Architecture license requirements vary from one state to another, but all states require home architect licenses. Without a state architecture license, a home architect cannot legally practice her profession, or worst, may not be qualified to practice architecture. Before hiring a home architect for your architecture project, it’s important to confirm that she is, in fact, a licensed architect.

Architect License Requirements

While every state has slightly different architect license requirements, every licensed architect has attended an architect program approved by either the National Architectural Accrediting Board or Evaluation Services for Architects. A licensed home architect will also have completed an internship, and successfully completed the Architect Registration Examination.

Advantages of a Licensed Architect

As a homeowner, you’ll gain a number of advantages when working with a licensed home architect for your architecture project. A licensed architect has to prove his education credentials to fulfill architect license requirements, which you can confirm through your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs.

Should a dispute arise over your architecture project, the state may provide mediation services if you worked with a licensed architect. Mediation provides an opportunity to work out differences with a home architect without entering the legal system.

An Unlicensed Home Architect and the Law

Any home architect who cannot produce a valid architecture license should be viewed with suspicion. It is against the law in most states to claim to be an architect without meeting architect license requirements.

In many states, a licensed architect isn’t allowed to design residences under a certain square footage and size. In such circumstances an engineer or residential designer may perform the task, but they shouldn’t present themselves as a home architect. To do so is both deceptive and illegal.

In a worst case scenario, people have stolen architect seals (stamps used to mark architecture drawings as the work of licensed architects), often using seals once belonging to a now deceased home architect. This is blatantly fraudulent, and could be dangerous if the plans for the architecture project are poorly designed.

Confirming an Architecture License

Fortunately, the Internet makes it easy to confirm if a home architect possesses an architecture license. Your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs should offer searchable databases of licensed architects on their websites. A quick search by the home architect name, or the name of the architecture firm, should be enough to determine if the architect meets all architect license requirements.