As you know, the California Architects Board (CAB) establishes regulations for the examination and licensing of the profession of architecture in California, which today numbers over 21,000 licensed architects and nearly 10,000 candidates who are on the path to licensure.

While CAB sets the requirements for architectural practice in California, it is important to note that their primary mission is to protect the public.

As buildings become more complicated and building systems more complex, it is critical to have a consistent voice, advocating on behalf of the profession and upholding the “contract” granted by licensure to California’s citizens; this is just one of the 26 regulatory agencies where AIA CA is working on your behalf.

AIA California works with the CAB to understand the impact of policy decisions on things like proposed advertising requirements, mandatory continuing education, and increased licensure fees. Periodically, CAB goes through a “sunset review” process by the State Legislature to evaluate its effectiveness, efficiency and necessity – this process is currently underway, and AIA CA is actively engaged, providing input and feedback. Results from this review could lead to streamlined processes, better protections for the public and the profession, and improvements for those entering the profession.

The CAB is comprised of 10 members – five architect members and five public members; California is one of the few states with this parity in its regulatory body and those appointees, particularly the 5 architect members, are doing yeoman’s work on behalf of the profession. While there are many ways AIA CA is proactively working with CAB to improve the way the profession is regulated (changing the format of the CA Supplemental Exam to ensure consistency, advocating for those on the path to licensure with concerns related to the testing process, and ensuring quality in mandatory continuing education to name just a few), one of the most common questions we receive is “why can’t you do something about the tech industry misusing the title: architect?” The title “architect” is now seen as a “term of art” in the English language, meaning it may be used metaphorically or symbolically in other contexts to denote someone who is designing and overseeing the structure and organization of complex systems within their respective fields.

Rest assured, if it’s being misused by someone within the design and construction industry, CAB is ready and able to address these claims swiftly.

And we will be there to advocate on your behalf.