To earn a DC architecture license, you need a professional degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, 3,740 hours of supervised experience through NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program, and passing scores on the Architect Registration Examination. Once those are in hand, you apply through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection’s online portal and pay $185 in combined application and license fees. The Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture reviews applications at meetings held every six weeks.
The Three Qualifications You Need First
Everything starts with the degree. DC regulations under DCMR Title 17, Chapter 34 tie eligibility to a professional architecture degree from a NAAB-accredited program. If your degree is from a non-accredited school or a program outside the United States, you aren’t shut out, but you’ll need NCARB’s Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) to compare your transcripts against the NCARB Education Standard. EESA either confirms your coursework meets the standard or lists the gaps you have to fill. Contact NCARB’s Customer Relations team before you start, since the evaluation runs through your NCARB Record.1NCARB. EESA
Next comes the Architectural Experience Program. You need 3,740 hours total, divided across six practice areas that NCARB defines, with Project Development and Documentation taking the largest share at 1,520 hours.2NCARB. AXP Experience Requirements Most candidates log these hours working under a licensed architect, though NCARB allows some qualifying hours from other settings.
The third piece is the Architect Registration Examination. The ARE is split into sections covering practice management, project management, programming and analysis, project planning and design, project development and documentation, and construction evaluation. You can schedule the sections individually and don’t have to pass them in one sitting. Your scores land in your NCARB Record alongside your education and experience documentation, and that record is what you’ll hand to the DC Board when you apply.
Applying Through the DLCP Portal
DC accepts architect license applications online at govservices.dcra.dc.gov. You’ll create an account and upload your materials. The Board expects:3District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture
- Your complete NCARB Record, documenting education, AXP hours, and ARE scores
- A passport-style photo (roughly 2″ x 2″, not a phone snapshot or computer-generated image)
- A U.S. government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport
Fees are due at submission. DC doesn’t invoice you later for any part of the cost, and under D.C. Code § 47-2853.10 every fee is non-refundable, even if you withdraw or the Board decides you don’t qualify.
What You’ll Pay
- Application: $65
- Initial license: $120, covering up to two years
- Duplicate license: $30
- Verification of records: $30
Initial licensure runs $185 out of pocket.3District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture
How Long the Review Takes
The Board meets every six weeks on a Friday at 9:30 a.m., and applications are reviewed at those meetings.3District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture DLCP doesn’t publish a guaranteed processing time, so your wait depends on when a complete application reaches the queue relative to the next meeting. If the Board needs anything more from you, they’ll reach out through the email tied to your portal account. Plan for a couple of months from submission to approval.
If You’re Already Licensed in Another State
Architects who hold an active license elsewhere can apply by endorsement rather than running the full process again. The pathway hinges on NCARB certification. Under DCMR § 3404, the Board can waive the education and experience verification steps when the applicant holds a current NCARB certificate, because NCARB has already authenticated those credentials.4D.C. Municipal Regulations. District of Columbia Municipal Regulations 17-3404 – Waiver of the Education and IDP Requirements
You still submit an application through the DLCP portal and still pay the same $185. The gain is a simpler packet: your NCARB certificate carries the documentation that would otherwise require separate transcript and experience submissions.
If You’re Opening Your Own Firm
Your individual license does not authorize a firm to offer architectural services in the District. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.65, any firm, partnership, association, or corporation providing professional design services needs a separate professional design firm license from the Mayor.5D.C. Law Library. DC Code 47-2853.65 – Licensure of Professional Design Firms Solo practitioners and partners forming a new office sometimes miss this.
At least one partner, officer, shareholder, member, or manager must hold an active DC architect license in good standing. Every person in the firm who performs architectural services must also be individually licensed in DC, and all firm work must be under the responsible charge of a supervising DC-licensed architect. The firm license costs $65 to apply plus $110 for the license itself, with renewals at $155.3District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture
Keeping the License Active
DC architect licenses renew every two years. Renewal costs $155, and during each cycle you must complete continuing education hours focused on health, safety, and welfare topics as defined by the Board under DCMR Chapter 34, Section 3414. The Board can audit, so hold onto your certificates of completion for at least three years after each renewal.
Miss the deadline and you’ll owe a $50 late fee on top of the renewal cost. Let the license lapse entirely and you move into reinstatement, which carries its own $155 fee and may bring additional requirements. If you want to stop practicing in DC for a stretch without going through full reinstatement later, you can place the license on inactive status for $155; the inactive designation preserves your record while suspending your authority to practice in the District. Reinstatement applications go through the same DLCP portal and are reviewed on the Board’s six-week meeting cycle.3District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture