State Boards of Architecture

Answers to questions about Continuing Education for Architects and Interior Designers

To licensed Architects and Designers, just in case you forgot some of the rules, regulations and other mandatory or acceptable concepts

and ideas related to Continuing Education.

STATE BOARDS OF ARCHITECTURE &

INTERIOR DESIGN

CLICK HERE to see the list of STATES’ CE REQUIREMENTS FOR ARCHITECTS:
scrawl down to the 5th paragraph, Keep current with state requirements, and enter the state you are licensed in

FOR FLORIDA LICENSED INDIVIDUALS

- Continuing Education Requirements for the Renewal Period starting January 1st 2023 and ending December 1st, 2024 for ARCHITECTS

for the Renewal Period starting March 1st, 2023 and ending February 28, 2025 for INTERIOR DESIGNERS

For Architects

22 hours in health, safety, and welfare related courses
2 hours in Florida Building Code advanced courses

24 hours Total

The courses' hours must be completed between

January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024.

For Interior Designers

14 hours in health, safety, and welfare related courses
2 hours in Florida Building Code advanced courses
4 hours in optional or health, safety, and welfare, related courses

20 hours Total

The course hours must be completed between

March 1, 2023 and February 28, 2025

Regardless of where you are licensed as an architect or interior-designer, it is your responsibility to check if

AIA courses will be accepted by your State Board of Architecture and Interior Design or

by ASID, IIDA, NKBA, IDCEC, etc.... Basically and practically, they are accepted by all Boards

ASID will recognize continuing education coursework (courses, workshops, online distance learning programs, webinars, conferences, seminars, etc.) as successfully fulfilling your CEU requirements only if the coursework is “approved” by one of the following entities:

IDCEC Approval System
State Regulatory Board
Approved Industry Relevant Organizations (AIA, GBCI, NKBA, and IFMA)
Colleges, universities, and other degree-granting institutions offering degrees (e.g., B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) and credit-bearing certificate and diploma programs in interior design that are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER). Courses taken for college credit towards a degree program do not count as CEU credit.

CHAPTER ONE: HSW

Seminars or courses or tours offered as Continuing Education Units accepted by any State Boards of Architecture for licensing or continuing education requirements or by any professional organizations such as AIA, have to be mostly categorized as HEALTH SAFETY WELFARE (HSW).

Some States (NOT FLORIDA) and some organizations will let you get a certain amount of non-HSW courses or lectures. The same with ASID and AIA. So be sure to take the maximum of HSW courses you need for your state and/or your organization.

HEALTH relates to: Aspects of architecture that have salutary physical effects among users of buildings. (Accessibility, Acoustical systems, Energy efficiency, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical system concepts, Materials, and Methods of Construction.

SAFETY relates to: Aspects of architecture intended to limit or prevent accidental injury or death (Codes and regulations;

Natural Hazards: Earthquake, Flood, and Hurricane; Life safety systems: suppression, detection and alarm standards).

WELFARE relates to: Aspects of architecture that engender demonstrable positive emotional responses among, or enable equal access by, users of building or sites (Building design and materials, methods & systems, Construction contracting, means and methods.
Construction documents and services; Legal issues: Laws, Contracts, Documents, Insurance, Ethics and Regulations Governing Practice, Preservation and Adaptive Reuse, Study of Architecture, Environmental Issues, Construction Administration.

My courses/seminars/tours are all crediting attendees with
Health-Safety-Welfare architecture or interior design
Continuing Education Units (CEU) and AI/CES Learning Units (LU).

CHAPTER TWO: STATE BOARDS ACCEPTANCE OF COURSES APPROVED BY AIA, IDCEC

Practically ALL STATE BOARDS OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN accept courses approved by AIA or IDCEC, but you need to check with your particular board to be sure.

Some States Boards will accept Architect's courses for Interior Designers and Interior Designer's courses for Architects.

CHAPTER THREE: To FLORIDA licensed Architects and Designers ONLY:
(straight from the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design)

Architecture and Interior Design continuing education course providers are exempt from reporting attendance rosters.

(For example that would be any AIA providers)

However, course providers who have department-assigned providers, and course numbers, have the option to report your continuing education credit hours.

(That would be providers who have their courses registered with the Florida State Board which is not an obligation for AIA providers. SEE NEXT PARAGRAPH).

If reported, such hours will be posted to your license and will be reflected on the department’s Online Services at |WWW.MYFLORIDALICENSE.COM|

Courses that are automatically accepted for continuing education credits, but not specifically assigned a course number by the department (i.e., AIA, IDCEC, etc.) cannot be reported or manually entered into the department’s computer system.

Effective March 2013, ARCHITECTS must obtain 24 HSW hours of continuing education for renewal of the 2023-2025 license INCLUDING 2 HSW CEU about the FLORIDA ADVANCED BUILDING CODE COURSE.

NO MORE Self-directed study for Architects to get credits.

INTERIOR DESIGNERS are required to complete 20 hours of continuing education, 14 hours in health, safety, and welfare related courses, 2 hours in the Florida Building Code advanced course, and 4 hours in optional or health, safety, and welfare related courses.

Please be advised that your online account will only reflect the hours voluntarily reported by course providers and may not be an actual reflection of the hours you have completed. This will not affect your ability to renew your license.

In accordance with the continuing education handbook, you are required to maintain course completion certificates for three years.

f you are selected for audit you will be required to produce course completion certificates to verify attendance.

If you are an out-of-state registrant, you will also be required to submit a copy of the resident state statutes and rules as it pertains to your continuing education.

FLORIDA STATE BOARD ACCEPTANCE OF COURSES APPROVED BY AIA, IDCEC:

For Architects, does the board accept courses approved by any of the following: American Institute of Architects (AIA),

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC),

National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID),

International Interior Design Association (IIDA), National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and Interior Designers of Canada (IDC)?

The board considers providers/courses approved through the AIA Continuing Education System as automatically approved courses for architects.
The board also recognizes providers/courses approved through IDCEC as automatically approved courses for interior designers AND NOW ARCHITECTS (SEE BELOW).
The IDCEC may include courses offered by ASID, IIDA, NKBA, IDEC, and IDC.

The Board of Architecture and Interior Design recently updated the Architecture and Interior Design Continuing Education Provider and Course Handbooks as referenced by Rule 61G1-21 and 61G1-24, Florida Administrative Code.
The primary changes are as follows:
- An architect can receive credit for taking an approved interior design approved course.
- An interior designer can receive credit for taking an approved architecture course.

RENEWALS, CERTIFICATES, KEEPING RECORDS

When I renew, do I need to send proof of my continuing education?

No. Maintain proof of continuing education for your records in case you are audited.
In accordance with the continuing education handbook, you are required to maintain course completion certificates for three years.

How many continuing education credit hours do I need to renew my license?

Licensees ARCHITECTS are required to obtain 24 hours of continuing education every two years.
If you were initially licensed less than 12 months prior to your first renewal, no continuing education is required.
If you have been licensed more than 12 months, 24 hours of continuing education are required.

Interior Designers needs to fulfill course requirements by February 28 of odd years, next period will end February 28, 2019
Architects needs to fulfill course requirements by December 31 of even years, next period will end December 31, 2018.

TO CONCLUDE about Florida architects and interior designers:

A) Sometimes in December (even years), YOU will receive YOUR LICENSE RENEWAL LETTER asking you to pay the fees EVEN if you have not completed ALL your Credit Hours.

By sending your fees to the board, you only said that you would fulfill all requirements by the renewal date:
in Florida, ARCHITECT BY DECEMBER 31 - EVEN YEARS and INTERIOR DESIGNERS BY FEBRUARY 28 - ODD YEARS
If you don’t and you are audited, you will be in trouble.

B) WHETHER OR NOT all your Credit Hours are entered in the Board website, either by a provider or by yourself, or even if you did fulfill all your Credit Hours, and entered them on the Board website, that will not prevent the Board to audit you after February 28 of an odd year.

C) DESIGNERS have until February 28 (odd year) midnight, to take courses to fulfill the requirements.

ARCHITECTS have until December 31 (even year) midnight, to take courses to fulfill the requirements.

D) MAKE AND KEEP A COPY OF YOUR CERTIFICATE(S) BEFORE YOU SEND IT (THEM) TO THE BOARD.

And don’t send it (them), to the Board unless asked.

My courses/seminars/tours are all accepted by the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design, because they are approved by AIA.

They are being accepted by any and all Boards of Architecture and Interior Design, according to their specific rules and laws.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF AIA, ASID, IIDA, NKBA OR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS to take a course or a tour.
They will be accepted by any, and all Boards of Architecture and Interior Design according to the laws in effect in each state.

(see above in CHAPTER TWO).

OLD NEWS FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTIAL DESIGNERS

Board of Architecture and Interior Design receives an Opinion from Judge Hinkle for Locke v. Shore:

Federal District Judge Robert L. Hinkle has entered an order, Opinion on the Merits, in the case of Locke v. Shore in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Under this ruling a person must be a registered interior designer to provide commercial interior design services in the State of Florida. However, any person may use the title “interior designer” regardless of whether or not they hold a Florida license.

A person may provide residential interior design services and may advertise herself/himself as an “interior designer” without a license. This ruling does not change the statutes in Chapter 481 but does impact how the Board enforces the statutes. Case Filed 02/04/2010.