Tiers of legal effect
Taxonomy name: TAXONOMY_NAME
A certificate is not one thing in law. Under some provisions it counts for nothing. Under others it is the permission itself. These six tiers say which is which. A tier attaches to a provision rather than to a whole statute, so the same certification can sit on several tiers of one law.
Only tiers 03 to 05 change how something ends. The rest change how the conversation goes.
TIER 05Legal gateway
The certificate is itself permission to do something otherwise unlawful.
TIER 04Presumption of conformity
Burden shifts to the regulator, who must disprove your compliance.
TIER 03Affirmative defense / damages bar
Defeats or caps a civil claim. You must plead and prove it.
TIER 02Mitigating factor
Does not prevent a finding of breach. Reduces the sanction after one.
TIER 01Evidentiary element
May be submitted as evidence of compliance. Burden of proof stays with you.
TIER 00No legal effect
Market and procurement signal only. No statute references it.