Licensure

V.S.A. tit. 26, ch. 3, subch. 3

in effect

26 V.S.A. § 201 Qualifications

201. Qualifications (a) To qualify for licensure as an architect in this State, an applicant shall have attained the age of majority and shall have graduated from an approved four-year high school course or must have equivalent training. Additionally, an applicant shall have had: (1) Satisfactory training in a school or college of architecture approved by the Board, with graduation therefrom as evidenced by a diploma setting forth a satisfactory degree in an accredited architectural program, and three years of practical architectural experience under the supervision of a practicing architect or architects who have been licensed for more than three years; or (2) A total of nine years of diversified practical architectural experience under the supervision of a practicing architect or architects who have been licensed for more than three years. Credits from an accredited postsecondary educational institution may be substituted for up to four years of the experience requirement; or (3) Training equivalent to that required herein. (b) An applicant shall pass written examinations under a syllabus selected or prepared by the Board, in such technical and professional subjects as may be prescribed by the Board. Examinations may be taken before the applicant completes the experience requirements established by this chapter, provided that the applicant has completed all but the final year of required practical experience. Notification of the results of such examinations shall be mailed to each candidate within 30 days of the date the results are received by the Board. A candidate failing to pass the examinations may apply for re-examination and may sit for any regularly scheduled examination as many times as the candidate chooses to do so. If an applicant does not pass the entire examination, the applicant shall not be required to retake any section of an examination that the applicant previously passed. (c) Upon application for licensure, the applicant shall file a report to the Board certifying the practical experience requirements completed. The supervisor shall certify that to the best of the supervisor’s knowledge, the report is correct. (d) The Board may conduct a personal interview of an applicant. A personal interview shall be for the limited purposes of assisting the applicant to obtain licensure and to verify the applicant’s educational qualifications and that the applicant completed the practical architectural experience requirements for licensure. A personal interview shall not serve directly or indirectly as an oral examination of the applicant’s substantive knowledge of architecture. An interview conducted under this section shall be taped and, at the request of the applicant, shall be transcribed. An applicant who is denied licensure shall be informed in writing of his or her right to have the interview transcribed free of charge. At least one of the public members of the Board shall be present at any personal interview. (e) When the Board intends to deny an application for licensure, the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation shall send the applicant written notice of preliminary decision by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall include a specific statement of the reasons for the action. Within 30 days of the date that an applicant receives such notice, the applicant may file a petition with the Board for review of its preliminary action. In cases where denial is based upon failure to pass the examination, the applicant may request and shall receive, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the request, further and more specific information on the content of questions which were answered incorrectly, and as to what the correct answers should have been. Such information shall be provided in the manner prescribed by the testing service. At the hearing to review the preliminary decision, which, if the applicant chooses, may not take place until the Board has responded to inquiries about the questions and answers, the burden shall be on the applicant to show that licensure should be granted. After the hearing, the Board shall affirm or reverse the preliminary denial. The applicant may appeal a final denial by the Board to the appeals panel. (f) The Board may establish by rule intern development program training requirements for the purpose of providing a structured transition between formal education and architectural licensure. Completion of the program shall be a condition of eligibility for licensure under this chapter. Amended 1959, No. 160, § 4; 1969, No. 121, eff. April 22, 1969; 1971, No. 184 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. March 29, 1972; 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1989, No. 250 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(d); 1997, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 10.

26 V.S.A. § 203 Corporations; limited liability companies

203. Corporations; limited liability companies (a) The right to practice architecture is a personal right based on the qualities of the individual and evidenced by a nontransferable license. (b) A corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, or individual proprietorship may furnish architectural services provided a member or employee thereof is a licensed architect and is in responsible charge of such services, and provided all plans and specifications are signed and stamped with the personal seal of the licensed architect in responsible charge. (c) A corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, or individual proprietorship with which the architect may practice shall be jointly and severally liable with the architect for work performed. Amended 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1997, No. 40, § 11.

26 V.S.A. § 204 Licenses generally

204. Licenses generally The Board shall upon payment of the fees prescribed in this chapter, license any applicant who, in the opinion of the Board, has satisfactorily met all the requirements of this chapter. Certificates of licensure shall bear a serial number and the full name of the licensee, and shall bear the signatures of the Chair, the Secretary of the Board, and the seal of the Board. Amended 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

26 V.S.A. § 205 Licensure without examination

205. Licensure without examination The Board may, upon payment of the required fee, license without examination an applicant who presents evidence that he or she: (1) is licensed in another state in which the requirements for licensure are essentially equivalent to those required by this chapter; or (2) holds the certificate of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Amended 1966, No. 48 (Sp. Sess.); 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

26 V.S.A. § 205a License renewal

205a. License renewal (a) Licenses shall be renewed every two years upon application and payment of the required fee. Failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall result in suspension of all privileges granted by the license beginning on the expiration date of the license. A license that has lapsed shall be reinstated upon payment of the biennial renewal fee and the late renewal penalty. (b) The Board may adopt rules necessary for the protection of the public to assure the Board that an applicant whose license has lapsed for more than three years is professionally qualified before reinstatement may occur. Conditions imposed under this subsection shall be in addition to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section. (c) In addition to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, an applicant for renewal shall have satisfactorily completed continuing education as required by the Board. For purposes of this subsection, the Board may require, by rule, not more than 24 hours of approved continuing education as a condition of renewal. Added 1997, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 11; amended 2005, No. 27, § 18.

26 V.S.A. § 206 Display of license

206. Display of license A license shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the licensee’s principal place of business or employment. Amended 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

26 V.S.A. § 208 Seal

208. Seal Each licensee shall obtain a seal of such design as the Board shall authorize and direct. Plans and specifications prepared by, or under the direct supervision of, a licensed architect shall be stamped with the licensee’s seal. Amended 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.

26 V.S.A. § 209 Fees

209. Fees Applicants and persons regulated under this chapter shall pay the following fees: (1) | Application for initial license | $120.00 (2) | Bennial renewal | $225.00 Amended 1967, No. 105, eff. April 14, 1967; 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1989, No. 250 (Adj. Sess.), § 8; 1999, No. 49, § 170; 2001, No. 143 (Adj. Sess.), § 20, eff. June 21, 2002; 2005, No. 202 (Adj. Sess.), § 10; 2023, No. 77, § 22, eff. June 20, 2023.

26 V.S.A. § 210 Unprofessional conduct

210. Unprofessional conduct Unprofessional conduct means the following conduct and the conduct set forth in 3 V.S.A. § 129a: (1) assisting the application for licensure of a person known by the licensee to be unqualified in respect to education, training, or experience; (2) accepting compensation for services from more than one party on a project unless the circumstances are fully disclosed and agreed to by all interested parties; (3) failing to disclose fully in writing to a client or employer the nature of any business association or direct or indirect financial interest substantial enough to influence the licensee’s judgment in the performance of professional services; (4) soliciting or accepting compensation from material or equipment suppliers in return for specifying or endorsing their products; (5) rendering decisions favoring either party to a contract when acting as interpreter of building contract documents and judge of contract performance; (6) failing to disclose compensation for making public statements on architectural questions; (7) offering or making any payment or gift to an elected or appointed government official with the intent to influence the official’s judgment in connection with a prospective or existing project in which the licensee is interested; (8) offering or making any gifts of other than nominal value, including reasonable entertainment and hospitality, with the intent to influence the judgment of an existing or prospective client in connection with a project in which the licensee is interested; (9) practicing or offering to practice beyond the scope permitted by law; (10) knowingly designing a project in violation of applicable state and local building laws and regulations; (11) accepting and performing responsibilities that the licensee knows or has reason to know that he or she is not competent to perform or undertaking to perform professional services in specific technical areas in which the licensee is not qualified by education, training, and experience; (12) failing to practice with reasonable care and competence and to apply the technical knowledge and skill ordinarily applied by licensees practicing in the same locality; (13) making any willful material misrepresentation with respect to the qualifications of or experience of an applicant or otherwise in the practice of the profession, whether by commission or omission; (14) agreeing with any other person, as defined in 1 V.S.A. § 128, or subscribing to any code of ethics or organizational bylaws, when the intent or primary effect of that agreement, code, or bylaw is to restrict or limit the flow of information concerning alleged or suspected unprofessional conduct to the Board; (15) failing to report to the Board knowledge of a violation of these rules by another licensee; (16) failing to report to the public official charged with enforcement of applicable state or municipal building laws and regulations any decision taken by the licensee’s employer or client, against the licensee’s advice, which violates applicable state or municipal building laws and regulations and which will, in the licensee’s judgment, materially affect adversely safety to the public or the finished project; (17) acting, while serving as a Board member, in any way to contravene willfully the provisions of this chapter and thereby artificially restricting the entry of qualified persons into the profession; (18) using the licensee’s seal on drawings prepared by others not in the licensee’s direct employ, or using the seal of another; (19) inaccurately representing to a prospective or existing client or employer the licensee’s qualifications and scope of responsibility for work for which the licensee claims credit; (20) signing or sealing technical submissions unless they were prepared by or under the responsible control of the licensee; except that (A) the licensee may sign or seal those portions of the technical submissions that were prepared by or under the responsible control of persons who are licensed under this chapter if the licensee has reviewed and adopted in whole or in part such portions and has either coordinated their preparation or integrated them into his or her work, and (B) the licensee may sign or seal those portions of the technical submissions that are not required by this section to be prepared by or under the responsible control of a licensee if the licensee has reviewed and adopted in whole or in part such submissions and integrated them into his or her work. Reviewing, or reviewing and correcting, technical submissions after they have been prepared by others does not constitute the exercise of responsible control because the reviewer has neither control over nor detailed knowledge of the content of such submissions throughout their preparation. Any licensee signing and sealing technical submissions not prepared by that licensee but prepared under the licensee’s responsible control by persons not regularly employed in the office where the licensee is resident shall maintain and make available to the Board upon request, for at least five years following such signing and sealing, adequate and complete records demonstrating the nature and extent of the licensee’s control over and detailed knowledge of such technical submissions throughout their preparation; (21) in each office maintained for preparation of drawings, specifications, reports, or other professional work, failing to have a licensee with direct knowledge and supervisory control of such work resident and regularly employed in that office. Amended 1985, No. 248 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1997, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 33; 1999, No. 52, § 5b.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/26/003Fetched: 10/21/2026