit on how long you could have to compleate a MB, but if it was over a year you had to re-do whatever requirements where that old.

In a way similar to the requirements for BSA lifeguard, where it's good a year from starting rather then a year from finishing.

[wagionvigil]

MYTH!!!
urban legend

[West]

Probably true. It's probably something our leaders used to make us get busy and actually finish things off. I know it was never applied, even to those who were a bit over the deadline.

[riverwalk]

Yeah, in my own Council I've heard youth being told they had six months. With all that's been posted, I think this must have been just to keep their momentum up to finish a Badge.

[BSTroop23Eagle]

Can't be changed unless its by Texas its the day of your 18th birthday

[wagionvigil]

Its those TRoop Rules sneaking up again!

[West]

The biggest place we heard it was for partials from one counciler going to another. And like I said, it was never inforced. So was it really a rule? It sure wasn't treated that way. It did work well to actually get guys moveing to finish up those last 2 requirements though.