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Notice of Effective Date for New Rules for the
Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners
Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-3-1306(d), you are receiving this notice because you have elected to receive notification by e-mail of certain changes or potential changes to the law applicable to your profession.
The referenced rules were adopted for a rulemaking hearing at the June 4, 2020 meeting of the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners (“the Board”) and were approved at a rulemaking hearing on August 6, 2020 during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. The rules were filed with the Secretary of State on October 29, 2020 and have an effective date of January 27, 2021.
These rules provide detail regarding the continuing education requirements for registered architects, engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers including, but not limited to a change in the number of Professional Development Hours (PDHs) required, a change in the types of acceptable PDHs, and a change to allow PDHs to be acquired at any location. These rules also add a hardship waiver which provides an exemption or extension of PDHs for extenuating circumstances.
This rule allows architects to earn twelve (12) PDHs per calendar year or twenty-four (24) per biennial cycle and requires that all hours be in Health, Safety, and Welfare. This change brings the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners into compliance with the NCARB Model Rules and the majority of architectural registration boards, which currently require twelve (12) hours per calendar year. In addition, this rule amendment will phase out carryover hours after the year 2023.
The primary goal of the proposed changes is to bring the continuing education rules for the Tennessee Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners into greater conformity with the rules of other states to facilitate interstate practice and to provide registrants with greater flexibility in obtaining their continuing education hours. Carry over hours are not allowed by the NCARB and CLARB Model Rules. Consequently, many states do not allow carry over hours. The proposed rule changes will provide engineers and landscape architects with the option of obtaining hours on a calendar-year basis—an option that is not currently available to licensees in Tennessee. NCARB, NCEES, and CLARB are all encouraging states to adopt calendar-year language to assist licensees who are registered in multiple states.
The “structured educational activities” language used in this rule amendment is adopted from the NCARB Model Rules. Due to the overlap and close association between the architecture and interior design professions, the Continuing Education Committee opted to use similar language for the interior designers. The model rules for the engineers and landscape architects do not use this terminology and thus do not include the “structured educational activities” requirement.
The following chart outlines the changes to PDH requirements for each discipline:
First Biennial Subsequent Biennial Reapplication
Previous Rule for All Registrants 12 PDH in 2 years (7 HSW) 24 PDH in 2 years, (13 HSW)
• Can carryover 12 24 PDH in previous 24 months (13 HSW)
• No carryover
Architect (New) 12 PDH in 2 years immediately following initial registration and immediately preceding
application for renewal (12 HSW) 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (24 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover
OR
12 PDH per calendar year (12 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (24 HSW)
• No Carryover
Engineer (New) 12 PDH in 2 years immediately following initial registration and immediately preceding
application for renewal (7 HSW) 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (13 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover
OR
12 PDH per calendar year (7 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (13 HSW)
• No carryover
Landscape Architect (New) 12 PDH in 2 years immediately following initial registration and immediately preceding
application for renewal (7 HSW) 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (13 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover
OR
12 PDH per calendar year (7 HSW)
• Prior 2023 - 12 carryover
• 2023 onward - no carryover 24 PDH in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (13 HSW)
• No carryover
Interior Designer (New) 12 PDH in 2 years immediately following initial registration and immediately
preceding application for renewal (7 HSW) 24 PDH in 2 years (13 HSW)
• Can carryover 12 24 PDH in in 2 years immediately preceding application for renewal (13 HSW)
• No carryover
A full copy of these rules can be viewed online at: https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules_filings/10-23-20.pdf
If you have any questions or concerns about these rules, please contact Maria Bush, Associate General Counsel, at (615) 741-3072 or electronically at Maria.P.Bush@tn.gov.
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