Florida architect license checks belong before design work

As of July 27, 2026, Florida licenses the person who works as an architect. It also keeps a separate record for a firm that offers architecture work. A Sunbiz filing is not that license record, and a firm name cannot stand in for the person’s license.

A first-time applicant generally needs a professional bachelor’s or master’s degree in architecture accredited by NAAB. The next parts are completing NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program, or AXP, and passing the Architect Registration Examination, or ARE. Once those parts are complete, ask NCARB to send the council record to Florida. Then use DBPR’s first-license form. Foreign education goes through NCARB’s equivalency review, so read the current Florida instructions before paying or ordering transcripts.

An architect licensed elsewhere cannot just transfer that license to Florida. Florida does not use reciprocity. It calls this route endorsement and offers NCARB, state, and direct paths. The right path depends on the records you have. Each one calls for a two-hour, board-approved class on wind mitigation. Read the current form list before choosing a path for an old license, exam, degree, or work history.

A firm that sells architecture work needs one more state record. A Florida architect must qualify the firm and hold the right officer role. That architect must also oversee the design work at each office. This step is not the same as forming an LLC or corporation with the state.

The license also has a calendar. Architect licenses expire on February 28 in odd-numbered years. To renew, an architect now needs 24 hours of classes. Twenty-two hours cover health, safety, and welfare. Two hours must be in an advanced Florida Building Code class. Check the live renewal page before taking a class or paying because the window and steps can change.

If you are hiring, search both the person and the firm named on the proposal. First check the license type and status. Then match the names to the plans, contract, seal, job address, and firm qualifier. Florida law does not make an architect take part in every job. Some work on one-family and two-family homes is exempt. Even so, that rule does not let an unlicensed person use the title or sell regulated architecture work.

The next step depends on your side of the desk. An applicant should choose the first-license or endorsement path before gathering records. A property owner should check the person and firm before design fees grow. The owner can then ask the local building office if the job needs signed and sealed plans. That keeps the license question tied to the work instead of treating each drawing, designer, engineer, contractor, and permit as the same thing.