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Florida Statute 481.209 - Full Text and Legal Analysis Florida Statute 481.209 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Fla. Stat. § 481.209 (2026) Copy Cite Official Site Syfertize CourtListener Amendments
481.209 Examinations.
(1) A person desiring to be licensed as a registered architect by initial examination shall apply to the department, complete the application form, and remit a nonrefundable application fee. The department shall license any applicant who the board certifies has passed the licensure examination prescribed by board rule and is a graduate of a school or college of architecture with a program accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board.
(2) A person seeking to obtain a certificate of registration as a registered interior designer and a seal pursuant to s. 481.221 must provide the department with his or her name and address and written proof that he or she has successfully passed the qualification examination prescribed by the Council for Interior Design Qualification or its successor entity or has successfully passed an equivalent exam as determined by the department. Any person who is licensed as an interior designer by the department and who was in good standing as of July 1, 2020, is eligible to obtain a certificate of registration as a registered interior designer.
History.ss. 5, 19, ch. 79-273; s. 357, ch. 81-259; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 7, 23, 24, ch. 88-383; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 300, ch. 94-119; s. 4, ch. 95-389; s. 5, ch. 96-309; s. 18, ch. 2000-332; s. 3, ch. 2001-269; s. 26, ch. 2012-61; s. 44, ch. 2020-160.

Cases Citing F.S. 481.209

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·Pierce v. AALL Ins. Inc., 531 So. 2d 84 (Fla. 1988).

Cited 40 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 13 Fla. L. Weekly 435, 1988 Fla. LEXIS 831, 1988 WL 97201

...[2] Other professions requiring at least a four-year university degree for licensure include: (1) optometry, § 463.006(1)(b), Fla. Stat. (1987); (2) dentistry, § 466.006(2), Fla. Stat. (1987); (3) veterinary medicine, § 474.207(2)(b), Fla. Stat. (1987); (4) architecture, § 481.209(2)(b), Fla....
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Cited "but see"(citing case) (2010)
phrase: "but see"
Cited as authority(citing case) (2020)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authority(citing case) (2013)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Locke v. Shore, 634 F.3d 1185 (11th Cir. 2011).

Cited 30 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 3879, 2011 WL 692238

...and Due Process Clauses.1 We agree and affirm. I. BACKGROUND Florida law requires interior designers practicing in nonresidential, commercial settings within the state to obtain a state license. Fla. Stat. §§ 481.209(2), 481.213....
...City of Alabaster, 881 F.2d 1570, 1573 n.6 (11th Cir. 1989) (holding that issues not argued on appeal are deemed abandoned); Rioux v. City of Atlanta, Ga., 520 F.3d 1269, 1274 n.4 (11th Cir. 2008). 2 § 481.209(2); Fla. Admin. Code r. 61-G1-22.001(1). The designer must also pass an examination administered by the National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (“NCIDQ”). Fla. Stat. §§ 481.209 and 481.207. Florida’s statute on its face requires only interior designers, a subset of architects, but not interior decorators, to obtain a state license before practicing in a commercial setting....
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Distinguished(citing case) (2015)
phrase: "distinguishing"
Distinguished(citing case) (2014)
phrase: "distinguishing"
Cited as authority(citing case) (2023)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Gaudet v. Bd., 900 So. 2d 574 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004).

Cited 2 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2004 WL 2290393

...like the one in question. See § 472.013(4), Fla. Stat. (land surveying and mapping). Others make it clear that there are two approval options, one by accreditation and one by approval by a board, like that for architecture and interior design. See § 481.209, Fla....
0 red0 yellow3 green0 procedural
Cited as authority(citing case) (2019)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityIn Re Holder (2006)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authority(citing case) (2006)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Ellinwood v. Bd. of Architecture & Interior Design, 835 So. 2d 1269 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003).

Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2003 Fla. App. LEXIS 962, 2003 WL 215054

...architect or as an interior designer an applicant who: (a) Qualifies to take the prescribed licensure examination, and has passed the prescribed licensure examination or a substantially equivalent examination in another jurisdiction, as set forth in s. 481.209 for architects or interior designers, *1270 as applicable, and has satisfied the internship requirements set forth in s....
...ate or jurisdiction of the United States. For the purposes of this paragraph, any applicant licensed in another state or jurisdiction after June 30, 1984, must also hold a degree in architecture and such degree must be equivalent to that required in s. 481.209(1)(b)....
...Also for the purposes of this paragraph, any applicant licensed in another state or jurisdiction after June 30, 1985, must have completed an internship equivalent to that required by s. 481.211 and any rules adopted with respect thereto. (emphasis added). Section 481.209(1)(b) states that an applicant must have degree from a school or college accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board, which effectively requires an applicant to have a five-year degree in architecture....
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Cited as authorityReinstein (2009)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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Cases v. Dep't of Bus. & Prof'l Reg., Bd. of Architecture & Interior Design, 651 So. 2d 772 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1995).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1995 Fla. App. LEXIS 2280, 1995 WL 91864

...The applicant applied to the appellee Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Board of Architecture and Interior Design (“Board”), for licensure as an architect in the State of Florida. He contended that his degree satisfies the education requirement currently set forth in paragraph 481.209(l)(b)(l), Florida Statutes (1993)....
...The Petitioner completed none of the fifth year requirements at CCNY. From 1979 through 1987, the Florida architecture licensing statute specifically required the applicant to be “a graduate from an approved architectural curriculum of 5 years or more.” § 481.209(2)(b), Fla.Stat....
...Insofar as pertinent here, the applicant now must show that he or she “[h]as successfully completed all architectural curriculum courses required by and is a graduate of a school or college of architecture accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board.” § 481.209(l)(b)(l), Fla....
...(1993); Ch. 88-383, § 7, Laws of Fla. The applicant argues that the legisla *774 ture’s deletion of the specific reference to five years in the cited portion of the statute means that the requirement of a five year degree has been eliminated. If section 481.209 were the only statute involved, we would be inclined to agree....
...Section 481.213, Florida Statutes (1993), defines the criteria for licensure. The statute provides, in part, that “[t]he board shall certify for licensure by examination any applicant who passes the prescribed licensure examination and satisfies the requirements of ss. 481.209 and 481.211, for architects." Id....
...The two alternatives do not include the Bachelor of Science of Architecture degree held by the applicant. All three of the above cited statutory sections must be read in pari materia. That is so because subsection 481.213(2) explicitly requires applicants to comply with both section 481.209 and 481.211....
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Eva Locke v. Joyce Shore (11th Cir. 2011).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...Due Process Clauses.1 We agree and affirm. I. BACKGROUND Florida law requires interior designers practicing in nonresidential, commercial settings within the state to obtain a state license. Fla. Stat. §§ 481.209(2), 481.213....
...City of Alabaster, 881 F.2d 1570, 1573 n.6 (11th Cir. 1989) (holding that issues not argued on appeal are deemed abandoned); Rioux v. City of Atlanta, Ga., 520 F.3d 1269, 1274 n.4 (11th Cir. 2008). 2 § 481.209(2); Fla. Admin. Code r. 61-G1-22.001(1). The designer must also pass an examination administered by the National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (“NCIDQ”). Fla. Stat. §§ 481.209 and 481.207. Florida’s statute on its face requires only interior designers, a subset of architects, but not interior decorators, to obtain a state license before practicing in a commercial setting....

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