About
IIDA advocates for the advancement in design excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and community outreach to increase the value and understanding of interior design. We are strong advocates for the registration, and/or certification of practicing interior designers who work in a code-impacted environment.
An Evolving Profession
Interior design is a distinct, deeply valuable profession, and designers play a pivotal role in protecting the health, safety, and well-being of people in public spaces. Yet in many states, designers are still advocating for legal recognition of the profession as well as independent practice rights, or the ability to stamp and seal their own interior, nonstructural construction plans for permitting.
The good news? Excitement for interior design advocacy and legislation is contagious. Around the country, interior design practitioners and advocates are changing the legislative landscape for the better, increasing awareness and understanding of the role they play in ensuring that spaces and places meet the needs of all who move through them.
IIDA members are taking a lead role in advocacy efforts, not just in moving legislation forward but in educating their communities, growing public awareness, and building relationships with stakeholders. Collectively, these advocacy efforts move the profession forward, and positively impact the career trajectory and earning potential of individual designers.
Tools below include a map reflecting the current status of interior design legislation across the United States and Canada; a state-by-state snapshot of IIDA members advocating for the profession; and the latest advocacy news.
Sign up to Take Action for alerts about advocacy in your state.
LEGISLATIVE MAP
Twenty-nine states, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico (for a total of 31 jurisdictions) have some type of legal recognition related to the regulation of interior design. All Canadian provinces are regulated.
Interior design is typically regulated via two types of law: practice acts and title acts. In some cases, the title act is accompanied by additional practice rights or permitting privileges. In jurisdictions with practice acts, designers must register with the state. In jurisdictions with title acts, registration with the jurisdiction is optional, and comes with a protected title.
Learn about the regulatory status and interior design laws in each state or providence of the United States and Canada—click the map to view or download.
State-by-State
Select your state to learn more
Resources
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Members-Only Webinars
Log in to your IIDA account to experience our CEU-certified advocacy programming:
Advocating for Change: Strategies and Successes in Interior Design Legislation
Advocacy 101: National Trends, Colorado Impact
Designing Michigan’s Future: Our Legislative Process
Progress! Breaking Down Barriers for NY Interior Designers
NCIDQ “The Q and You”
May the Force Be With You: Florida Interior Design Advocacy JEDIS
People
Advocacy Advisory Council
The Advocacy Advisory Council provides guidance to the IIDA International Board and support to practitioners and advocates for strengthened recognition, visibility, and public perception of the education, experience, examination, and expertise of the interior design profession and its role in protecting the health, safety, and well-being of the public. Learn more.
Chair, IIDA Advocacy Advisory Council
- Susanne Molina, FIIDA | Southern California Chapter | Design Manager, Gensler
VP of Advocacy
- Stacey Crumbaker, IIDA, Assoc. AIA | Northern Pacific Chapter | Associate Principal, Mahlum Architects
Director of Advocacy
- Marci Merola | IIDA
Advocacy Advisory Council Members
- Jill Dexter, IIDA | Illinois Chapter | Associate & Senior Interior Designer, Stantec
- Chelsea Harrell Lawrence, IIDA | Carolinas Chapter | Associate Principal, LS3P
- Stephanie McCrery, IIDA | Ohio Kentucky Chapter | President, Reese Design Collaborative
- Jon Otis, IIDA | New York Chapter | Founder & Principal O|A
- Cyndi Pederson | Advocacy Advisory Council Advisor | Vice President, Pederson Consulting
The Consortium for Interior Design
The Consortium for Interior Design is a collaboration of The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) in pursuit of reasonable regulation of the interior design profession. Learn more.
News
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Read the latest advocacy news here
Everything you need to know from the latest bill news and interior design advocacy news:
Pennsylvania
Passes Legislation (November 2024) | Read the press releaseOklahoma
Passes Legislation (April 2024) | Read the press releaseNebraska
Passes Legislation (March 2024) | Read the press releaseIowa
Passes Legislation (April 2023) | Read the press releaseNew Mexico
Passes Legislation (April 2023) | Read the press releaseASID, CIDQ, and IIDA
Announce Consortium for Interior Design (March 2023) | Read the press releaseIllinois
Passes Legislation (June 2022) | Read the press releaseWisconsin
Passes Legislation (March 2022) | Read the press release