Landscape Artchitecture Licensure

There are three basic things one needs to do in order to become a licensed landscape architect in the United States. First, they need to gain an education from an accredited school or program for landscape architecture. Second, there needs to be an internship or apprenticeship for a period of time. And lastly, prospective landscape architects need to pass the Landscape Architect Registration Exam. All of these things tend to vary State-to-State, however some form of each is required.

Currently, there are 49 States that require licensure to practice landscape architecture in the United States. If a prospective landscape architect would like to pursue a career within the Federal Government, thankfully licensure is not needed. There are two types of mandated licensing known as ‘title acts’ and ‘practice acts.’ According to the provisions of the title act, no one without a license may call him or herself a landscape architect, while under the provisions of the practice act no one without a license may perform the work of a landscape architect.

Although all States require candidates to pass the LARE (Landscape Architect Registration Examination), each State differs in their requirements for registration. Plus, most States require candidates to have completed an approved program of professional education and to have spent at least a year practicing under the supervision of a licensed landscape architect.

Maintaining Your License

Once a landscape architect is licensed, he or she then needs to continue their education every year before their licensure renewal date. To gain the correct amount of CE hours needed, licensed landscape architects can attend and complete workshops, seminars, formal university classes, conferences, self-study courses, or other classes. The internet also provides the locations, dates and times of these events. It’s important to keep in mind that not all States require continuing education hours to meet license renewal requirements. Check with your state board or the LAAB (Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board) to find out how many hours of continued education is needed each year.

It’s important that a landscape architect stays current and up-to-date on all codes, laws, new design techniques, construction materials and more. Taking continued education courses can help you achieve just that.

Licensure Overview

License and architecture status are granted as soon as all educational, experience and examination requirements are met. To obtain your license you need to do three things, in order they are:

1. Get an Education from an Accredited School
2. Participate in an Internship
3. Pass the LARE