The Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL) within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) would like to inform you that the Administrative Rules for Architects were promulgated effective May 4, 2018.

Below is a summary of the significant changes to the rules:

Rule 201. Adopted standards: The rule added requirements for foreign applicants with nonaccredited training. These applicants must meet the NCARB Certification Guidelines. In sum, the guidelines measure whether a degree is equivalent to the standards of accreditation of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and allows for an education evaluation through Educational Evaluation Services for Architects (ESSA).

Rule 202. Experience requirements: The rule removes a reference to the NCARB Intern Development Program, which has been discontinued, and removes a provision that allowed the board to approve internship programs. The rule also removes a requirement to obtain five references because it is no longer a statutory requirement. The rule will now consider any internship program by NCARB as acceptable.

Rule 301. Architect’s seal: The rule requires the seal of an architect to include the full name and license number, as shown on the architect’s state-issued license. Please note, architects will need to update their seal if it does not display the full license number. A Michigan license number is 10-digits.

Rule 502. Continuing education: Subrule (2) of this rule sets out limitations for earning credit for continuing education. In addition, a table was included to list the types of continuing education activities that will be accepted. The table also specifies what documentation is required in the event of an audit.

Rule 502a. Measurement of continuing education hours: This rule clarifies what is considered a continuing education hour. For example, 50 minutes of continuous instruction is equal to one credit and 25 minutes is equal to one-half of a credit.

Rule 506. Subjects acceptable for continuing education: This rule updated the subjects that are accepted for continuing education. It was updated in a manner to represent categories and topics used by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The entire Architect Rule Set is available at www.michigan.gov/bpl.
Our office is diligently working on updating forms and relative information on our website to reflect the changes of the revised rules.

If you have any questions, please contact the BPL office at (517) 241-9288 or by email to BPLHELP@michigan.gov.