Ohio Architects Board

About this board

Architecture is a stamped profession: building departments across Ohio require plans for most commercial and many residential projects to bear the seal of a licensed architect. A building official, lender, or owner verifying the architect’s license is confirming the legal validity of the documents the whole project stands on.

Firms matter too — Ohio regulates the practice of architecture by business entities through certificates of authorization. Due diligence on a design firm therefore has two layers: the firm’s authorization and the individual licenses of the architects who will actually seal the work.

Architects Board by the numbers

These figures are ours, not the board's — we computed them from the full State of Ohio licence file so you can see this board in context rather than one record at a time. Data as of September 2026.

Only 34.7% of the 22,021 licences this board has on record are currently active — the other 65.3% belong to people who retired, moved, changed careers, or simply let a credential lapse. That gap is the single best reason to verify a licence rather than assume a name in a database means somebody may practise today.

Most common licence types

When a licence from this board is not active, the most common reason recorded is deceased (2,849 records), followed by expired (2,219). Our status dictionary explains what each label actually means.

1.33% of this board's licences carry a recorded board action (292 of 22,021), against about 1.6% across all Ohio professions. A board action covers everything from an administrative consent agreement to revocation, and it is cumulative over a licence's whole life — see how we measured that before reading much into it.

Computed by OhioLicenseCheck from the State of Ohio eLicense dataset (issued licences only; application records excluded). Refreshed daily.

Who verifies these licenses?

• •Building departments reviewing sealed plans
• •Developers and owners selecting design firms
• •Contractors confirming the architect of record
• •Lenders and insurers underwriting construction projects

Verification tips

• Verify the individual who seals the drawings, not just the firm name on the title block.
• An intern or designer title is not an architect — the license is what conveys sealing authority.
• For firm-level engagements, ask about the certificate of authorization alongside individual licenses.

Renewals and expiration

Ohio architect licenses renew on a regular cycle with continuing-education requirements focused on health, safety, and welfare topics. Firms typically track every licensed architect’s renewal centrally, since an expired license invalidates sealing authority overnight.

Frequently asked questions