To run a Texas architect license lookup, use the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners’ free online search at indreg.tbae.texas.gov for individuals and bizreg.tbae.texas.gov for firms. The search is free, takes seconds, and tells you whether the person or company is currently authorized to practice architecture in Texas. If the result shows “Active,” they can legally practice and seal drawings. Anything else means they cannot.
Looking Up an Individual Architect
Open indreg.tbae.texas.gov and find the “Verify a Registration” heading. The form has four fields: First Name, Last Name, Registration Number, and Profession. You don’t have to fill them all in. Each field you add simply narrows the results.1Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. Verify a Registration
If you already have the registration number from a business card, contract, or a sealed drawing, enter it by itself for a direct hit. Working from a name alone? Type the last name and pick “Architect” from the Profession dropdown. That filter matters because TBAE also registers interior designers and landscape architects, and a search without it can return people who aren’t architects at all. Common last names will return several entries, so the first name becomes the tiebreaker.
Looking Up an Architectural Firm
Firms register separately from the architects who work for them. TBAE’s business search at bizreg.tbae.texas.gov lets you look up a company by name.2Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. Business Search Checking both the individual and the firm matters because Texas law requires any firm offering architectural services to have a registered architect actually performing or supervising the work.3Texas Public Law. Texas Occupations Code Section 1051.701 – Registration Required A firm whose business registration is current but who has no active architect on staff cannot legally produce sealed construction documents.
What the Status Line Actually Means
The single most important line in any search result is the registration status. Treat the label literally.
- Active. Currently registered, renewal and continuing education are up to date, and the architect can legally practice and seal drawings in Texas.
- Inactive. The architect has either voluntarily paused their registration or missed renewal requirements. They cannot practice, cannot use their seal, and face suspension, revocation, or daily fines for working while inactive.4Legal Information Institute. 22 Texas Admin Code 1.68 – Inactive Status
- Expired. The registration lapsed because it wasn’t renewed by the deadline. Same practical effect as inactive: no practice, no sealing.
- Revoked or Suspended. The board took enforcement action, typically for a legal or ethical violation. The person is barred from professional activity until the board lifts the restriction.
Results also show the registration number, the initial registration date, and the current expiration date. That expiration date is a hard deadline. If it has already passed, the architect cannot legally sign off on your project no matter what they tell you about a renewal that’s “in progress.”
If a search shows any disciplinary history, read it carefully before you sign anything. The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards also maintains a disciplinary database that collects actions from all 55 U.S. licensing boards, so sanctions in Texas follow an architect to other states.5National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Disciplinary Actions
Matching a Seal on Existing Drawings
If you already have plans in hand, you can use the lookup to confirm they’re legitimate. Texas requires architects to affix their seal, personal signature, and the date to every construction document they prepare or supervise, including each sheet of drawings, specifications, title sheets, and any addenda or change orders. The seal must clearly show the architect’s name and registration number.6Legal Information Institute. 22 Texas Admin Code 1.103 – Required Use of Seal
Pull the registration number off the seal and run it through the individual search. Then compare the date next to the signature with the registration history. An architect who sealed drawings during a period when their registration was inactive violated Texas law, and those documents may be challenged during permitting or in a later dispute.4Legal Information Institute. 22 Texas Admin Code 1.68 – Inactive Status
When the Lookup Doesn’t Match What You Were Told
Sometimes a name doesn’t appear even though the person insists they’re registered. Before assuming the worst, consider that name variations throw off the search: maiden names, hyphenated names, and Jr./Sr. suffixes don’t always behave the way you’d expect. Call TBAE at 512-305-9000 or email customerservice@tbae.texas.gov and ask staff to check manually.7Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. Contact They can confirm whether a registration exists under a different spelling or whether a recent status change hasn’t shown up online yet.
If the lookup confirms that someone offering architectural services simply isn’t registered, you can file a formal complaint with TBAE. The board accepts written complaints and completes a preliminary evaluation within 30 days to decide whether the allegations fall within its jurisdiction. Request a complaint form or speak with the Investigations Division by calling the same main number.7Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. Contact Texas law is explicit: no one may practice architecture or use the title “architect” in Texas without a current registration.3Texas Public Law. Texas Occupations Code Section 1051.701 – Registration Required
When a Texas Project Even Requires a Registered Architect
Not every building project needs an architect, so the lookup matters most when yours does. Texas exempts several categories of work from the registration requirement, including private single-family homes, duplexes, and farm, ranch, or agricultural buildings with limited public access. Alterations to existing buildings that don’t involve substantial structural or exit-way changes are also exempt.
For commercial buildings, public facilities, and multi-family residential projects beyond a duplex, you generally need a registered architect (or an engineer authorized under a separate provision). That’s where this lookup earns its keep. If the person designing a commercial space for you doesn’t appear in TBAE’s system as active, you have both a credential problem and a legal problem for your project.