Interior Design Practice

Under current law, interior design work is exempted from the types of work regulated under the laws governing the practice of architecture. The act modifies the interior design exemption: To remove an inconsistency in the language of that exemption whereby one portion of the exemption requires that interior designers not be engaged in work that affects the life safety of building occupants and another portion of the exemption requires that interior designers engage in their work "with due concern for the life safety of the occupants of the building"; and To amend the language of the first portion of the exemption by limiting the restriction to alterations that are outside the content of interior design documents and specifications filed for the purpose of obtaining building permit approval and retains the language of the second portion of the exemption. Additionally, the act authorizes a city, city and county, or regional building authority to reject a building permit application filed by an interior designer only for a reason provided by law. The act also modifies the eligibility criteria for interior designers by removing references to educational requirements. The national certification requirement that is maintained in the statute itself includes educational requirements. Finally, the act modifies the description of "nonstructural or nonseismic" work that is within an interior designer's scope of practice. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)