New Publication Providing Guidance For Overlap In Design Professions
ICOR Leads Unprecedented Cross-Profession Partnership to Address Overlapping Practice in Design Fields
RESTON, VA - The Interorganizational Council on Regulation (ICOR)-comprised of design profession regulatory associations including the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)-has released landmark guidance to address longstanding challenges related to overlapping and incidental practice among the licensed and certified design professions. This guidance was developed through an unprecedented, multi-organization collaboration to help regulators and professionals understand the roles and responsibilities of the different professions and where they overlap.
"What makes this effort truly significant is the level of collaboration behind it," said Wendy Ornelas, Chair of the ICOR Practice Overlap Task Force. "Regulatory leaders and subject matter experts from across the design professions worked together to identify where practice legitimately overlaps and where clear boundaries are necessary. Grounded in recognized standards, this collaboration helps ensure the guidance reflects real-world practice while upholding our shared commitment to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public."
Launched in 2022, the Practice Overlap Task Force is the first coordinated, multi-profession effort to bring clarity, consistency, and transparency to areas where the scopes of architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and surveying intersect. The goal is to support defensible regulatory decision-making while encouraging appropriate interdisciplinary collaboration to protect public health, safety, and welfare.
Guided by a steering committee and informed by dozens of volunteer subject matter experts from across 27 jurisdictions, the initiative analyzed licensure and certification standards across all five professions-including definitions of practice, education, experience, and examination requirements. The review identified 53 topic areas where overlap may occur, which were organized into several groups, outlining tasks where shared involvement is appropriate and does not create regulatory conflict and where clear delineation and regulation is required to ensure competent practice.
The resulting Practice Overlap Guidance offers shared benefits across professions by:
• Providing a clearer, more consistent understanding of who is qualified to perform specific tasks
• Supporting interdisciplinary work without unnecessary restrictions
• Strengthening the credibility and value of licensure
• Highlighting areas where qualified professionals may be underrecognized
• Reducing conflict by identifying logical overlaps based on competence to practice safely
How Boards and Jurisdictions Can Use Guidance
Regulatory boards may use this resource to:
• Evaluate practice complaints, disciplinary matters, and scope-related questions
• Inform updates to statutes, rules, and policies, including in consolidated board structures
• Educate new board members, legal counsel, and staff on distinctions and commonalities among the professions
ICOR recognizes that change will occur incrementally, but the resource provides a solid foundation for future improvements.
This milestone would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of a committed committee of volunteers. Representing diverse perspectives from across five professions, these individuals generously contributed their time, knowledge and leadership to advance this important work. Bold styling indicates volunteers who served on the Steering Committee, which served as the decision-making body and was intentionally structured with balanced representation across the professions, including regulatory leaders, board executives and a public member.
Architecture: Bob Calvani, Chair; Kristine Harding; Paul Edmeades; Mary Morrisette; Brad Smith; Katie Wilson
Engineering: Brian Robertson, Co-Chair; Chris Knotts, Co-Chair; Deborah Blackall; Andrew Bonderer; Gabriel Fleck; Sherisse Goodwin Jackson; Jeffrey Greenfield; Andrea Reynolds; Timothy Rickborn; Eric Rubottom; Jayme Schiff
Interior Design: AnnMarie Jackson, Chair; Stacey Crumbaker; Rachelle Schoessler-Lynn; Susan Ballard; Rosa Salazar
Landscape Architecture: Phil Meyer, Chair; Jerany Jackson; Chip Brown; Ryan Evitts; See-Yin Lim; Leehu Loon
Surveying: Scott Bishop; Doyle Allen; Cliff Barker; James Riney
Regulatory Boards: Brett Foley; Julie Hildebrand, MBE; Judith Stapley, MBE
ABOUT ICOR
The Interorganizational Council on Regulation (ICOR) is a collaborative partnership of nonprofit regulatory associations representing the licensing boards for architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, and surveying. Founded in 1972, ICOR includes the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Together, these organizations support licensing boards across the United States and Canada that uphold public health, safety, and welfare through professional licensure and/or certification.
ICOR works to strengthen regulation by sharing best practices, advancing consistent standards, and addressing areas of common concern among the regulated design professions. Recognizing that many jurisdictions regulate multiple professions under a single board, ICOR plays a vital role in fostering understanding and collaboration across disciplines. By developing shared resources like this guidance on practice overlap, ICOR helps regulatory boards reduce confusion, streamline administration, and ensure that professional scopes of practice are well defined-while maintaining the public's trust and safety at the center of the regulatory mission.
