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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.
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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
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