The Texas Board of Architectural Examiners (TBAE) exists to protect those who live, work, and play in the built environment of Texas.  In practice, what that means is that TBAE oversees thousands of Architects, Landscape Architects, and Registered Interior Designers to ensure that they practice their profession honestly, ethically, and according to state regulations. 

A Registered Interior Designer must, for instance, adhere to accessibility standards in his design work, and have his plans reviewed for compliance, to ensure that Texans of all abilities can navigate the space.  An Architect must disclose her financial interest in any products she specifies for your project.  A Landscape Architect must ensure that any drawings he seals were, in fact, drawn up by him or by someone under his supervision and control, rather than simply “plan stamping” the work of someone else in order to obtain a permit.

To meet our regulatory obligations, we enforce the law as it is written by the Legislature. This may include adopting rules to govern the initial registration and practice of our registrants; we attempt to do so as fairly and efficiently as possible in order to make compliance easy and simple. We work hard to ensure that only those with acceptable qualifications may become registered and work as Registered Interior Designers, Landscape Architects, or Architects. We provide tools for consumers to verify that a design professional is properly registered and in good standing, prior to working with that professional.  We work closely with building officials to identify possible violations and report them.  Finally, we reach out to design professionals, design profession students, and other stakeholders where they live and work, both in person and, increasingly, online. These are a fraction of the ways the Board works to protect the people who navigate the built environment of the Lone Star State.

Whether you’re a consumer of design services with a question, or a registered design professional in need of some clarification, we are here to help.  Don’t hesitate to contact us.