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Landscape architecture committee weighs CLARB alignment and flags Chattanooga zoning change
Summary
The committee compared Tennessee licensure pathways to CLARB recommendations and agreed to further study possible statutory changes; members also warned that a proposed Chattanooga zoning amendment could strip landscape-design requirements and said the board will monitor the matter and consider advisory guidance.
The board’s landscape architecture committee reviewed a written comparison Dec. 4, 2025, between Tennessee’s current licensure pathways and recommendations from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), and agreed to continue study and return to the topic in February.
Blair Parker presented a spreadsheet and a written summary of differences, telling the committee he analyzed where Tennessee diverges from CLARB’s model. He noted a key distinction: CLARB’s model emphasizes reciprocity, whereas Tennessee uses comity and continues to review an applicant’s education and references. Parker said CLARB does not generally recommend references but Tennessee requires them; the committee discussed whether eliminating references would require legislative change.
"I prepared a spreadsheet, basically, that says, okay, what our requirements are and what CLARB's requirements are," Parker said as he walked members through the comparison.
Members emphasized that aligning with CLARB’s alternative pathways would likely require action by the Tennessee legislature, and they asked staff to identify which differences would need statutory change. The committee also discussed targeted outreach to professional societies (Tennessee ASLA and national ASLA) for input and indicated a desire to solicit their feedback before pursuing legislative recommendations.
Separately, Blair Parker raised a proposal by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency to amend the city’s zoning ordinance in a way he said would remove many enforceable landscape-design requirements. Committee members said the proposed change could encourage nonprofessional preparation of landscape plans and recommended monitoring the RPA action closely. Legal staff and board counsel advised that the A&E board’s recourse would be limited unless a local change violated state statute or the board’s rules; members discussed issuing advisory guidance or opinions if inappropriate practices appear once an amendment is adopted.
The committee scheduled follow-up review and additional homework for its February meeting, including validating which proposed pathways would require legislation and seeking professional-society input.
