OBTAINING LICENSURE
This national exam series is required for architectural licensure in the United States.
What is the ARE?
The most common Owner–Architect agreement is this AIA document.
What is AIA B101?
This local regulation controls land use, building height, density, and setbacks.
What is zoning?
When architects promise to do work for a client, they sign this official paper.
What is a contract?
This person hires the architect and is ultimately responsible for funding the project.
Who is the owner?
This period of supervised experience must be completed prior to taking the ARE exams.
What is AXP? (Architectural Experience Program)
This contract exhibit outlines what the architect will deliver at each project phase.
What is project scope?
This acronym describes the ratio dictating building size relative to lot size.
What is FAR? (Floor Area Ratio)
One of the easiest ways to reduce project risk is to document meetings using these written summaries.
What are meeting minutes?
This licensed professional prepares structural drawings and calculations that complement the architectural design.
Who is the structural engineer?
This number defines the amount of exams required to be passed by NCARB prior to applying for licensure.
What is six?
When a contractor proposes a price change due to scope modifications, it is submitted as this.
What is a change order?
This zoning term describes how tall a building can be relative to the property line.
What is an angle plane or height setback plane?
This list of incomplete or incorrect items identified near the end of construction helps manage risk by ensuring all work is finished properly before final payment.
What is a punchlist?
This role manages day-to-day construction activities and coordinates subcontractors on site.
Who is the general contractor?
To become licensed, NCARB requires candidates to document this total number of AXP experience hours across six practice areas.
What is 3,740 hours?
The phase in which the architect reviews contractor submittals occurs during this service stage.
What is construction administration?
The maximum area a building can cover on a site is limited by this zoning metric.
What is lot coverage?
Architects carry this type of insurance to protect against claims of mistakes in their work.
What is professional liability insurance?
This person represents the owner’s interests during construction, ensuring the project meets specifications and budget.
Who is the owner’s representative?
Most states require this final administrative step, confirming education, experience, and exam completion, before officially issuing a license.
What is a licensure application?
These written contract documents define materials, quality standards, and execution requirements, and together with the drawings they fully describe the work the contractor must provide.
What are specifications?
A property owner seeking relief from dimensional requirements—such as setbacks or height—typically applies for this type of zoning adjustment.
What is a variance?
This rule limits how long someone can sue an architect for mistakes after the project is finished.
What is the statute of limitations?
This person prepares soil reports and designs foundations based on ground conditions.
Who is the geotechnical engineer?