Ohio § 4703.18

§ 4703.18.

(A) No person shall enter upon the practice of architecture or hold forth as an architect

or registered architect, unless the person has complied with sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code and is the holder of a certificate of qualification to practice architecture issued

or renewed and registered under those sections. (B) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from filing applications for building

permits or obtaining those permits. (C) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from preparing plans, drawings, specifications,

or data, filing applications for building permits, or obtaining those permits for

residential buildings, as defined by section 3781.06 of the Revised Code , or buildings erected as industrialized one-, two-, or three-family units or structures

within the meaning of the term “industrialized unit” as provided in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code . (D) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from preparing drawings or data, from

filing applications for building permits, or from obtaining those permits for the

installation of replacement equipment or systems that are similar in type or capacity

to the equipment or systems being replaced, and for any improvement, alteration, repair,

painting, decorating, or other modification of any buildings or structures subject

to sections 3781.06 to 3781.18 and 3791.04 of the Revised Code where the building official determines that no plans or specifications are required

for approval. (E) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not exclude a registered professional engineer from architectural practice that

may be incident to the practice of engineering or exclude a registered architect from

engineering practice that may be incident to the practice of architecture. (F) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent a firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation

of architects registered under those sections from providing architectural services

and do not prevent an individual registered as a landscape architect under sections 4703.30 to 4703.49 of the Revised Code or as a professional engineer under Chapter 4733. of the Revised Code from being

a member or trustee of a firm, partnership, association, limited liability company,

or corporation of that type, but a member or trustee of that type shall not engage

in the practice of architecture or hold forth as an architect contrary to sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code and shall not practice a profession in which the person is not licensed. (G) A firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation may provide

architectural services in this state as long as the services are provided only through

natural persons registered to provide those services in this state, subject to the

exemptions in section 4703.17 of the Revised Code and subject otherwise to the requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code . (H) No firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation shall

provide architectural services, hold itself out to the public as providing architectural

services, or use a name including the word “architect” or any modification or derivation

of the word, unless the firm, partnership, association, limited liability company,

or corporation files all information required to be filed under this section with

the architects board and otherwise complies with all requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code .  A nonprofit membership corporation may use a name including the word “architect”

or any modification or derivation of the word without complying with this section. (I) A corporation may be organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code, a professional

association may be organized under Chapter 1785. of the Revised Code, or a limited

liability company may be formed under Chapter 1705. or 1706. of the Revised Code for

the purpose of providing professional engineering, surveying, architectural, or landscape

architectural services, or any combination of those services.  A corporation organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code for the purpose

of providing those services also may be organized for any other purpose in accordance

with that chapter. (J) No firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation shall

provide or offer to provide architectural services in this state unless more than

fifty per cent of the partners, members, or shareholders, more than fifty per cent

of the directors in the case of a corporation or professional association, more than

fifty per cent of the managers in the case of a limited liability company the management

of which is not reserved to its members, and more than fifty per cent of the trustees

in the case of an employee stock ownership plan, are professional engineers, surveyors,

architects, or landscape architects or a combination of those professions, who are

registered in this or any other state and who own more than fifty per cent of the

interests in the firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation;

 unless the requirements of this division and of section 1785.02 of the Revised Code are satisfied with respect to any professional association organized under Chapter

1785. of the Revised Code;  or unless the requirements of this division and of Chapter

1705. or 1706. of the Revised Code are satisfied with respect to a limited liability

company formed under that chapter. A corporation is exempt from the requirements of division (J) of this section if the

corporation was granted a charter prior to August 7, 1943, to engage in providing

architectural services or was otherwise lawfully providing architectural services

prior to November 15, 1982, in this state. (K) Each firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation through

which architectural services are offered or provided in this state shall designate

one or more trustees, partners, managers, members, officers, or directors as being

in responsible charge of the professional architectural activities and decisions,

and those designated persons shall be registered in this state.  In the case of a corporation holding a certificate of authorization provided for

in division (L) of this section, at least one of the persons so designated shall be

a director of the corporation.  Each firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of

that type shall annually file with the architects board the name and address of each

trustee, partner, manager, officer, director, member, or shareholder, and each firm,

partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of that type shall

annually file with the board the name and address of all persons designated as being

in responsible charge of the professional architectural activities and decisions and

any other information the board may require.  If there is a change in any such person in the interval between filings, the change

shall be filed with the board in the manner and within the time that the board determines. (L) No corporation organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code shall engage in

providing architectural services in this state without obtaining a certificate of

authorization from the architects board.  A corporation desiring a certificate of authorization shall file with the board

a copy of its articles of incorporation and a listing on the form that the board directs

of the names and addresses of all trustees, officers, directors, and shareholders

of the corporation, the names and addresses of any individuals providing professional

services on behalf of the corporation who are registered to practice architecture

in this state, and any other information the board requires.  If all requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code are met, the board may issue a certificate of authorization to the corporation.  Except for a corporation that was granted a charter prior to August 7, 1943, to

engage in providing architectural services or that was otherwise lawfully providing

architectural services prior to November 15, 1982, no certificate of authorization

shall be issued unless persons owning more than fifty per cent of the corporation's

shares and more than fifty per cent of the interests in the corporation are professional

engineers, surveyors, architects, or landscape architects, or a combination of those

professions, who are registered in this or any other state.  Any corporation that holds a certificate of authorization under this section and

otherwise meets the requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code may be organized for any purposes for which corporations may be organized under Chapter

1701. of the Revised Code and shall not be limited to the purposes of providing professional

engineering, surveying, architectural, or landscape architectural services or any

combination of those professions.  The board, by rules adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code,

may require any firm, partnership, association, or limited liability company not organized

under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code that provides architectural services to obtain

a certificate of authorization.  If the board so requires, no firm, partnership, association, or limited liability

company shall engage in providing architectural services without obtaining the certificate

and complying with the rules. (M) This section does not modify any law applicable to the relationship between a person

furnishing a professional service and a person receiving that service, including liability

arising out of that service. (N) Nothing in this section restricts or limits in any manner the authority or duty of

the architects board with respect to natural persons providing professional services

or any law or rule pertaining to standards of professional conduct.