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A Message from the Indiana Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects
Please Report the Unlicensed Practice of Architecture!
Indiana's Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects ("Board") serves as the regulating body for approximately 3,600 licensees in the State of Indiana. Architecture and landscape architecture are complex fields that require significant education and experience of the individuals who desire to become licensed as such. As with many professions, the world of architecture and landscape architecture is plagued with unlicensed practice, which is certainly not fair to those who complete the education and experience requirements, and expend effort and money to become licensed and practice within the law.
The Board's primary duty is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the consumers of the State of Indiana. A new instrument has become available to the Board to do that. Indiana Code § 25-1-7-14 "Cease and Desist Orders" is a state statute that grants the Board the authority to police unlicensed practice. Prior to this rule, the Board had no jurisdiction over those practicing architecture or landscape architecture without a license in the State.
Previously the remedies available allowed the Office of the Attorney General or a county prosecutor to request an injunction in a trial court, pursue the action through a prosecutor as a Class B misdemeanor, seek protection through the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, or allowed an individual in a county where the unlicensed practice allegedly took place to file suit. These processes, while meaningful if utilized, took a significant amount of time, which is not the objective when seeking to quickly eliminate unlicensed practice.
The new Cease and Desist statute is comprised of a multiple-step process involving multiple parties. If the Board believes that a person is engaged in unlicensed practice, it may file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for a mandatory investigation under IC § 25-1-7-14 (a). After investigating, the Office of the Attorney General may file a motion for a Cease and Desist Order, which the Board will review, and if it considers it appropriate, will set the matter for an Order to Show Cause hearing before the Board.
An Order to Show Cause ("OTSC") hearing allows each side to present evidence as to why the individual should or should not be licensed in the State of Indiana. The OTSC hearing follows the requirements of the Administrative Order and Procedures Act under Indiana Code § 4-21.5. Once the OTSC hearing occurs, the Board deliberates and votes as to whether a license was necessary for the individual's alleged practice. If the Board decides no license was necessary, then the matter is dismissed. If the Board decides licensure was necessary, the Board issues a Cease and Desist Order which is enforceable in any circuit or superior court. If the individual continues to practice after the Cease and Desist Order is issued then they are subject to contempt of court. It is important to note that the Cease and Desist Order does not absolve anyone of potential criminal prosecution.
This process provides the Board with a new tool to identify and curb unlicensed practice in a timely manner. It is the will of the Board to promulgate rules to establish a dedicated fund to implement a compliance program for the Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects. Armed with the Board's new Cease and Desist Orders tool, a compliance program would be optimized to eliminate the problem of unlicensed practice and the harm that can be caused by it.
Please report unlicensed practice when you see it occur. Reports of unlicensed practice may be mailed to the Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects at 402 West Washington Street, Room W-072, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, or emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Indiana's Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects ("Board") serves as the regulating body for approximately 3,600 licensees in the State of Indiana. Architecture and landscape architecture are complex fields that require significant education and experience of the individuals who desire to become licensed as such. As with many professions, the world of architecture and landscape architecture is plagued with unlicensed practice, which is certainly not fair to those who complete the education and experience requirements, and expend effort and money to become licensed and practice within the law.
The Board's primary duty is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the consumers of the State of Indiana. A new instrument has become available to the Board to do that. Indiana Code § 25-1-7-14 "Cease and Desist Orders" is a state statute that grants the Board the authority to police unlicensed practice. Prior to this rule, the Board had no jurisdiction over those practicing architecture or landscape architecture without a license in the State.
Previously the remedies available allowed the Office of the Attorney General or a county prosecutor to request an injunction in a trial court, pursue the action through a prosecutor as a Class B misdemeanor, seek protection through the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, or allowed an individual in a county where the unlicensed practice allegedly took place to file suit. These processes, while meaningful if utilized, took a significant amount of time, which is not the objective when seeking to quickly eliminate unlicensed practice.
The new Cease and Desist statute is comprised of a multiple-step process involving multiple parties. If the Board believes that a person is engaged in unlicensed practice, it may file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for a mandatory investigation under IC § 25-1-7-14 (a). After investigating, the Office of the Attorney General may file a motion for a Cease and Desist Order, which the Board will review, and if it considers it appropriate, will set the matter for an Order to Show Cause hearing before the Board.
An Order to Show Cause ("OTSC") hearing allows each side to present evidence as to why the individual should or should not be licensed in the State of Indiana. The OTSC hearing follows the requirements of the Administrative Order and Procedures Act under Indiana Code § 4-21.5. Once the OTSC hearing occurs, the Board deliberates and votes as to whether a license was necessary for the individual's alleged practice. If the Board decides no license was necessary, then the matter is dismissed. If the Board decides licensure was necessary, the Board issues a Cease and Desist Order which is enforceable in any circuit or superior court. If the individual continues to practice after the Cease and Desist Order is issued then they are subject to contempt of court. It is important to note that the Cease and Desist Order does not absolve anyone of potential criminal prosecution.
This process provides the Board with a new tool to identify and curb unlicensed practice in a timely manner. It is the will of the Board to promulgate rules to establish a dedicated fund to implement a compliance program for the Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects. Armed with the Board's new Cease and Desist Orders tool, a compliance program would be optimized to eliminate the problem of unlicensed practice and the harm that can be caused by it.
Please report unlicensed practice when you see it occur. Reports of unlicensed practice may be mailed to the Board of Registration for Architects & Landscape Architects at 402 West Washington Street, Room W-072, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, or emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .