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AIA chapters voice concern over proposed regulations on architects in California

2022-12-09T11:22:00-05:00

Several chapters of the AIA in California, including AIA California and AIA Los Angeles, have published an open letter to the California Architects Board (CAB) in opposition to proposed changes in how licensed architects in the state must advertise their license number. California Code of Regulations 135 (CCR 135) would require licensed architects to include their license number on “all forms of advertisement presented to the public in connection with an offer to provide architectural services.”

According to CAB, the new regulations are designed to raise public awareness of the difference between unlicensed and licensed architectural services by requiring architects to display their licensure numbers in advertising.

The open letter in opposition to CCR 135 sets out four areas of concern on behalf of the AIA chapters. The first takes aim at the initial estimate by CAB that “lice...

Unlicensed? Don’t call yourself an "Architectural Designer" or "Design Professional"

2019-11-23T12:00:00-05:00

Aspiring architects beware: The rules dictating how you communicate your professional aspirations and expertise are more strict than you may think. With constant state-level enforcement of architectural licensure standards a fact of life for designers, it may be wise to review a few of the laws of the land as they relate to terminology for unlicensed designers.

“Architectural Designer,” “Architecture Student,” “Architectural Intern", or just "Designer'?

A case in point: Did you know that if you are unlicensed and refer to yourself as an “architectural designer” online or in print, you could be in violation of the law in some states? That could be the case, for example, in California, where § 5536 of Article 3, Chapter 3, Division 3 of the California Business and Professions Code, Architects Practice Act reads:

It is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not e...