To meet Tennessee architect license requirements, you need a professional degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, 3,740 hours of documented experience through NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program, passing scores on all six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination, and an approved application to the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners. After that, the license runs on a two-year renewal cycle with continuing education attached.
Tennessee law makes it unlawful to practice or offer to practice architecture without a registration issued by the board.1Justia. Tennessee Code 62-2-101 – Registration Everything below is what it takes to get that registration and keep it in good standing.
Education
Your starting point is a professional degree from a NAAB-accredited program. A NAAB degree satisfies the education requirement in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions, Tennessee included.2National Architectural Accrediting Board. Accredited Programs
If your degree is from a foreign program, you go through the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) credential review before the board and NCARB will accept it.
Experience Through the AXP
NCARB’s Architectural Experience Program requires 3,740 total hours across six experience areas, including project management and construction evaluation. Each area carries its own minimum hour requirement, and a supervising architect verifies your progress as you go.3National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Experience Requirements
The AXP is built around 16 competencies drawn from NCARB’s analysis of actual practice, so the hours track the skills you’ll need on your own projects.4National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. About the Architectural Experience Program
The Architect Registration Examination
The ARE is a six-division exam. The divisions are Practice Management, Project Management, Programming and Analysis, Project Planning and Design, Project Development and Documentation, and Construction and Evaluation. You must pass all six to qualify for registration.5National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. ARE 5.0 Test Prep
Each division costs $257, so passing all six on the first attempt totals $1,542. Retakes also cost $257 per division. Your first reschedule of a given appointment is free; a second reschedule costs $52, and a third or subsequent reschedule costs $103.6National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Fees
Applying to the Tennessee Board
Tennessee’s initial application fee for registration by exam is $30 and is non-refundable. It’s separate from the NCARB exam fees.7Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance. Fees for Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineer Examiners The application asks for background disclosures and professional references, and the board can request additional documentation if anything in your file needs a closer look.
Renewal and Continuing Education
A Tennessee architect registration expires two years after issuance or your most recent renewal.8Justia. Tennessee Code 62-2-307 – Expiration and Renewal of Certificates The biennial renewal fee is $140.9Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp R and Regs 0120-01-.25 – Renewal of Registration
Continuing education is measured in professional development hours (PDHs), all in health, safety, and welfare (HSW) subjects. Your first renewal requires 12 PDHs. Every renewal after that requires 24 PDHs, delivered through structured educational activities where at least 75 percent of the content addresses HSW topics. Excess hours don’t carry over.10Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp R and Regs 0120-05-.04 – Basic Requirements Keep your CE documentation for four years in case of an audit.11Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance. Continuing Education for Tennessee Architects and Engineers
If You Miss the Deadline
A six-month grace period follows an expired registration. During that window, a $10 penalty applies for each month or partial month that passes before you renew.9Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp R and Regs 0120-01-.25 – Renewal of Registration
Once the grace period runs out, you shift to formal reinstatement. The reinstatement fee is $195. If the registration has been expired for less than five years, you need 24 PDHs or an active out-of-state license. If it’s been expired for more than five years, you need the 24 PDHs plus five professional references.12Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance. Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineer Examiners – Renewal, Reinstatement, and Other Resources
Inactive Status
If you’re stepping away from practice temporarily, Tennessee lets you place your registration on inactive status instead of letting it lapse. An inactive registrant cannot practice or offer to practice architecture in the state. To reactivate, you notify the board in writing and satisfy the continuing education requirements before resuming work.9Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp R and Regs 0120-01-.25 – Renewal of Registration
Coming In From Another State
If you’re already licensed elsewhere, the NCARB Certificate is the standard route into Tennessee. All 55 U.S. jurisdictions accept the certificate for reciprocal licensure, and 25 require it.13National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Reciprocity Some states use the terms endorsement or comity, but the process works the same way.
You log into your NCARB Record, go to the Licenses tab, and submit a transmittal request. The current transmittal fee is $475.14National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Updated Fees for Architects and Licensure Candidates You can provide professional services only in jurisdictions where you hold a current license; a pending application doesn’t count, though some states allow interviewing for work before the reciprocal license is issued.
When Registration Isn’t Required
Not every design project in Tennessee triggers the registration requirement, but the exemptions are narrower than many people expect.
For tenant improvements in business, factory, hazardous, residential, mercantile, and storage occupancies, a non-registrant can prepare the design when each separate tenant space is under 5,000 square feet with required fire-rated separations, or when the remodeling doesn’t alter the structural system, fire protection, or egress requirements. Routine maintenance, such as replacing finishes, swapping light bulbs, or rearranging prefabricated partitions in existing spaces, also falls outside the requirement.
Public works are treated differently. Plans for public work generally must be prepared by a registered architect or engineer. Projects with total expenditure under $50,000 that don’t alter structural, mechanical, or electrical systems are exempt. In state parks, that threshold rises to $100,000 when the work is limited to maintenance.1Justia. Tennessee Code 62-2-101 – Registration
What Can Cost You the License
Tennessee law lists seven categories of conduct that can lead to denial, suspension, or revocation of a registration: fraud in obtaining registration; gross negligence, incompetency, or misconduct; failure to properly maintain and use the seal, including sealing work you didn’t supervise; a court finding of breach of contract on a professional services agreement; violating any board rule, including continuing education and advertising standards; having your right to practice suspended or revoked by another state’s board; and felony conviction, subject to the Fresh Start Act’s limits on when a criminal record can be used against a licensee. Any person can file written charges on these grounds, and five or more board members must vote in favor before a registration is revoked or suspended.15Justia. Tennessee Code 62-2-308 – Denial, Suspension or Revocation of Certificate – Reissuance
Seal violations carry their own civil penalty of between $500 and $1,000, and can also serve as grounds for broader disciplinary action.
One boundary worth stating plainly: practicing or offering to practice architecture without registration is a Class B misdemeanor in Tennessee, and each day you continue counts as a separate offense.16Justia. Tennessee Code 62-2-105 – Violations Representing yourself as an architect through advertising, business cards, or signs can trigger a violation even without performing design work. The daily-offense structure means penalties compound fast, so don’t hold yourself out as an architect while an application or reinstatement is still pending.